The Climb - Miley Cyrus

As a musician (and a vocalist/lyricist), songs are not just pastimes to me. Music, especially songs with lyrics, is a philosophy to me. It is a reflection of philosophical perspectives put into words and enhanced by a melody. Though at times the tune may be simple, the words are so powerful that the song becomes timeless. Artists such as John Lennon, Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder and the lot of them have all written some powerful lyrics that have and will forever remain in our souls.

One such example of a powerful song (I decided to write about this while I was surfing the net and reencountered it) is Miley Cyrus' "The Climb". Surely critics may say that she's too mainstream to be philosophical, and others may say she probably didnt write it. Now, I don't know for sure who wrote the song, as I have not done much research on it, but for purposes of identification, her name will remain beside the title.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I watched the movie (as I watch the series), but I will say that I should have waited for it at home instead. That being said, lest we veer away from the topic, I'd have to say the song was the only part of the movie that made it worth going to the cinema. The lyrics of the song, especially the chorus, summarize any endeavor much the way a kung fu master would tell his student.

There’s always going to be another mountain

I’m always going to want to make it move

Always going to be an uphill battle,

Sometimes you going to have to lose,

Ain’t about how fast I get there,

Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side

It’s the climb

Daddies can quote this to their sons, mothers to their daughters. It will sound cheesy, but it doesn't make it any less true. Having lived 28 years on the face of the Earth, I can safely assume that this will remain a constant truth.

Those that have heard the song may probably brush it off as another pop hit by "achy-breaky" Billy Ray's daughter, when I heard it the first time and the whole lot of times, I was awestruck. It hit the spot that people know is there but just can't seem to hit. Plus everything she said prior to it was encapsulated by the last line of the chorus and the manner by which it was sung. So direct. It's the climb. That's it.

No matter how beautiful the prize is, you will never appreciate it as much if you didn't earn it. It will be devoid of value if it is just given to you just like that. But on the flipside, even the smallest prize is treasured when compared to the blood, sweat and tears put out to earn it.

One such example is Graduation. Just because we don't graduate with honors, doesn't mean we don't attend the ceremonies. We attend the ceremonies because we owe it to ourselves and our parents to formally culminate the long, hard journey of education in which we journeyed hand in hand.

So to sum this up, I shall quote the immortal Steven Tyler: Life's a journey, not a destination...It's Amazing.