Keep your head up

As some of you may know, I have had a particularly stressful year for a variety of reasons and one of the things that has helped me get through has been my love of music and as suggested in a past blog post (Changing my mood with music) using music to self medicate and keep me buoyed up and positive (ish).

One recent example of this is the track ‘Keep Your Head Up’ by Ben Howard.  I bought his album ‘Every Kingdom’ in the past couple of months and have played it extensively ever since.  One evening I was working out on my exercise bike and had the album playing in the background.  As I pedalled away I thought about various things and put the world to rights mentally.  The track ‘Keep Your Head Up’ came on and the chorus hit me full force.  I felt the message keenly and strongly and I felt my cares slip away.  As I pedalled away even more furiously I used the message in the song to blow away some mental blocks and to also fight back some physical tiredness from the exercise.

Here are the lyrics for you to read through:

I spent my time watching the spaces that have grown between us.
And I cut my mind on second best or the scars that come with the greenness.
And I gave my eyes to the boredom, still the seabed wouldn't let me in.
And I tried my best to embrace the darkness in which I swim.

Now walking back down this mountain with the strength of a turning tide.
Oh the wind's so soft at my skin, the sun so hot upon my side.
Oh looking out at this happiness, I searched for between the sheets.
Oh feeling blind and realize, all I was searching for was me. Ooh ooh all I was searching for was me.

Keep your head up, keep your heart strong. (no, no, no, no).
Keep your mind set, keep your hair long. (Oh my my darling)
Keep your head up, keep your heart strong. (no, no, no, no).
Keep your mind set in your ways, keep your heart strong.

I saw a friend of mine the other day, and he told me that my eyes were gleaming.
I said I had been away, and he knew, oh he knew the depths I was meaning.
And it felt so good to see his face, the comfort invested in my soul.
To feel the warmth of his smile, when he said "I'm happy to have you home. Ooh ooh I'm happy to have you home."

Keep your head up, keep your heart strong. (no, no, no, no.)
Keep your mind set, keep you hair long. (oh my my darling)
Keep your head up, keep you heart strong. (no, no, no, no.)
Keep your mind set in your ways, keep your heart strong.

‘Cause I'll always remember you the same.
Eyes like wild flowers within demons of change.
May you find happiness there, May all your hopes all turn out right.

Keep your head up, keep your heart strong. (No, no, no, no).
Keep your mind set, keep you hair long. (oh my my darling)
Keep your head up, keep you heart strong. (no, no, no, no).
Keep your mind set in your ways, keep your heart strong.

Because I'll always remember you the same.
Eyes like wild flowers within demons of change.



Not all of the lyrics apply to me at this particular time or if they do the context is changed, but they are uplifting lyrics that can help you regain some focus and help you get things back on the right track.

I was glad to share this song with a dear friend of mine recently who is also going through a rough patch.  Often she and I will share our lives and stories in long extensive emails which I adore, but sometimes we will just send over a quick YouTube link and let the music talk for us.  In this case I sent her the link and hoped she would take the same message from the song; to keep her head up and her heart strong.

It pays to remember that the tiring, wearing and hard feelings we may experience in our life will eventually subside and release their grip on us.  But, in the mean time until we reach that point, it helps to have music and lyrics like this that can keep us on a slightly more even path.  I was just glad that I found this particular song and that I was able to share it with a friend who needed the boost and message as well.  I hope you enjoy and take something from it as well.