Welcome back to The Thoughts That Bind! Today, we’re talking about the song Grow, in the second installment of the series “the meaning of MissBekah Music”. If you’d like to take a listen before reading what I have to say, you can find this song on YouTube by clicking here.
Lyrics:
Grow. You just have to let it go. I have watched you try to flower, giving the sunshine all your power. Grow. You don't have to say, I know that you would like to bask in sunlight knowing that everything is alright in this life. Your leaves are wilting, little boy. When will you grow, what would you enjoy? Your flower's wilting, my love. Will you feel safe taking from above? If you steal, there is no flower. Without the wisdom, there's no power. I want your leaves to be nice and green, I want you to know what I mean when I take a nice drink of water. Grow, in the soil where you were planted. You don't need to take it slow, just grow. Grow, you just have to let it go.
Overview
This song is about wanting the best for someone but watching them not moving in the direction of it. It’s heartbreaking. I think it happens often in life, when you’re close to someone for a long time and you see the beauty in them but also their bad decisions. It’s easy to love someone when they’re doing right by you and themselves, but when they start faltering you can really be tested.
Excuses
It can be really difficult to move on from heavy life experiences. We feel that we shouldn’t have to have had them, and that we shouldn’t have to move on from the terrible things that happened to us. I don’t think anyone is completely immune to this, either. That’s where this line comes; “I have watched you try to flower, giving the sunshine all your power.”
Truly, it would be easier to be good, positive people if we hadn’t experienced injustice, pain and tragedy. But life isn’t like that. Sometimes we give our life experiences too much power, using them as excuses for why we can’t build the kind of life and self that we want. But that’s not empowering. As much work and frustration as it can be to take responsibility for ourselves and our actions, it’s something we need to do in order to build a better life experience for our futures.
We all want to live the good life
“You would like to bask in sunlight knowing that everything is alright in this life”. We all just want to be happy and free and enjoying life. But the truth is, we can’t do that unless we keep ourselves moving with life. That’s why this whole song likens a person to a plant. Because life is growth. However, unlike plants, we have more control over our growth. And when we choose to stay stagnant—to not let life in and pursue our own personal growth, well, that’s when we start to “wilt”. As in, “Your leaves are wilting, little boy. When will you grow, what would you enjoy?”
It’s up to us to make the decision to keep learning, keep growing and keep turning into the kind of person that we are proud to be. It’s a constant decision—a lifestyle, if you will. And when we make this decision to flow with life we find that we grow big and strong and healthfully. We are able to be independent and interdependent and give back from a good place.
When we wilt
The flip side of this is what I refer to as “wilting” in this song. Instead of growing and learning to give back, we stagnate and our gifts and abundance starts to wilt. We start thinking about what we should have and get in the mindset of taking and what people should be giving to us. The problem with this entitlement is that we’re not in harmony with the greater whole of life, or ourselves. So this “Will you feel safe taking from above? If you steal there is no flower” bit is really referring to this fearful, selfish mindset that takes over when you defer growth and change in life.
You’re not a plant, okay? You’re obviously a lot more complicated than that. But I do think there’s something to be said about aligning with life the way that a plant simply will or will not given the conditions it’s in. While that decision is more nuanced for us humans, the fruits of this labor are not. This is the benefit that we get from observing it in this way.
What you were given
“Grow in the soil where you were planted”. This line, to me, is the one that makes the whole metaphor work in the sense that we acknowledge it is a metaphor. You, like the plant, were given certain circumstances in this life. But unlike the plant, it is up to you to make the best life and self you can out of them. And some days it’s harder than others, but this is the soil where you were planted. This isn’t me advocating for never leaving your life situation. In fact, I think that leaving is an important step sometimes. But I believe that’s just another step in doing what you can with what you’ve been given.
If you can wake up in the morning knowing that you’re going to do the best you can with what you have and you go to sleep at night knowing you’ve done exactly that, you’ll grow and change and improve at a rapid rate. Your life will change and improve alongside of you. And on top of that, this is truly a gift you can give yourself to be free of the guilt and shame and fear of your current life circumstances. If you know in your heart that you’re doing the best you can, it gives you the peace of mind that is second to only the freedom that will soon be yours.
Bottom line
This song is sung from the perspective of someone who cares for another, looking on at the life of a loved one and hoping they choose better for themselves. At the end of the day, all you can do for your loved ones is make the conditions of their life as good as you can in regards to your relationship. Let them know that they are valuable and loved. Let them know that there is a way forward and you are there for them and their journey. But you can’t walk that road for them. Love them and support them and let them live the way they wish. And learn to focus on making decisions for yourself, the best that you can, to support the flow of life in your experience.
Thank you for reading my thoughts. If you like what I have to say, consider subscribing to the blog and my YouTube channel to not miss out on any MissBekah content. And I hope you have a wonderful day. Remember, grow in the soil where you were planted!
