I won’t let go

‘I won’t let go’ is a song by the Rascal Flatts which is a country band & the reason I chose this song title

for my soundtrack is because everyone needs reassurance that someone will be there to hold

them, to pick them up when they fall down & to just be someone they will keep their word. Dark

Romanticism & Transcendentalism are two very common themes even in today’s world, which means

people can even relate to the themes without realizing it. This soundtrack consists of songs I can

relate to in both Dark Romanticism & Transcendentalism, everyone feels a trillion ways

throughout their life & their journey, lyrics are words most people cannot say therefore everyone

goes to songs to explain how they feel.

By: Brittanie Mae Clair

Failure By Breaking BenjaminThe song “Failure” by Breaking Benjamin shows the characteristic of loneliness especially by the lyrics “The long and lonely road” along with “Tired of feeling lost…” these two specific lyrics show the desolation in the song. “Look for the light that leads me home.” Also shows the significance of the solitude of Dark Romanticism by indirectly telling people this person is lost and needs help finding their way home to no longer be lonely.

“The long and lonely road. Look for the light the leads me home.

Tired of feeling lost, tired of letting go.Tear the whole world down, tear the whole world down.Failure.

Look for the light that leads me home.

Tired of feeling lost, tired of letting go.Tear the whole world down, tear the whole word down.Tired of wasted breath, tired of nothing left.Tear the whole world down, tear the whole world down.Failure.”

Just Like Fire By P!nk

The song “Just Like Fire” by P!nk shows the transcendentalist quality of individuality by the lyrics of “See I would rather we just go a different way than play the game, mmm, mmm” this lyric shows individuality because this person does not want to ‘play the game’ society is having everyone play, this person would rather do something else and be themselves rather than a copy of someone else. Along with “No one can be like me anyway” shows individuality because this is saying that this person is different which is why no one can be like him/her since everyone is so worried about fitting into society, no one will be like this person.

“I know that I’m running out of timeI want it all, mmm, mmmAnd I’m wishing they’d stop tryna turn me offI want it on, mmm, mmm And I’m walking on a wire, trying to go higherFeels like I’m surrounded by clowns and liarsEven when I give it all awayI want it all, mmm, mmm We came here to run it, run it, run itWe came here to run it, run it, run it Just like fire, burning up the wayIf I can light up the world for just one dayWatch this madness, colorful charadeNo one can be just like me anywayJust like magic, I’ll be flying freeI’mma disappear when they come for meI kick that ceiling, what you gonna say?No one can be like me anyway Just like fire, uh And people like to laugh at you ‘cause they are all the same, mmm, mmmSee I would rather we just go a different way than play the game, mm, mm And no matter the weather, we can do it betterYou and me, together forever and everWe don’t have to worry ‘bout a thing, ‘bout a thing”

I Hope You Dance By Lee Ann Womack

“I hope you never lose your sense of wonder,You get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger,May you never take one single breath for granted,God forbid love ever leave you empty handed,I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean,When one door closes I hope one more opens,Promise me that you’ll give faith a fighting chance,And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance. I hope you dance…. I hope you dance. I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance,Never settle for the path least resistanceLivin’ might mean takin’ chances but they’re worth takin’, Lovin’ might be a mistake but it’s worth makin’,Don’t let some hell bent heart leave you bitter,When you come close to sellin’ out reconsider,Give the heavens above more than just a passing glance,And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.”

This song by Lee Ann Womack shows the characteristic that nature is a source of inspiration by “I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance” shows that nature shouldn’t be a barrier to do something grand, but it should be uplifting & the Transcendentalists thought that’s what nature was & this song shows that with “I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean” which shows nature as an inspiration as well because in a literal sense one is small when standing beside the ocean, but also the ocean should inspire you as nature is a source of inspiration.

Scars By Papa RoachThis song deals with the self-

destruction of one’s heart & even to the extent of one’s emotions.“I tear my heart open just to feel” shows the part of one not feeling any sort of emotion, which leads to the self-destruction of one’s self & heart because once you start not to feel, you start to drift away from what you can see in someone’s emotion & then you start to lose what it feels like to have a heart.Once someone no longer has a heart, one learns to block out hurt, which is a characteristic of Dark Romanticism.

“I tear my heart open, I sew myself shutMy weakness is I care too muchAnd my scars remind me that my past is realI tear my heart open just to feel

…………..

All I can say isI tear my heart open, I sew myself shutMy weakness is I care too muchAnd our scars remind us that our past is realI tear my heart open just to feel”

Sit Still, Look Pretty By Daya “Sit Still, Look Pretty” by Daya is a song

that shows the characteristic of nonconformity by the lyrics “I’m never gonna be that girl” shows that nonconformity because she is saying she will not be like every girl in the world, she wants to stand out and be different, dressing up and looking your best just to get a guy to like you is not what she wants to be, she wants to be the opposite and have a guy like her for her, not like her when she looks perfect. Along with “But no, I’m never gonna be ‘cause I don’t wanna be” also shows nonconformity because every girl wants to have what they dream their life will be with a man, but she doesn’t care, she wants to be herself and not conform to be image society makes girls out to be.

“Could dress upTo get loveI’m never gonna be that girlWho’s living in a Barbie world Could wake upIn make up,And play dumbPretending that I need a boyWho’s gonna treat me like a toy I know the other girlies wanna wear expensive thingsLike diamond ringsBut I don’t wanna be a puppet that you’re playing on a stringThis queen don’t need a king Oh, I don’t know what you’ve been toldBut this gal right here’s gonna rule the worldYeah, that is where I’m gonna be because I wanna beNo, I don’t wanna sit still, look prettyYou get off on your 9 to 5Dream of picket fences and trophy wivesBut no, I’m never gonna be ‘cause I don’t wanna beNo, I don’t wanna sit still look pretty”

What A Wonderful World By Louis Armstrong

“What A Wonderful World” is a song that shows the characteristics that nature is a source of truth from the lyrics “I hear babies cry, I watch them grow, they’ll learn much more, than I’ll ever know.” These lyrics show nature as a source of truth because that is the reality of everything, as the world becomes more populated the next generation will learn more than the previous generation, it’s just a matter of time before it happens, it takes time for the newer generation to grow and to learn. The lyrics “The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky.” Show nature as a source of beauty by simply saying the colors of the rainbow in the sky are so pretty, it shows the imagery in the lyrics of a rainbow in the sky by saying that.

“I see trees of green,red roses too.I see them bloom,for me and you.And I think to myself,what a wonderful world. I see skies of blue,And clouds of white.The bright blessed day,The dark sacred night.And I think to myself,What a wonderful world. The colors of the rainbow,So pretty in the sky.Are also on the faces,Of people going by,I see friends shaking hands.Saying “How do you do?”They’re really saying,“I love you” I hear babies cry,I watch them grow,They’ll learn much more,Than I’ll ever know.And I think to myself,What a wonderful world. Yes, I think to myself,What a wonderful world. Oh yeah.”

Remember Everything By Five Finger Death Punch“Remember Everything” by Five Finger Death Punch emphasizes guilt. This song does it by apologizing to everyone that this person believes he/she has done wrong such as the mother “Oh dear mother, I love youI’m sorry, I wasn’t good enough” along with the father “Dear father, forgive me……In my heart I know I failed you….” The wrongdoings this person did makes them believe they have failed their parents and it is time to beg for forgiveness. These two pieces of lyrics show the guilt Dark Romanticism can have on someone.

“Oh dear mother, I love youI’m sorry, I wasn’t good enoughDear father, forgive me‘Cause in your eyes, I just never added upIn my heart I know I failed you, but you left me here alone

……………

Oh, dear brother, just don’t hate meFor never standing by you or being by your sideDear sister, please don’t blame meI only did what I thought was truly right”

Never Forget You By Zara Larsson & MNEK

“Never Forget You” by Zara Larsson & MNEK show the transcendentalist characteristic of valuing intuition over reason by these lyrics “I watched you as you left but I can never seem to let you go” This part of the song shows the person valuing intuition over reason because no matter what is right or good for this person, they will not let their previous love go, whatever the consequence is, this person will still be holding onto their love. “I knew that I would love you ‘til the day I die” also shows valuing intuition over reason because when one has such strong feelings of love one does not use common sense, when someone is so in love with someone else, that’s what one believes, but the consequence of thinking of something like that when someone is already gone hurts the person that is still holding on and that’s what one of the consequences are of valuing intuition over reason.

“I used to be happyBut without you here I feel so lowI watched you as you left but I can never seem to let you go‘Cause once upon a time you were my everythingIt’s clear to see that time hasn’t changed a thingIt’s buried deep inside me but I feel there’s something you should know I will never forget youYou’ll always be by my sideFrom the day that I met youI knew that I would love you ‘til the day I dieAnd I will never want much moreAnd in my heart I will always be sureI will never forget youAnd you will always be by my side ‘til the day I die ‘Til the day I die (‘til the day I die)‘Til the day I die ‘til the day I die) Funny how we both end up here but everything seems alrightI wonder what would happenIf we went back and put up a fight‘Cause once upon a time you were my everythingIt’s clear to see that time hasn’t changed a thingSo what in this world do you think could ever take you off my mind (take you off my mind)”

A Thousand Years By Christina Perri In “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri the lyrics “But watching you stand alone, all of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow” shows the characteristic of valuing intuition over reason from the transcendentalist time because watching someone you love makes everything go away for the time being, everything you’ve ever worried about has disappeared in that precise moment because all you care about is the person you’re staring at which shows valuing intuition over reason. Along with “I have died everyday waiting for you” has the characteristic of valuing intuition over reason because one feels as if they are dying when they are not with the person they love dearly every day and in reality people can live without the love of a significant other, but love blinds everyone.

“Heart beats fastColours and promisesHow to be brave?How can I love when I’m afraid to fall?But watching you stand alone,All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow. One step closer I have died everyday waiting for youDarling, don’t be afraidI have loved you for a thousand yearsI’ll love you for a thousand more Time stands stillBeauty in all sheI will be braveI will not let anything take awayWhat’s standing in front of meEvery breathEvery hour has come to this One step closerOne step closer I have died everyday waiting for youDarling, don’t be afraid.I have loved you for a thousand yearsI’ll love you for a thousand more And all along I believed I would find youTime has brought your heart to meI have loved you for a thousand yearsI’ll love you for a thousand more”

Little Do You Know By Alex & Sierra

“Little do you knowHow I’m breaking while you fall asleepLittle do you knowI’m still haunted by the memoriesLittle do you knowI’m trying to pick myself up piece by piece Little do you knowI need a little more time Underneath it all I’m held captive by the hole insideI’ve been holding back for the fear you might change your mindI’m ready to forgive you but forgetting is the harder fight I’ll wait, I’ll waitI love you like you’ve never felt pain,I’ll waitI promise you don’t have to be afraid,I’ll waitThe love is here and here to staySo lay your head on me Little do you knowI know you’re hurting while I’m sound asleepLittle do you knowAll my mistakes are drowning meLittle do you knowI’m trying to make it better piece by piece Little do you know I love you ‘til the sun dies”

“Little Do You Know” is a song that deals with humans being prone to sin in the song the lyric “I’m still haunted by the memories” shows humans are

prone to sin because haunted is another way to say torment, which

means the memories were things that were in the wrong. Along with

“Underneath it all I’m held captive by the hole inside” when one thinks of

committing a sin there becomes a part of the person that is no longer at peace

because of what happened. A plain lyric that shows this very beautifully is “I’m ready to forgive you….” Usually

when someone is going to forgive someone else, the person was hurt and in a way when you hurt someone you

care about it’s a sin to yourself. Lastly, “All my mistakes are drowning me” this

shows that this person committed something/things that they did not like

which is a sin in its own and this is a characteristic of Dark Romanticism.

Citations Slide• http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/breakingbenjamin/failure.html• http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/pink/justlikefire.html• http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/leeannwomack/ihopeyoudance.html• http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/paparoach/scars.html• http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/daya/sitstilllookpretty.html• http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/fivefingerdeathpunch/remembereverything.html• http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/alexsierra/littledoyouknow.html• http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/louisarmstrong/whatawonderfulworld.html• http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/zaralarsson/neverforgetyou.html• http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/christinaperri/athousandyears.html