My Summer in Song Lyrics

Being stuck in a lab all summer has taught me one thing: Music is very important.

Ok. I learned a lot more than that, but my Spotify playlists got me through the hardest times, the happiest times, and the quietest times that I have experienced in the lab.

So in honor of that...I am going to post the lyrics that I feel encompassed most of my "feels" this summer!

Ben Rector's "The Beat"

And then the beat comes

And then she's moving on the dance floor

And I wonder what she's running from

I had just left Nashville, and I felt like I was running from the story I did not think I should have to tell anymore. I found myself dancing around to this song everywhere, and I actually found myself smiling by the end of my first week of lab.

Keith Urban "Days Go By"

Yeah it's all we've been given,

So you better start livin' right now

'Cause days go by,

The first week was miserable and it felt like I was never going to get out of my basement lab because I chose fear over everything else. Once I started to live a little and enjoy myself, the weeks started to fly by. This song was my theme song for my Saturday Solo Dance Parties. I still can't believe that I am about to leave this place.

Kacey Musgraves "Dime Store Cowgirl"

You can take me out of the country

But you can't take the country out of me

As odd as it seemed to everyone around me, I fought to keep my southern identity while in this new place. Cowboy boots were not just functional, but they were a statement. I also used the word "y'all" significantly more than usual. I missed home, but I knew that it was never too far from my heart.

Matt Maher "Adoration" 

Jesus, Lamb of God, saving love for all

Lord of heav'n and Earth

I bow to You, bow to You, I bow to You

I was very anxious when I had to run experiments that I had never seen before. I also failed too many times to count. When I felt down on myself or life in general, I would play this song on repeat for hours. It was as if every moment I spent listening to it, regardless of what I was doing at the time, was a prayer. I felt so at peace with this song in my ears and the Lord on my heart.

Young the Giant "Cough Syrup"

If I could find a way to see this straight

I'd run away

To some fortune that I, I should have found by now

I hate to say it, but at many points, I considered hiding away because I did not feel like I was reaching my potential. Either that or I thought that I was not doing what God wanted me to. I couldn't see straight. Thankfully I figured it all out.

Jake Miller "First Flight Home"

I can't predict the weather

But you should know that I

I'll be on the first flight home

1. Indiana Weather Sucks.
2. This was my spin song, and there really is no deep purpose. It's just awesome.

Dan and Shay "Party Girl"

Take me to the party girl in the same t-shirt

that you weart to bed while the ceiling fan turns

to the rhythm that we're spinning bare feet on the floor in the living room light

I at one point got really in to country again when the homesickness settled in. That's when I found Dan and Shay, and this song in particular. Even though I love to dance and be around people, this summer has shown me that chillin' at home is perfectly ok with me.

Beyonce "Flawless"

You wake up, flawless

Duh.

Tenth Avenue North "The Truth is Who You Are"

And it's not enough to just say, "I believe"

'Cause truth is that talk is cheap

So grace give me eyes to see

I had a really great conversation with one of my REU friends as we drove from Chicago to South Bend (or maybe it was the other way around...) about what it truly means to be a follower of Christ. It takes a lot more than just simple words. Faith is life. My faith and my life changed and grew dramatically this summer.

Passion Pit "Take a Walk"

Practice isn't perfect

But the market cuts the loss

I remind myself that times could be much worse

I really like this song, but I had never noticed these lyrics before. It sort of relates to the fact that no matter how many times I tried, I still messed up, but at the end of the day, life could be far worse than having to run a few more trials.

Andy Grammer "Back Home"

And no matter where we go

We always find our way back home

And now I am about ready to return to Nashville, TN. Man I miss my coffee drinking, hipster-filled, southern hometown.