Aren't we all sick of being human?
- Jes A.
- Oct 12, 2020
- 3 min read
(Picture from Vancuver Weekly)
Imagine yourself sitting in a packed high school classroom (yeah pretty hard to picture now, right?) during a history lesson. Everybody is either staring at their screen, mindlessly scrolling through social media or actually engaging on the lesson being delivered. You, like every other day, try your best to focus on your middle-aged History teacher, you catch the name Stalin from his lips and almost immediately that had been trying to find its way outside for the last half an hour becomes more interesting.
I like to think that this is how someone would start their internal monologue about the human condition, with human by Jon Bellion as the soundtrack of your mental movie.
I always fear that I'm not living right. So I feel guilty when I go to church The pastor tells me I've been saved, I'm fine Then please explain to me why my chest still hurts I spent four thousand on the Mart McFlys Yet I'm still petrified of going broke There's someone gorgeous in my bed tonight Yet I'm still petrified that I'll die alone I'm just so sick of being human
Do any of these words sound familiar to you?
I am sure that at least once in our lives we all reach that introspective moment where we really realise the unuttered fears we hide in our hearts. The first few verses seem to allude to exactly this; our inability to find ultimate satisfaction. Many of us spend years preparing for a career, going into education and making sure that everything is prepared for that ‘’apex moment’’. And yet when we finally arrive at our so hoped destination, our dream, we become aware of the fact that we still aren’t satisfied. That no matter what we do, we seem to be constantly missing the mark. This is exactly what I believe Jon Bellion describes as he attempts to fix himself, by seeking moral goodness, wealth and status and finally love. When we really take our time to dissect this last one though, we can realise how this single one aspect of life seems to rule much of our behaviours. We long for love from others, or we shun it completely because we ultimately know that one day even these beautiful moments of love will just be memories, and the object of our love will just as easily depart.
These very serious lyrics are accompanied by none other than a somewhat child-like, dreamy sound. The beat is steady, and the sound is a collective of Jon’s own voice being used as an instrument. This simple aspect turns the song from what could be a sombre, melancholic track into an easy-going almost happy tune. It’s interesting though, to note how in the acoustic version of this very song Jon chooses to perform with his voice and just a piano, an excellent selection I dare say, as it really conveys the intimate feel of acoustic performance, and also really exalts the importance of the message captured in his lyrics.
Jon is one of the most creative producers out there, every song is unique and yet a continuation of the storyline he is narrating through each album. If you want to go through a daze, ponder about life, jam and maybe cry, I would highly recommend you giving this man’s music a listen.
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