iMedia: Holding On

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8fHlVm429g

This week in class we have been talking about poetry and what makes a poem, a poem. Someone brought up the idea that rap is a form of poetry, and while I agreed, I also thought it wasn't just rap that qualified as poetry, but all music. The song I have chosen to talk about is "Holding On" by David Gray. I picked this song because I felt that it was one the best examples of music being interpreted as poetry. When we talk about what makes up a poem we usually think of diction, variation and repetition, enjambment, stanzas, irony, paradox, imagery and rhythm. This song especially utilizes rhythm and enjambment in a incredibly beautiful way. None of the lines form complete sentences, and each one seems to be a piece of a thought that is thrown out into the open. Along with that, is the rhythm of the poem, some lines have specific intentional pauses after them and others just blend into the next without a truly defined end. These two things work simultaneously to create a beautiful poem, really, the only reason it is called a song is because it is set to music. However, often times poems seem to have their own tune too, sort of like a subtle soundtrack. It seems like poetry and music are much more closely related than one may first guess. 

When we understand that music and poetry are really the same thing, it opens our eyes to the fact that poetry can be found in anything and everything. Nature creates poetry, just listen to rain or a calm breeze. Typing is poetry, just listen to the ebb and flow of the keys clacking. Walking, breathing, living are all poetry, just listen to their dynamics and feel every emotion, image, paradox, and irony they create. Every moment is special and beautiful because they give us the opportunity to learn and grow, which really is the whole point of poetry. When a poet writes a stanza or a sonnet, it because they want to teach something and they want something to be felt. Words were not meant to be wasted on those who are unable to see past their surfaces. So, the sooner we understand that the universe is just one big poet writing out the verses of our lives and desperately screaming at us "LEARN FROM EVERYTHING I GIVE YOU" the better and richer our eternity's will be because we will have taken everything in stride and gained true experience from every precious moment. 

As you read the lyrics, or listen, to this song, think about what they mean to you and what you can learn from them. This is one of my favorite songs because of its beautiful message and symbolism, but different things hold different messages for different people. So take this songs personal meaning for you, and carry it forward into all that you do.

 "Holding On"
By: David Gray 

Baby now don’t look back
Don’t let those feelings start
Don’t let the line go slack, when you’re
Pulling it all apart
How to describe the sky
Or dismantle a beating heart

Baby we’re holding on
Here we are holding on
Baby we’re holding on
To the world

Seeking assurances
Some kind of guarantee
There has to be more than this, oh now
More than the eye can see
Holding the lanterns high, while we
Sink with our vanity

Here we are holding on
Guess we’re just holding on
Baby we’re holding on
To the world

Now I’m gonna love you
Like the spring bursts from the ground
Unfurling from the ground
Unfurling from the ground

Faces of buildings, trees
All that is stone, inert
Here in these empty streets, well it
Silently does assert
That we are just passing ghosts, honey
Vapors of joy and hurt

And here we are holding on
Baby we’re holding on
Yes we’re just holding on
To the world
Here we are holding on
Baby we’re holding on
Here we are holding on
Yes we’re just holding on
Here we are holding on
Baby we’re holding on
Guess we’re just holding on to the world.