Pandora has a way of reminding me of songs that I haven't heard in a minute and used to blast all the time. This song is no exception. While I extol the virtues and beauties of love, the reality is that it can be a terrifying thing, and this song captures that.
"I'm not scared of lions and tigers and bears, but I'm scared of loving you. I'm not scared to perform at a sold-out affair, but I'm scared of loving you. Am I the only one who thinks it's an impossible task? Why it don't last - is that too much to ask? Why do we love Love, when Love seems to hate us?" The singer of this song is a braver woman than I, because I admittedly get nervous around the large animals that she's mentioned. But I think she's saying that as much as she wouldn't walk up to a lion in the jungle for fear of potentially losing her life because of the power of this animal, she is even more afraid of loving the one in her life. While stage fright is one of the most common of human fears, she is unconcerned with this when it compares to loving this person. But she feels that she can't be the only person who feels this way - afraid of the possibilities of love and whether it will last. She wonders why we seem to chase Love, desiring to have it in our lives when it seems that Love brings us nothing but hurt and disappointment.
"Sorry if I sound so filled with gloom. You say you care and I know you do. But this is from my experience and my conclusion only makes sense. Just cuz I love you and you love me, it doesn't mean that we're meant to be. I can climb mountains, swim cross the seas, but the most frightening thing is you and me." She acknowledges her pessimism in the matter of love, even in the face of one confessing love for her. She trusts that there is love, but her experience tells her that such is just not likely to lead to a beautiful conclusion as she'd desire. She takes it a step further, saying that even though the love is on both sides, it does not mean that they are meant to be together forever. As troubling a statement as this is, it is true. Most people have at least one relationship before they find "the one," so it's true that not all relationships are meant to be the one for the rest of your life. Take a second and think back to your first romantic partner - how would your life be different if you were still with that person? So her fear finds some grounding, which is why she says she can conquer most anything on earth, but the thought of giving herself in love is the most terrifying thing she can imagine.
"Most circumstances I know my fate, but in this love thing I don't get the game. Why does it feel like those who give in, they only wind up losing a friend? Just cause I love you and you love me, it doesn't mean that we'll ever be. Fly cross the ocean, sing for the Queen, but the most frightening thing is you and me." Unfortunately there are no guarantees in love. This can be difficult for anyone who extends their heart in the vulnerable space of love, but it can especially hard for people who like to plan ahead or control everything. While much of life can be controlled in some way, love doesn't typically have that same assurance. And the singer wonders if it is worth the risk, because she feels like it often leads to loss of relationship more than it leads to the strengthening thereof. Once again, despite the mututal love, she says that this doesn't necessarily mean that they will ever be together. She can sing for one of the most powerful people in the world on a very public stage, but she is still more afraid of walking in a relationship of love.
"I'm not sure no, I'm not sure, but if we never try we'll never know. It's better to have loved than not to love at all. Not trying is worst than to stumble and fall. And if we do, I'd rather it be with you, cuz at least there will be sweet memories." With all the fear and uncertainty, she has gone with an old saying - "it's better to have love and lost than never to have loved at all." She has decided that she would rather have the joy and beauty and the experience of love than to hide avoiding the pain but also avoiding the growth and greatness that come along with it. So, she will take a step of faith and try this love thing. Because of the person that she is encountering love with, it seems worth the risk. And even if things don't have a "happily ever after," she knows that the time and love that they share will be such a blessing to her life that it will make the risk worth it.
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