“Monsters” by Angus Stone
Today I spun in a circle: slowly and then faster and faster… Then I leant against a wall and it felt as though gravity was hugging me: strangely comforting.
Sometimes when you don’t know what to do to make yourself feel better, you do silly things.
I can’t even count the amount of times I have given myself a twirly hug, or the amount of times I have soaked myself in a bubble bath in the darkness, contemplating the monsters of life - specifically the monsters in my heart.
I feel that there is a great pulchritude to sadness. Some people are scared of it and go through life ignoring their demons and fighting their inner dejection and desolation through false smiles, false pretences and compellingly happy surroundings.
Why put up such a facade?
To me, people that confront their monsters are fascinating: often you won’t win the battle against your demons - but at least you tried. That is why I feel that there is an indisposed beauty to anorexia, self-mutilation and addiction, although I don’t personally fall victim to them.
I have had my fair share of monsters in my life. Not all of them have been confronted yet, and I still, to this day, have many monsters in my heart. In retrospect, I think all individuals on earth have- or have had a monster, or even many monsters, in their hearts. Look at Marilyn Monroe, Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse for instance - they lost their battles against their monsters… or did they win?
This blog entry is actually about Angus Stone’s song “Monsters”.
The absorbing lyrics are contrasted with the upbeat melody that has a playful undertone, created by the banjo, the seemingly happy rhythm and the comparison of an individual’s inner demons to the Muppet-like monsters we fear as children. However cheerful these elements may be, the song still revolves around a more serious topic, which every single person can relate to. Parts of the lyrics highlight this darkness and draw attention to the larger thought at play.
No matter what your social status is, how successful you may think you are or how close your life is to perfection - you are bound to encounter a monster in your life. They say that life is a winding road; the twists and turns in life’s road are metaphors for problematic times, filled with, you guessed it: Monsters.
What I love about this track is the acknowledgement of the existence of these monsters…
The thought is maternally reassuring: “It’s alright, we all have them.”
In the battle of confrontation, either monster or man could win. The character in the lyrics to “Monsters”, Billy, could be replaced with anyone: everyone knows how it feels like to be in Billy’s shoes. Sadly, in the lyrics, the monsters won…
Here are the hauntingly beautiful lyrics:
Billy was a train, driving man
He went from one side to the other side of town
He went to bed with the light
He went to bed with the light
Ride on
He found his struggle with the wind
Something we never, came to understand
He felt lost, in the dark
Even when there was someone, he felt apart
Alone
Alone
Alone
Cause in the, dark
There’s monsters, they cry alone
They’re waiting
For you to come along, and play
For you to come along, and play
He made his way to the liquor store
Couldn’t help but notice, the man at the door
Yeah he did, he caught his eye
He said sir, please a nickel, before I die
Alone
Alone
Alone
Cause in the, dark
There’s monsters, they cry alone
They’re waiting
For you to come along, and play
For you to come along, and play
And play
For you to come along, and play
And play
Cause in the, the dark
There’s monsters, they cry alone
They’re waiting
For you to come along, and play
Cause were monsters at heart
At heart, at heart
There’s monsters, in their hearts
Their hearts
For you to come along and play
And play
For you to come along
And play
Billy was a train driving man
He got lost, some place in the wind