I think most of us have been in some kind of relationship where we have just watched it crumble for some reason or another. It could have been our own faults or perhaps the other person’s faults or a combination of both.
I think when things like this happen, we tend to turn towards music for consolation or because there is a person that has felt the exact way we are feeling in that moment. I know I have done it … many times.
This is one of those songs. In this instance, the singer has come to the conclusion that he has been the problem, or so he thinks, and now doesn’t know what to do or how to handle the situation.
Song: Stand or Walk Away
Group: HellYeah
Members: Chad Gray – Vocals, Greg Tribbett – Lead Guitar, Tom Maxwell – Rhythm Guitar, Bob Zilla – Bass, Vinnie Paul – Drums
Let us digest this beauty…
The song appears to be written in 4/4, A Standard tuning. For those who aren’t familiar with music, it’s basically tuned down a step…. not completely true but I put it like this so you can understand that the tuning is dropped for a heavier sound or because your singer doesn’t have a high register.
The song starts with almost hypnotic feel. In the 4th measure the guitar starts to go into a blues, almost, feel and then 5th thru 8th measure it sounds like he is hammering a note but I believe he is playing an open string and then muting it. Regardless, it’s badass.
When the first verse starts the music is very hypnotic, like I said. I find it soothing and so spot on with the verses. Also, listen to the bass line. He is actually muting his notes so they are crisp and sharp and punchy.
Verse 1
I was told that life is beautiful
Well, I’m not looking through those eyes
Wished upon a start and watched it fall away.
Well, that’s just one more thing
That could never be forever
Everything I touch turns to the opposite of gold
It could be shit, it could be coal
That’s just the way it goes
Do I lead them all astray?
Do I push them all away?
I feel so cold, from the exit of my soul.
So right away, if these lyrics don’t hit a nerve with any of your past relationships, I have had worse relationships than you have. Spot on.
Chorus
Don’t know whether I should kill or cry
Don’t know if I should live or die
Should I stand or walk away?
Don’t know whether I should be myself or change
Hold my ground or rearrange
Should I stand or walk away?
I know these feeling as well. What do I do? what is my next step? As my dad once told me, “You need to decide if you should cut bait and run.”
Verse 2
I’ve been told that we live and learn
As I look through tear-soaked eyes
I’m full of scars, but I’m not made of stone
and my heart’s exposed
In my transparent life of terror
A sacred promise that’s sealed by a ring of gold
It can’t be bought, it can’t be sold
But you have to keep ahold
Did I throw it all away
because of my ways?
It feels so cold now that I have lost my soul.
Again, spot on. Notice how he describes marriage as a ring of gold? Now, he’s unsure if he is the problem or not and now he has become broken.
Bridge
My stomach aches as I feel the sting
That runs through me
Lay my hands into my hands
Falling to the ground
I look up to the sky
Please help me find my way back home.
If you don’t know the song or band, I ask that you re-read the lyrics and digest them, then read them to the song. This isn’t a slow song like you would imagine it would be.
I find something new in the music every time I listen to this song..
The lyrics are ones that should be framed and placed on a wall for you to see and read and strive not to go back into a situation like that ever again. I know I could have used it.
I also know that I am not the sharpest tool in the shed and probably wouldn’t have paid a bit of attention to it……
Later… PJ