Louden Swain Series 2: Fans Share Favorite Lyrics

Briar
13 Min Read
Courtesy of Liz Larson

Welcome to the second part in our second Louden Swain series! We’ll be posting a series of articles celebrating the band, a sequel to our successful Swain Series a year ago.

We asked for input from fans of the band and had them answer questions, some of them the same (it’s been a year, and with the new album coming out, fans’ answers changed!) We once again had a huge turnout, with many fans wanting to share their favorites and their stories. In this part, we asked fans for their favorite lyrics.

Let’s go!

Scout (@scoutstiel): “It’d still have to be, ‘SO CAPTIVATING!’ from Amazing. Because, no matter where I am (in a car, at a concert, right in Billy Moran’s ear) it’s the funnest lyric to shout.”

Tiffany (@tiffiswayward): “I still come back to this one because I remember the first time I heard it while listening to Leg Up in my car on my way to work one morning. I was so struck by it because it so perfectly describes me and how I deal with my type 1 diabetes. I’m very open and honest about what it’s like to live with it, but I usually keep the hardest stuff to myself because I don’t want people to pity me.”

Mary (@pare6386): “It speaks to me because my experiences made me who I am. The gritty, the euphoric, the ugly, the happy, each one had shaped me into the person I am, and I wouldn’t take back those moments that helped me grow for anything.”

Katharina (@kathiii_music99): It’s probably ‘As the final credits start to fade, I wouldn’t take back a single frame,’ because for me it means that no matter how many ups and downs in my life I’ve had, I wouldn’t change anything because it made me the person I am today.”

Michael Borja © Liz Larson, Staff Photographer

Jillian (@Jills271): “When I hear that song, especially if I’m feeling discouraged and overwhelmed by something or someone, it always puts me in a great mood, reminds me that I’m the one in control of my life and helps me to find the courage to live the life I want.”

Angie (@Angie_Voyage): “I love the idea behind this, we make our own choices in life, but we not have to do it alone.”

Judy (@LAgirlHD): “The only one who lives your life is you and the only thing you should do is to listen to your heart and trust your gut! Don’t let anyone talk into your life and believe in yourself and your dreams!”

Kelli (@klairermusic1): “I love ‘I’m the captain of my story, and I’m looking for a mate.’ At first it was only the first half of the lyric that really meant something to me. It always reminds me that I control where I go in life and it is actually going to be part of a tattoo that I am preparing to get sometime this year. Rob recently did an interview where he talked about the second half of the lyric meaning having a partner along for that journey. I’m at the point in my life where I am looking for that as well, and when he mentioned it a lightbulb went off in my head.”

Emma (@simplyreflected): “I love this because I used to have a fear of flying and this quote really helped me through it. To me, it also represents having a challenge you have to face and if you get through it then you just won that fight. That’s why I’m getting it tattooed on me.”

Courtesy of Liz Larson Photography

Michelle (@EmCeeCollins): “The first time I heard this song I was having a particularly rough time and it just hit me how perfect the lyrics described what I was feeling, plus added the hope I was longing for at the time. The song feels so raw and that’s what I was feeling. I know why Rob wrote the song and it has nothing at all to do with my situation at that time, but it still it spoke to me, and for me.. I love how his lyrics, in particular, can do that.”

Kaity (@kaity_bee_): “I love it because to me it speaks of not placing/breaking free of stereotypes, which I’ve always found people grouping me into quite often based solely on my appearance.”

Emelie (@killingnormalcy): “I can’t tell you exactly why, but I still remember falling head over heels in love with Louden Swain when I heard Rob sing this at Asylum 7 in Birmingham, back in 2011.”

Stephen Norton keeping the beat. Photo courtesy of Liz Larson.

Shannon (@reelnerdy): “I think my favorite lyric would be ‘Life is profound, be who you wanna be’ from CA Nation.”

Laurie (@LaurieP_C): “‘Life is profound, be who you wanna be / It’s no big mystery that we’re a bunch of freaks,’ from CA Nation is one of my all-time favorites. It just has got such an important message that I really relate to and that I think can’t be emphasized enough.”

Muriel (@housecatsswain): “‘Just because I’m sad, don’t mean that I’m unhappy.’ I still don’t know exactly why but this speaks to me.”

Natasha (@NatashaCole): “My favorite lyrics change all the time as I work a lot with lettering their song lyrics. Currently, my favorite lyrics are, ‘If this is the day just let it beat like the heart goes,’ from Like the Heart Goes; mainly because I love that song and I now permanently have those lines tattooed on my arm.”

Cindy (@coloradogal12): “I use this lyric to remind myself that I need to just take every day as it comes, do what I can to make it a good day and take some joy out of every day we are given. Because tomorrow isn’t promised. I even had it tattooed on my leg and I love it.”

Amanda (@bandagedletdown): “‘Like the Heart Goes’ was one of the first Swain songs I heard after being introduced to them through SNS at Houston17 and like a lot of their lyrics, it stuck with me and has helped me get through a lot of things. It’s saying ‘The only thing I have to be is me and whatever happens, as long as I can still feel my heart beating I’m doing okay and I know I’ll get through it all.'”

Jennifer (@macd1982): “I’m rather fond of, ‘If this is the day, just let it beat like the heart goes.'”

Sam (@honeybeemish): “’Cherish the day, that’s what life is about,’ has been sticking out for me recently. It is from my favorite song of theirs, Honey Bee, and serves as a reminder to just be thankful for what is happening in the moment sometimes. Even if the day is rough, there’s probably something that happened that is worth remembering.”

Courtesy of Liz Larson, Staff Photographer

Jess (@JessHawden): “My favourite lyric is, ‘Where are all my friends’. I’ve made so many friends from going to conventions and concerts because of Louden Swain all from different places in the world. From England to Australia.”

Amy (@SPN_GURL22): “It helps me remember that we all have heartaches and issues, but that maybe if we can find a way to open up we can help heal ourselves.”

Veronica (@veronica_bum): “It reminds me that sometimes I need to focus on the moment at hand and not worry about what is going to happen in the future.”

Christy (@trippingchristy): Downtown Letdown is deeply important to me. I’ve battled depression and anxiety for over 15 years, and it helps remind me that I can overcome. A lot of Swainers fight mental illness, and I think the reason is because we finally feel like we have somewhere where we can completely be ourselves, unafraid to talk about it and completely understood. It’s a beautiful thing.”

Courtesy of Liz Larson, Staff Photographer

Nicole (@nicmanz15): “My favorite Louden Swain lyric is, ‘I dreamt I was a hero and all my parts were sound’, from Angela because my interpretation of it is that it puts into words what I feel when I’m tired of different mental or physical health issues I have and just want my ‘parts’ to be ‘sound.'”

Finn (@ineffinnable): “I love this lyric because I love being an outlier in society, and having other fans as friends who are also outliers is pretty sweet.”

Lindsey (@lindseyiam): “‘I know there was a time before you, but for the life of me I can’t recall.’ I may not be a parent, but regardless these lyrics resonate with me on such a deep level. This portrayal of love is beautiful…the idea that someone can come into your life and have such a profound impact.”

Anje (@rathofkain): “Although there are so many that mean so much for different reasons, this particular lyric embodies the bonds of friendship I’ve made.  That we are stronger together, even when we are only pretending to be strong for the sake of each other.”

Elise (@broadwaydeaky): “Recently it’s been ‘I find my voice and sing it from the rooftops, stand up tall and slowly take a bow’ because it gives me empowering vibes especially since I just graduated from undergrad I finally feel like I’m able to be open about my experience in finishing school it just matches my feelings right now.”

Courtesy of Liz Larson, Staff Photographer

Emily (@fiveafterseven): “’I’m packing only love down this one way road,’ is something I’ve been working on embodying lately.”

Paige (@CanvasAndClay): “‘And you close your eyes, let go of the hurt inside.’ 2018 was a difficult year for me since I was trying to adjust to life after my mom passed in late 2017. Leg Up became a song I could dance to in my car and that lyric gave me a new strength.”

Stay tuned for part 3, coming soon!

 

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By Briar
Briar is the Editor-in-Chief of Nerds and Beyond. She has been running the site since 2015 with the goal of being a unique, professional news site dedicated to all the things she loved - and providing fans with the best content available. Briar oversees the day-to-day operations and runs all of the social media. She loves all things Disney, Star Wars, Supernatural and anything tech related. You can follow her @thebriarroseee.
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