My Theme Song
After carefully considering all of my options for my life's theme song, which was a very difficult choice as a music major, I've decided that my theme song is "When I'm With You" by Chris Stapleton. Chris Stapleton is one of my all-time favorite artists because of his sheer, raw talent and his openness with his listeners. Honestly, I feel like he's very underrated in his genre because not all of his songs are like other country songs that talk about guns, beer, and riding the dirt roads but, in my opinion, he is one of the most talented artists of this century.
"When I'm With You" starts off as a very somber song. His lyrics talk about how, at forty, he feels like he hasn't done enough in his life to be remembered and how he feels like his future isn't getting any brighter as the days progress. The lyrics say "I'm forty years old, and it looks like the end of the rainbow ain't no pot of gold. The things that I've done, I doubt anyone will remember after I'm gone... and most of the time, I'm feeling like I'm fading into the night" (Apple Music). These lyrics really speak to me because I've always put a lot of pressure on myself. One of my biggest fears in life is disappointing the people I love and care about and, as a musician, making something out of myself feels almost impossible. People always say "you can do anything you put your mind to", but sometimes I feel like what I put my mind to is always out of reach.
The song then takes a turn when it transitions to the chorus. Stapleton sings "But when I'm with you, I feel like a dreamer that's had all his dreams come true, like my skies are all blue, when I'm with you" (Apple Music). The change in the song represents a change in his thought process. In my case, it reminds me to enjoy being around the people I love rather than constantly worrying about pleasing them or worrying about their opinions of me. I think it's more important to take advantage of the time you have with the people you care about and worry less about what they think of your choices.
The second verse brings gratitude into the song. Stapleton sings, "I got a good job, and I'm thankful to be working when so many good people are not. Sometimes I can't stand how my back and my hands don't work like they used to. Somewhere in my mind I'm still searching for something I know that I'm not going to find, when I know for sure I've got so much more than a man ever needs". This part of the song ties the first verse and the chorus together through the addition of gratitude. Stapleton starts off saying that he's grateful that he has the ability to work, and that even though he's getting older, he's glad that he's so fortunate to live the life that he's lived. It reminds me to have a "glass half-full" mindset even when things get bad.
The song ends with the same words it began with, "I'm forty years old, and it looks like the end of the rainbow ain't no pot of gold". This creates a full-circle moment, but the two versions of this part of the song have two very different connotations. The first one alludes to feeling defeated and not enough. The second one alludes to knowing that "the end of the rainbow ain't no pot of gold" but being okay with that because he's realized that it's not about what you accomplish but who's with you on your journey.