Songs that have made us cry are being discussed in another thread. Are there songs out there that have given you strength after leaving the church?

I remembered hearing "Defying Gravity" for the first time after my shelf collapsed. The song took on a whole new meaning for me. Here was Elphaba at a crossroad. She could stay where she was comfortable and live a lie or she could break free from her shattered dreams and defy gravity. Her best friend betrays her and would rather cling to the safety of the fraudulent Wizard. Elphaba's words (lyrics below) empowered me when I was coming out to my family and helped give me the strength to be open and proud about my decision to leave the church.


Do you have songs that helped you in your faith transition?


Defying Gravity:

GLINDA
(spoken) Elphaba - why couldn't you have just stayed calm for once, instead of flying off the handle!
(sung) I hope you're happy!
I hope you're happy now
I hope you're happy how you
Hurt your cause forever
I hope you think you're clever!

ELPHABA
I hope you're happy
I hope you're happy, too
I hope you're proud how you
Would grovel in submission
To feed your own ambition

BOTH
So though I can't imagine how
I hope you're happy right now

GLINDA
(spoken) Elphie, listen to me. Just say you're sorry:
(sung) You can still be with the Wizard
What you've worked and waited for
You can have all you ever wanted:

ELPHABA
(spoken) I know:
(sung) But I don't want it -
No - I can't want it
Anymore:

Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
I'm through with playing by the rules
Of someone else's game
Too late for second-guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It's time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes and leap!
It's time to try
Defying gravity
I think I'll try
Defying gravity
And you can't pull me down!

GLINDA
Can't I make you understand?
You're having delusions of grandeur:

ELPHABA
I'm through accepting limits
'cause someone says they're so
Some things I cannot change
But till I try, I'll never know!
Too long I've been afraid of
Losing love I guess I've lost
Well, if that's love
It comes at much too high a cost!
I'd sooner buy
Defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye
I'm defying gravity
And you can't pull me down:
(spoken) Glinda, come with me. Think of what we could
do, together.
(sung) Unlimited
Together we're unlimited
Together we'll be the greatest team
There's ever been
Glinda -
Dreams, the way we planned 'em

GLINDA
If we work in tandem:

BOTH
There's no fight we cannot win
Just you and I
Defying gravity
With you and I
Defying gravity

ELPHABA
They'll never bring us down!
(spoken) Well? Are you coming?

GLINDA
I hope you're happy
Now that you're choosing this

ELPHABA
(Spoken) You too
(Sung) I hope it brings you bliss

GLINDA
I really hope you get it
And you don't live to regret it

BOTH
I hope you're happy in the end
I hope you're happy, my friend:

ELPHABA
So if you care to find me
Look to the western sky!
As someone told me lately:
"Everyone deserves the chance to fly!"
And if I'm flying solo
At least I'm flying free
To those who'd ground me
Take a message back from me
Tell them how I am
Defying gravity
I'm flying high
Defying gravity
And soon I'll match them in renown!
And nobody in all of Oz
No Wizard that there is or was
Is ever gonna bring me down!

GLINDA
I hope you're happy!

CITIZENS OF OZ
Look at her, she's wicked!
Get her!

ELPHABA
Bring me down!

+1 for Defying Gravity.

Love this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFbuID1QG0Y

Take Me or Leave Me "Rent" 2005

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFOvOQ8xLv4

Yes! "Take me for who I am or leave me!" How many of us have had to do exactly that? Thanks for sharing!

I love how lyrics and music combined can create some powerful emotions. I agree thanks for sharing.


Hey God- Bon Jovi

Phoenix- Dan Fogelberg

Imagine- John Lennon

Roll the Bones-Rush

I don't really love Barry Manilow, but his words to ALL THE TIME were fitting for me:

All the Time
Barry Manilow

All the time I thought
There's only me
Crazy in a way
That no one else could be
I would have given everything I own
If someone would have said you're not alone

All the time I thought
That I was wrong
Wanting to be me, but needing to belong
If I had just beleaved in all I had
If someone would have said you're not so bad

All the time, all the wasted time
All the years, waiting for a sign
To think I had it all
All the time

All the time I thought
There's only me
Crazy in way that no one else could be

I can't believe that you where somewhere too
Thinking all the time there's only you
All the time, all the wasted time
All the years, waiting for a sign
To think I had it all
All the time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BHL0JxJp0M

The lyrics seem negative on their own, but the song gave me reassurance and hope

Circa Survive - "Your Friends Are Gone"


It climbs in slowly behind
If you trust your neighbors
They'd never suspect what you're like
Welcome them into your life
No one has to know
Playback, delete, and rewind

It's getting closer than you thought it'd get
Just get inside
It's moving faster than you'd ever planned
You'll be relieved when

When you open up
You let yourself seem vulnerable
And the morning sun will make our bodies comfortable
In taking off your clothes everything hidden is suddenly exposed

Nobody wants to hear another story about how you couldn't write
It climbs in slowly behind
No one has to know
Playback, delete, and rewind

Each one is louder than the one before
And the people you care for
At ten times the expense of all that you spent
You'll be relieved when you open up

You'll keep it on the inside
'Cause that's the safest place, to hide

All of your friends are gone
And you were barely holding on
We were wrong and they fooled us once again
We are the loneliest of men, we're the loneliest
And all your friends are gone
Nobody is here with you
And all your friends were wrong
Nobody cares

I SEE THE LIGHT - Jeff Healey Band
Thunderstruck- AC/DC
Goin' Down - Stevie Ray Vaughn & Jeff Beck

RB

Too bad someone didn't do this to JS.

http://www.joemygod.com/2015/09/19/scotland-bagpiper-downs-out-hate-preacher-video/

For me, my coming out of the church coincided with Disney's Frozen. So of all the songs I could pick - Let it Go meant a lot to me.

Now I will crawl back under my rock and die of embarrassment :)

Ha ha ha ha! I think we can all relate to "Let It Go" as well :)

Even though it's about a relationship, it had a lot of meaning to me as far as wanting to say it to mormon heirarchy:

You Don't Own Me, by Lesley Gore.

Thanks for sharing everyone! Sounds like I need to make a new playlist in Spotify!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/17/2015 11:35PM by ExCentric.

I love Madonna's "Like it or Not" and Steely Dan's "Fire in the Hole."

Like it or Not
You can call me a sinner
You can call me a saint
Celebrate me for who I am
Dislike me for what I ain't
Put me up on a pedestal or
Drag me down in the dirt
Sticks and stones will break my bones
But your names will never hurt

I'll be the garden, you'll be the snake
All of my fruit is yours to take
Better the devil that you know
Your love for me will grow
Because
This is who I am
You can like it or not
You can love me or leave me
Cause I'm never gonna stop, no, no

Fire in the Hole
I decline
To walk the line
They tell me that I'm lazy
Worldly wise
I realize
That everybody's crazy
A woman's voice reminds me
To serve and not to speak
Am I myself or just another freak

Don't you know
There's fire in the hole
And nothing left to burn
I'd like to run out now
There's nowhere left to turn

"This is Gospel" by Panic at the Disco

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yohUt0SaRg4

This is gospel for the fallen ones
Locked away in permanent slumber
Assembling their philosophies
From pieces of broken memories

Oh, this is the beat of my heart, this is the beat of my heart
Oh, this is the beat of my heart, this is the beat of my heart

The gnashing teeth and criminal tongues conspire against the odds
But they haven't seen the best of us yet

If you love me let me go
If you love me let me go
'Cause these words are knives that often leave scars
The fear of falling apart
And truth be told, I never was yours
The fear, the fear of falling apart

Oh, this is the beat of my heart, this is the beat of my heart
Oh, this is the beat of my heart, this is the beat of my heart

This is gospel for the vagabonds,
Ne'er-do-wells, insufferable bastards
Confessing their apostasies
Led away by imperfect impostors

Oh, this is the beat of my heart, this is the beat of my heart
Oh, this is the beat of my heart, this is the beat of my heart

Don't try to sleep through the end of the world
Bury me alive
'Cause I won't give up without a fight

If you love me let me go
If you love me let me go
'Cause these words are knives that often leave scars
The fear of falling apart
And truth be told, I never was yours
The fear, the fear of falling apart

Oh, the fear of falling apart
Oh, the fear, the fear of falling apart

Oh (This is the beat of my heart)
The fear of falling apart

Oh (This is the beat of my heart)
The fear of falling apart

Oh (This is the beat of my heart)
The fear of falling apart

Oh (This is the beat of my heart)
The fear of falling apart

Also... Lana Del Rey's "Radio:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpIRdElOt_8

Not even they can stop me now
Boy, I be flying overhead
Their heavy words can’t bring me down
Boy I've been raised from the dead

No one even knows how hard life was
I don't even think about it now...

"Take me Home" by Phill Collins. I'm still trying to remember who I was before the churches cookie cutter got me.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=egJR3K6UIJY

With Every Light by Smashing Pumpkins

Taking over
We're taking over
Throw the weight up off you shoulders now
That we can show our love
It's almost over it's almost over
No more war and no more soldiers
To stand against his love
Away with all the troubles that you've made
Away with waiting for another day
Away
Look ma the sun is shining on me
Impatient, in love and aching to be
Could you believe in heaven
If heaven was all you had
We're taking over we're taking over
Throw away your four leafed clovers
And stand beside this love
Away with everything you've grown to hate
Away with anything that holds you safe
Away
And every light I've found
Is every light that's shining down on me
I'm never alone
Look ma the sun is shining on me
Taking my time to do as I please
Could you believe in heaven
If heaven was all you had
The sun is beaming, radiating
All the love we are creating
We are creating
And every light I've found
Is every light that's shining down on me
I'm never alone

Rearviewmirror by (my favorite rock band) Pearl Jam

i took a drive today
time to emancipate
i guess it was the beatings made me wise
but i'm not about to give thanks, or apologize
i couldn't breathe, holdin' me down
hand on my face, pushed to the ground
enmity gauged, united by fear
forced to endure what i could not forgive...
i seem to look away
wounds in the mirror waved
it wasn't my surface most defiled
head at your feet, fool to your crown
fist on my plate, swallowed it down
enmity gauged, united by fear
tried to endure what i could not forgive
saw things
saw things
saw things
saw things
clearer
clearer
once you, were in my...
rearview mirror...
i gather speed from you fucking with me
once and for all i'm far away
i hardly believe, finally the shades...are raised...
saw things so much clearer
once you, once you...
rearviewmirror...
saw things so much clearer
once you, once you...
rearviewmirror...