Blogocentric Formulations

Run Boy Run

Written for the "Note: 48-HOUR CHALLENGE : Media Prompt Deadl..."

Lyrics ▼

Run boy run! This world is not made for you
Run boy run! They're trying to catch you
Run boy run! Running is a victory
Run boy run! Beauty lays behind the hills
Run boy run! The sun will be guiding you
Run boy run! They're dying to stop you
Run boy run! This race is a prophecy
Run boy run! Break out from society
Tomorrow is another day
And you won't have to hide away
You'll be a man, boy!
But for now it's time to run, it's time to run!
Run boy run! This ride is a journey to
Run boy run! The secret inside of you
Run boy run! This race is a prophecy
Run boy run! And disappear in the trees
Tomorrow is another day
And you won't have to hide away
You'll be a man, boy!
But for now it's time to run, it's time to run!
Tomorrow is another day
And when the night fades away
You'll be a man, boy!
But for now it's time to run, it's time to run!

It's funny how sometimes a song can just completely capture everything that you're feeling in a particular moment. I'd never heard of this song (or this band) before this music challenge, and now it's something I've been listening to on repeat ever since I first gave it a listen. Maybe it's because I have a lot going on in my life right now (new parent, job uncertainty, struggling to get back to my writing and back to being active here on WDC), but whatever the reason, I've been thinking a lot about when people stick to their guns on something, and when they choose to run away or let it go.

In a way, I suppose that's a lifelong pursuit, trying to figure out when we need to keep going and when we need to walk away.

Ultimately, I think it's tempting for all of us to want to run, initially. That primal fight-or-flight reflex often encourages us to disengage and keep a safe distance rather than stick to it, right in the middle of the fray when things are toughest. But it's often that fray that, once we get through it, provides the experience and sense of satisfaction that we come to appreciate so much after the fact.

Still, it's important to know when to cut your losses, or to know when it's not a fight you can win. I like to imagine this song is about those moments, when you realize that there's plenty of time to learn that particular lesson or fight that particular fight, and that it's okay to remain where you are for the time being. I feel like that's a pretty universal experience we go through when we grow up and transition from childhood to adulthood; we desperately want to be older and get to the next phase of our life, but in retrospect we always seem to have a sense of nostalgia and wish that we had taken more time to be in the moment and enjoy our childhood just a little longer.

I don't know if that's anything close to what the band had in mind when they wrote this song (and for once I'm not going to do any research about the song or the artist for one of these challenges), or if I'm reading too much into it, but this was definitely one of those songs that made me think as I listened to it over and over again.