"Let the Flames Begin"

Let the Flames Begin (Paramore)

 

What a shame we all became

Such fragile broken things

A memory remains just a tiny spark

 

I give it all my oxygen

So let the flames begin

So let the flames begin

Oh glory

Oh glory

 

This is how we’ll dance when

When they try to take us down

This is what will be

Oh glory

 

Somewhere weakness is our strength

And I’ll die searching for it

I can’t let myself regret

Such selfishness

 

My pain and all the trouble caused

No matter how long

I believe that there is hope

Buried beneath it all and

Hiding beneath it all and

Growing beneath it all and

 

This is how we’ll dance when

When they try to take us down

This is how we’ll sing, oh

This is how we’ll stand when

When they burn our houses down

This what will be

Oh glory

 

Reaching as I sink down into light

Reaching as I sink down into light

 

This is how we’ll dance when

When they try to take us down

This is how we’ll sing, oh

This is how we’ll stand when

When they burn our houses down

This what will be

Oh glory

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfsSFBoj_V8&feature=related

"Let the Flames Begin"

It’s a common movie scene: A deep piano solo plinking in the background, a worn and uncomfortable-looking teen shuffles down the school hallway alone, wearing nondescript dark clothing and looking like there’s nothing to live for. I’ve never experienced the mood portrayed in that scene, but I know many other kids my age have.  For many teens adolescence is a time of emotional angst, but I’ve managed to avoid that fate. The sad piano plinking is far from my theme. “Let the Flames Begin” (Paramore), another one of those blaring guitar songs, is my personal theme song. Unique in that it is making light of serious problems, this song is different from everybody else’s. But how does one stay afloat while everyone around her is drowning in insecurities and problems? Optimism and the ability to never lose sight of what one wants! The upbeat rhythm and obvious direction of the melody in “Let the Flames Begin” embody both. The lyrics also enhance this. The lyrics depict that, even through there is destruction and pain all around them, people are still dancing and singing, otherwise standing their ground among the rubble and the ashes. Amidst depression and anxiety, it is still possible to be happy, and “Let the Flames Begin” corroborates this. 

Laughter is the Best Medicine

"One doesn't stop laughing because they grow old, they grow old because they stop laughing." (Michael Pritchard) When one recalls the best of memories, they all include laughter. Laughing is healthy, releases tension on your forehead, and above all feels good. I do a lot of it. When I used to babysit my five-year-old charge used to draw me. There was always a big toothy grin on my face. When asked about it she explained that she liked the laughing face better than the time-out-face (she then scrawled out my face in a hideous scowl). In my opinion, she was a pretty perceptive five-year-old. That is why, when asked to choose a picture, I immediately thought of the photograph I took of my dog Berkley. The irony is especially strong because my old grouch of a dog does little more than eat, sleep, and beg. He growls at the slightest thing but he too seemed to laugh when my mother and I concocted the idea of creating a doggie photo shoot to cure our boredom. Laughter is healthy, laughter is pleasant, and laughter is what I do and love.