The Lyrics and Stories that Stir the Soul
Previously, we solicited from you “The Lyrics That Impressed You the Most & the Stories Behind Them”. While sorting through the messages, I had a hunch that this would be a post that would evoke a chorus from everyone.
We selected 26 messages. Some stories are long, while some are just a single line of lyrics that deeply touch people. Each song and every line of lyrics condenses a part of the storyteller’s life.
- My boyfriend, who loved singing and had been with me for nearly five years, passed away from cancer half a year ago. After the critical illness notice was issued, he sang a song for us. He sang, “You showed me how life is worth living. I had no doubt.” He changed “have” in the original lyrics to “had” and looked up at me. I can never forget this line. – “Everything”
- Jemma
- I was dozing off in the car. He was sitting in the front, softly humming the Qian Jiale version of “The Same Second”, singing, “My heart is still beating, still smiling, still longing to snuggle for most of the night. Even if life were to end, no one else is this important.” Suddenly, I felt a strong, sweet feeling, the urge to listen to it together with him.
- Yingzi
- The most impressive line of lyrics is, “Because I just happened to meet you. It was really just right. Not too tall or short, not too fat or thin, not too hot or cold, just right. I had all the looks he liked.”
- Wang Yanru
- “Two people shine together, their radiance outshining the stars at night. I cross mountains and ridges for you, but have no heart to enjoy the scenery.” – “Love Is Just One Word”. Every day at work, what makes my heart flutter the most is the way she secretly looks at me. I think she feels the same.
- Little Flying Man
- In 2014, a special customer came to my photography studio. Before coming, she said she wanted to take wedding photos, but by herself. She also said she must look beautiful. She would take the photos to “rob the groom”. I didn’t take it seriously, thinking I had met a funny person.
When she came, she told us her story. Her ex – boyfriend was about to get married, and the bride wasn’t her. So, she came to take a solo wedding photo with the ring he gave her. There were three sets in total. Through different forms, we reflected the themes of sadness, self – struggle, tears, letting go, and helplessness.
When shooting the last set, with the girl’s favorite song playing, she burst into tears and furrowed her brows. That past relationship was like an invisible vine, tightening and tearing at her. Such honest emotions hit every one of us present like a flood. Now, three years have passed. She’s married and has a child, and is very happy. But when I see this topic, I still think of the song she softly hummed that day:
“Clearly, you still love me, there’s no reason love can’t prevail.” – “Don’t Think of Me” by Hebe Tien
- Xue
- “Don’t say sorry. I don’t regret having flown against the wind with you.” It’s about an extramarital affair, being unable to let go or move forward.
- Tu**
- “Why are there so many people coming and going here?” – Guo Ding’s “Before Landing”. In the crowd, I always feel even more lonely.
- LT
- The person I was entangled with for a long time often, seemingly unintentionally, sang a line to me during our sweet and shy moments, “I’ll give you red roses…” At that time, I didn’t know what song it was and didn’t pay much attention. I even laughed at him for the cheesy lyrics.
A long time after we separated, one day I accidentally heard this line in a song played by a friend. When I asked for the song title, my friend casually replied, “You’re the Most Precious”. I was stunned immediately. It felt like a heavy blow to my heart, making me feel stuffy and speechless. For the first time, I understood his hidden feelings that he couldn’t express, but we had already missed each other.
- 陳 不審者
- “Because I dreamed that you left, I woke up from crying.” He said he might go to Australia to study after graduation, which would also be the end of us.
- lemon
- “It’ me when you catch the fragrance of spring.” Even though I maintain a good image in front of others, I always have a sense of imposter syndrome. I feel lazy, with self – control at minus one hundred, and not as good as I seem. Because I especially love spring, which is full of vitality and hope. This line of the song gives a feeling of really liking myself. I love spring and hope to always like myself, just as I like spring, and as if I’m like spring.
- Ayi
- “How do you recall me, with a smile or in silence?” Sigh…
- dxdy
- Six years ago, we were in the same class. I liked you incredibly. One day after school, there were only the two of us in the classroom. I asked you to teach me to sing Lin Youjia’s “Desire for Freedom”. I sang terribly, and you laughed heartily and said that on my next birthday, you would sing it to me. Six years have passed, and you still owe me a song.
“Perhaps only you understand me, like a trapped beast, craving freedom in a skyscraper.”
- HH
- “Those who can’t be obtained are always restless, and those who are favored act without fear.” It’s just a one – sided love story.
- Steve.
- The first month after a breakup felt like a year. I felt like I hadn’t contacted that person for a very long time. I listened to 薛之谦’s “Serious Snow” and cried again and again. “After more than ten years without snow, Shanghai suddenly snowed, right at the moment you said we were breaking up.” It’s really hard to let go of someone you like so much, but I still have to gradually move away from the life with that person. When all my emotions are withdrawn, I probably won’t feel the pain anymore.
- Sunny バスターズ
- “Don’t be afraid. You’re shedding tears in fear. Don’t be scared. Love is inherently innocent.” – “Forbidden Colors” by Tat Ming Pair, for the LGBTQ community. The story goes without saying.
- Miss Sam
- “Lead a stretch of time to flow slowly, flowing into the moonlight, rippling gently.”
This was the song I sang to my grandma and grandpa during the Spring Festival before my grandma got sick. It was also the only song I remember singing to them, and the last song my grandma heard me sing.
- Yijing
- The line “I heard that you’ve always been alone” from “Faded Flowers”. I saw this sentence on the Weibo of the boy I had a crush on for seven or eight years. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was about me. I still can’t forget or let go.
- Li Yu
- I want to strongly recommend Eason Chan’s “Balladeer” to everyone with all my heart. “You like to keep wandering, performing in different places. I like to hold your hand, fantasizing about everlasting love. At the end of the story, there’s always a time to say goodbye. Thousands of words come to my mind, but how do I start?”
It probably contains my youth.
- Ty
- I kissed a girl and I like it – “I kissed a girl”. Two years ago, I was loved by a girl and I also fell in love with her. A month and a half ago, we broke up. I let go to give her freedom. from another girl
- Luo Bo
- “The wind passing through the wilderness, slow down. I tell you with silence that I’m drunk. The cloud floating towards the horizon, slow down. I tell you with running that I won’t look back.” – “The Night of Ulaanbaatar”
- MA YAN
- In the first year after graduation, I experienced workplace sexual harassment. While randomly playing the songs I had collected before, I came across Dotan’s “It Gets Better”. Not just one line, but the whole song resonated with me: So please don’t say it gets better with time. I’m not better even after all this time. Then I realized that tomorrow may not be better, but I still have to keep living.
- The Moss
- “I once had you, and just thinking about it makes me sad.” – Lin Youjia’s “Sadness”
- Mianhua Guoguo
- “You’re not truly happy. Your smile is just a protective color you wear.” – Mayday’s “You’re Not Truly Happy”
When my sister played this song for me, she said, “When I heard this song, the first thing that came to my mind was you. You’re like this. When will you truly be happy…” At that time, my depression was very severe. Although I’m still striving for treatment, I still vividly remember my sister’s pained expression at that time, which has supported me not to take the extreme path no matter how 难受 I feel.
- Si Wuxie
- After a five – year unrequited love, in the winter after the breakup, I heard a merchant playing Stefanie Sun’s “Meet” on the street – “I hear winter leaving, I wake up in a certain month of a certain year. I think, I wait, I look forward, but the future can’t be rationally arranged.” I burst into tears instantly.
- Helen
- “The brightest star in the night sky, can you hear clearly the loneliness and sighs in the heart of the person looking up?” – “The Brightest Star in the Night Sky”
My feelings for this song are very complex. It both inspires me to work hard and tells me how lonely I am now.
- Tia
- There are two lines of lyrics in Jin Wenqi’s “Talent Co., Ltd.” that I want to share with you. The first line is “Maybe I’m overthinking. Whose dream hasn’t been grand? Reality isn’t complicated. It persuades you to lower your head and stop being silly.”
The second line is “Admit it, I’m stupid. Only I deserve to squander my youth, this tiny life. When youth is gone, I say it would be great if those crazy words back then could come true.”
May we all make those crazy words come true and may we keep our heads up and continue to be “silly”.
In these stories, we can see that mental health is closely intertwined with our emotional experiences. Wellness encompasses not only physical well – being but also the state of our minds. Mindfulness can help us better understand and process these emotions. Mental health products and wellness solutions, like mindfulness meditation, can assist in achieving a more balanced mental state. Expert reviews and unbiased insights are crucial for us to understand these aspects better. By raising mental health awareness, we can pursue holistic healing and lead a more mindful living.
