by Rorie

It’s really easy to stick to the ‘never give up’ mantra when you’re just starting out. When everything is full of passion and possibility. It gets more difficult when you’re actually faced with the pushback, the failure and resistance. The fork in the road, the starless sky, the dust clouds kicked up by a car that gunned its way in the direction of your destination, leaving you behind with just a dim lantern and a tattered map. Or maybe it’s just – silence. That’s when it all becomes real.

I’ve found that there usually aren’t giant neon signs giving you two clear options: Go this way to keep going! Go this way to give up!

Instead, apathy creeps in slowly.

Maybe it’s a glance at the list of ‘must-haves’ for your chosen profession, or the dream that flutters in the deep corners of your heart: You must be ‘more of this’ and ‘less of that’. If you don’t try harder, impress this specific person, or ‘do what you’re told’, then you must not want it enough.

But what if, for years, you have committed your heart to trying ‘your way’, or daresay, ‘the right way’, where you can look in the mirror at the end of the day and know that you tried honestly – what if that is truly enough? Maybe it’s a relationship, or something else that is very important to you, slowly slipping away within all of the ‘pressure’ to be perfect.

“The setbacks I face might make things challenging, but they certainly do not make them impossible”

Last winter, I wrote a song called ‘Dawn’. Having gone through seasons of asthma attacks and setbacks, physical and otherwise, I struggled to find the strength and space to do what I love most: weaving words and sounds together as a singer-songwriter. While watching the Olympics, I saw story after story of athletes who had undergone massive injuries or illnesses, surgeries and physical therapy, some within the last year. Yet there they were: back out competing and doing what they loved and were clearly created to do.

I started to realise that the setbacks I face might make things challenging, but they certainly do not make them impossible. In fact, these parts of my story could weave into what I was meant to do.

As someone who usually writes more poetic, metaphorical lyrics, this song is simple and straight forward. It wasn’t a fancy, epic writing session (I wrote all of the lyrics and melody while driving to the dry cleaners on a cold January evening). But it was an important statement. A declaration. This summer, I released a homemade lyric video for ‘Dawn’ which features my friends who are talented at both parkour and basketball. Their athletic energy portrays the essence of persistence that this song means to me.

***

Dawn

Dark clouds across the sea
Something’s changed inside of me
Emotion rising in the tide with
All these questions I can’t hide

If the answer’s on the way
Sun will shine at break of day
I’ll be awake ‘til dawn
Be awake ‘til dawn
Be awake

Like the watchman in a tower
I will look up every hour
Keeping with the pace
I will run this race

If the answer’s on the way
Sun will shine at break of day
I’ll be awake ‘til dawn
Be awake ‘til dawn
Be awake

And we won’t give up
Though the road gets rough
We’ll keep on keep on keep on

[youtube https://Users/seanwilkinson/Local Sites/deardamsels/app/public.youtube.com/watch?v=5CYfglL5fzA]


Rorie |@roriemusic | @roriemusic | roriemusic.com

Rorie is a singer-songwriter, crafting music that tells stories of both heartache and hope. Known for poetic lyrics and ambient vocals, Rorie and her band create a captivating live music experience that is uplifting and emotional. Her newest EP ‘Dawn’ is a lush combination of electro and cinematic pop, while still maintaining her signature, singer-songwriter sound.

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