Katy Perry has released the video for her song Firework. I know I am 43 and a guy, but while watching – I had to wipe tears from my cheeks!! Ok… I am a gay guy, but that may be only one of the reasons I was moved by this video. I sometimes tend to find my own meaning in songs that may not be the intent of the “artist”. What I heard was – find that strength inside to make yourself proud of who you are, to stand firm (even in bad situations) to make your life better.
Each time she asked, “Do you ever feel ____?” I was like, “YES, I DO!!” The song would be described as pop targeted to teenagers but it has been a long time since I was last a teenager and yet these feelings still follow and even sometimes haunt me. In the video, the actors are all young, but for teens that may be
reading this – I am sorry…. these feelings often follow you into adulthood if they are not addressed when you are young. As an adult it is a struggle at times to find this firework inside and it is one reason I so admire many young people who OWN their inner 4th of July; because I know it had to be difficult for some!
Some people are fortunate and have a self igniting “firework” system. Mine at times has to be choked, primed and refueled to just get it to spark. But I have learned that even the beautiful people usually have or had their own struggles. I feel there are few that have always had it “easy”, some are just better at hiding their pain and struggles – Good Bless Them!! I feel a lot of us try so hard to project a perfect image that we forget…. in this crazy world – we are all in it together.
Another thing I have learned – there are a lot of people who no matter how bad they feel, how bad their situation – some have it worse. When I wrote about health care, it was from my perspective of not having health insurance and no access to it. I wrote with the hopes people could learn from my experience without having to be in my situation. A junior high school friend died because he could not get insurance to help in treating his cancer. So as bad as my situation was…. even then…. he had it worse and paid a much higher price.
With all the recent bullying of kids that has led to suicide, I am saddened that people still tear others down to feel good about themselves. Taking things out on others as a way to deal with our own problems is unacceptable! Young or old, we need to learn to help each other more. We need to ALL be FIREWORKS so the ones struggling know who can help. If you have found your own fireworks, let your colors burst, offer to help others ignite their spirits! We as humans need to this – we ALL have opportunities to be a firework. Even if our individual firework show is small…. together we could live evry day like we OWN the 4th of July!!
Firework Lyrics
Do you ever feel like a plastic bag
Drifting throught the wind
Wanting to start again
Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin
Like a house of cards
One blow from caving in
Do you ever feel already buried deep
Six feet under scream
But no one seems to hear a thing
Do you know that tehre’s still a chance for you
Cause there’s a spark in you
You just gotta ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July
Cause baby you’re a firework
Come on show ’em what your worth
Make ’em go “Oh, oh, oh!”
As you shoot across the sky-y-y
Baby you’re a firework
Come on let your colors burst
Make ’em go “Oh, oh, oh!”
You’re gunna leave ’em fallin’ down-own-own
You don’t have to feel like a waste of space
You’re original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow
Maybe you’re reason why all the doors are closed
So you can open one that leads you to the perfect road
Like a lightning bolt, your heart will blow
And when it’s time, you’ll know
You just gotta ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July
Cause baby you’re a firework
Come on show ’em what your worth
Make ’em go “Oh, oh, oh!”
As you shoot across the sky-y-y
Baby you’re a firework
Come on slet your colors burst
Make ’em go “Oh, oh, oh!”
You’re gunna leave ’em fallin’ down-own-own
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
It’s always been inside of you, you, you
And now it’s time to let it through
Cause baby you’re a firework
Come on show ’em what your worth
Make ’em go “Oh, oh, oh!”
As you shoot across the sky-y-y
Baby you’re a firework
Come on slet your colors burst
Make ’em go “Oh, oh, oh!”
You’re gunna leave ’em goin “Oh, oh, oh!”
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
Thomas Johnston 