Some days it feels like the end.
Some days getting out of bed seems pointless.
Some days I feel sad, some I feel alone, but most days I fail to feel anything at all.
Living with depression is hard. Anyone who has struggled with it for any period of time can tell you that. It's the most difficult thing I have gone through because it affects every aspect of my life. It affects school, work, and every type of relationship I have. There is often no fighting it and no getting out of the hole that I am placed into every day. However, I have found one thing that helps me fight through those feelings and push forward every day.
MUSIC.
Being described as "American Metalcore," most people assume they should be lumped in with the rest of the "screamo" music that talks about death, suicide, and worships the Devil. While Memphis May Fire's lyrics do talk about death and suicide, they focus on fighting against those feelings.
"When they try to tell you
That your one and only shot failed
It's not over yet!
Keep pushing forward
And I know one day you'll prevail."
Memphis May Fire’s lyrics hold a lot of power when it comes to making me feel like I have someone there for me. Lead singer, Matty Mullins’ lyrics focus on being personal by saying “and I know one day you’ll prevail” as opposed to “you will prevail.” By saying, “I know,” he makes sure that his listeners feel as though he is talking directly to them. I know that a million other people are also listening to this same song, but for a brief moment, I feel like he is singing only to me. It allows me to feel like I have someone standing behind me, supporting me, and pushing me to be more confident in myself.
“I believe that your spark
Can start a fire!”
The lyrics speak directly to me, yet are generalized enough to where I, and plenty of other people, can relate to them.
“You hold the power to be
The living breathing purpose you were made to be.
It's only takes one small spark to start an everlasting fire in your heart.
There is a plan & you are an important part!”
It is lyrics like this that make the songs seem so personalized. They make it seem like the band got directly into my head, sought out my problems, and wrote a song to make me feel better. So much of their music is directed to people like me and it excels at helping improve and fight against the depression that we feel.
Matty Mullins allows me to feel the sincerity in the lyrics by the things he does outside of the band itself. About ten years ago, Mullins and his wife, Brittany, founded a mentorship program called "Beneath The Skin." This program was started following a conversation with a fan struggling with depression and anxiety. In an interview with Alternative Press, Mullin states, "The overall idea is to decrease self-harm, depression, and anxiety."
Being physically involved in helping others creates the assurance that the lyrics portrayed by Memphis May Fire are genuine. Their music gives me the ability to find my own strength and understand that pain is not a forever kind of thing. Sometimes pain is necessary for finding out who we truly are. But taking the pain as an ending is not the way to go about it.
In the same interview AP discussing their newest album:
"One thing that really influenced me throughout this record is something I’ve learned over the last couple years, that it’s ok to not be ok. I think that’s something so valuable to learn because as human beings, as soon as we feel any hurt or any sort of pain, our instinct is to run from it, but there’s so much to learn and so much growth to be had from just sitting in your pain and letting it teach you something, while also working it out and solving it from the roots. The overall theme is that every season of our life teaches us something different about ourselves and to rejoice, even in seasons of pain."
