For You - Song Story
“For You” is a song that I originally started writing with my little siblings in mind. I was thinking over my own life and the mistakes that I’ve made, the regrets I have, and considering the kind of person I had become. I knew that there was more I could have done, less I could have said, and I wanted better for them. Sometimes the choices we make now affect who we are ten years down the road. So I wanted to offer some sort of wisdom or advice that I had gathered in my short 21 years. I really wanted them to know that I cared for them and was doing the best I could to set some sort of worthy example for them to follow.
Then I put the song away for a long time, partly to give it time to breathe and partly because I had hit a wall with it. When I came back to it, it started to morph into a song written for my future kids. I started to think about how the choices I make now not only affect me, but they affect the future of other people.
I deal with anxiety/depression and sometimes it’s so bad that I cannot physically function. I also know that these types of illnesses can be hereditary. So I’m always scared that this will be the case with my future kids. That I am going to pass down to them this awful, paralyzing illness that I have. Not only that, but I began to wonder if I can even be a good father to them if I can’t even take care of myself sometimes.
So “For You” is a letter to my kids reminding them what’s important in life, warning them that I am going to screw up, but ultimately reassuring them (and myself) that when push comes to shove, I will be there for them and they can hold my hand. It will always be one of the most important songs I’ve ever written.
Lyrics:
Don't talk the way I did
Hold on to what’s been given
Know you can't take back how you live
Don't replace love with your ambition
I'm not a perfect man
I hope you understand
I'm just trying to make sense
Of this world
Life never goes as planned
But when it all starts caving in
I’ll be there to hold your hand
Step back every now and then
Join the noise and laughter in the kitchen
Life is so simple in the end
We create our own hated tension
I want to redefine broken lines
I want to finally be free
But if the future is what we make of it
Then maybe yours starts with me
My life is worth more than me
My light is housed in the sun
So in this spinning mass of maybes
I pray that I can be your hold
That I can be strong
For you
