My dad has always been obsessed with The Beatles. Maybe that's why I started to like their music when I was little. On car trips, plane rides, at home, everywhere, The Beatles were constantly playing, song after song. At first, listening to a band play so frequently wherever I went was sort of annoying, but slowly, I grew to love The Beatles. Not just them, but their music, especially their lyrics.
The Beatles have been a part of my family forever-Revolution, my dad's favorite song, and P.S. I Love You, my mom's.
Mine is Think For Yourself-because listening to it makes me think that I'm somewhere else and lets me relax...
I've got a word or two
To say about the things that you do
You're telling all those lies
About the good things that we can have
If we close our eyes
Do what you want to do
And go where you're going to
Think for yourself
'Cause I won't be there with you
I left you far behind
The ruins of the life that you have in mind
And though you still can't see
I know your mind's made up
You're gonna cause more misery
Do what you want to do
And go where you're going to
Think for yourself
'Cause I won't be there with you
Although your mind's opaque
Try thinking more if just for your own sake
The future still looks good
And you've got time to rectify
All the things that you should
Do what you want to do
And go where you're going to
Think for yourself
'Cause I won't be there with you
Do what you want to do
And go where you're going to
Think for yourself
'Cause I won't be there with you
Think for yourself
'Cause I won't be there with you
Deciphering the lyrics, I read a story of someone leaving someone else in the dust. In the past. Leaving them for someone better. The person is confronting the other about their actions, and what they've said. How wrong it is to tell someone else that dreams and fairy tales can't some true. That they've ruined it, not just for every one else, but for themselves. The narrator, "I", encourages them to change for the better, to "rectify all the things you should".
"I left you far behind/The ruins of the life that you have in mind" are the words that sort of wake you up, like an alarm clock. You realize, that maybe your life won't be what you want it to be, that with one bad decision, you could loose everything, like the person the narrator is talking to.
The future still looks good/And you've got time to rectify/All the things that you should". These lines really bring hope to me. To say that you still have a chance at what you want to accomplish, to still have a chance to be able to say "I did it! I made it!" and know that you could really do what you wanted to do, even with the help of someone else. Even though you made a bad choice, and you fell, you can have the strength to get back up, keep on walking, keep on running. But you have a choice- "Do what you want to do". You can make that decision to get back up and pick yourself off the ground, or take someone's hand so that they can help you. You also have the choice to say "No," and stay on the ground.
"Do what you want to do/And go where you're going to/Think for yourself/'Cause I won't be there with you". The chorus, like a lot of songs, seems to make one of the strongest points, and is probably one of the reasons it's repeated. To me, these lines talk about departure, and saying farewell. The say that you have to make your own choices, and not rely on other people to help you all the time because they won't always be there. Even though it's hard to make decisions, you can't always be indecisive, and it's up to you to make good choices.
The lyrics in some Beatles songs move me. Especially this particular song. It shows that being dependent on others all the time and making bad choices can leave you like who the narrator was talking to- someone who stays on the ground when you fall. But we all fall. Hopefully we all get back up. But I think that it's really important to be independent, and be able to catch your balance when you trip.
Overall, The Beatles have made a huge impression on me and my family. Their lyrics, and the heart in their songs make their music come alive. So sometimes, music isn't just a catchy tune or beat, and instruments and someone singing some words that rhyme to get to the top charts...It can be a message their trying to send to the world, about an experience they had...or a time they fell down.
