Musical Mixing: My Personal Anthem

I love music. Always have. One of the things Geoff* taught me was to create music "mixes" on iTunes. Great fun! I especially like creating themed mixes - for example, I made one using songs that are about animals, one about war, one about colors. I am in the process of creating one I call my "Personal Anthem." It includes songs that I find encouraging, inspiring, and of personal meaning. One song I recently came across is The Roots "The Fire," which I will definitely work into that mix. I want to share the lyrics from that song. It is about ambition, and not giving up - a poignant message for any student, or anyone at all.


"The Fire," by The Roots

[Chorus]
There’s something in your heart,
and its in your eyes
It’s the fire, inside you
Let it burn


You don’t say good luck
You say don’t give up
It’s the fire, inside you
Let it burn


Yeah, and if I’m ever at the crossroads
And start feeling mixed signals like morse code
My soul start to grow colder than the North Pole
I try to focus on the hole on where the torch goes
In the tradition of these legendary sports pros
As far as I can see I made it to the threshold
Lord knows I waited for this a lifetime
And I’m an icon when I let my light shine
Shine bright as an example of a champion
Takin the advantage never coppin out or cancelin
Burn like a chariot, learn how to carry it
Maverick, always above and beyond average
Fuel to the flame that I train with and travel with
Something in my eyes say I’m so close
To having a prize
I realize I’m supposed to reach for the sky
Never let somebody try to tell you otherwise


[Chorus - John Legend]
There’s something in your heart,
and its in your eyes
It’s the fire, inside you
Let it burn


You don’t say good luck
You say don’t give up
It’s the fire, inside you
Let it burn


One love, one game, one desire
One flame, one rhyme, fire
Let it burn higher
I never showed signs of fatigue
Or turned tired
cause I’m the definition of tragedy turned triumph
It’s David and Goliath
I made it to the eye of the storm
Feeling tore like they fed me to lions
Before time start to wind down like the Mayans
I show ‘em how I got the grind down like a science
It sounds like a riot on hush
It’s so quiet, the only thing I hear is my heart
I’m inspired by the challenge that I find myself standin eye-to-eye with
To move like a wise warrior and not a coward
You can’t escape
The history you was meant to make
That’s why the highest victory is what I’m meant to take
You came to celebrate
I came to cerebrate
I hate losing I refuse to make the same mistakes


The fire, the fire…


[Chorus - John Legend]
You say don’t give up
It’s the fire, inside you
Let it burn


The fire, inside you (x3)
[End]

I find myself listening to this song over and over, in part because I love the music, in part because I love the lyrics (I'm a big lyrics person, clearly). I don't know the rest of the album, but you can get this one song for $1.29 on iTunes. That's less than a 20-ounce bottle of soda. If you're looking for a positive song with a good beat and you like spoken word, this is it.









*Geoff is my soon-to-be ex-husband, for those of you who haven't read some of my recent posts.