Music Hath Charms: "Post Traumatic" **Trigger Warning**

**Trigger Warning: language, suicide, alcohol/drug use**

For many music fans, 20 July, 2017 will be a day of remembrance due to loss of Chester Bennington. Knowing the impact his death by suicide has had on me personally, as well as many Linkin Park fans, I can't imagine the grief suffered by his bandmates.  Since the death, many musicians have spoken up about their feelings and have dedicated songs and performances in his honour.  Not much has been heard from the survivors of Linkin Park as a whole, but band member Mike Shinoda released a solo album, influenced by his attempt to understand and continue to move forward in light of the loss.  The album 'Post Traumatic' contains stirring lyrics and heart-wrenching music throughout all the songs.  Released as a whole on 15 June, 2018, tracks from the album were pre-released as early as 25 January, 2018, and in December 2018 2 more tracks were included in a release to vinyl.  In total, there are 18 songs that play, with many artists performing songs with Mike.  Like my other music posts, I'm going to take my favourite lyrics and share them with you. This time around, I'm going to try and include my reasons for choosing those particular lyrics. Please let me know if that is something I should continue or if it just adds too much information.

Lyrics are from:  https://genius.com/a/read-all-the-lyrics-to-mike-shinoda-s-new-solo-album-post-traumatic
Use the link if you'd like to see the full lyrics for the songs I've chosen or to see what else is on the album.  The music is amazing and powerful.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Over Again

Post Traumatic (2018)

It was a month since he passed, maybe less
And no one knew what to do, we were such a mess
We were texting, we were calling, we were checking in
...
How do you feel, how you doing, how'd the show go?
Am I insane to say the truth is that I don’t know
My body aches head's spinning this is all wrong
I almost lost it in middle of a couple songs
And everybody that I talk to is like, “wow
Must be really hard to figure what to do now”
Well thank you genius, you think it'll be a challenge
Only my life's work hanging in the fucking balance
And all I wanted was to get a little bit of closure
And every step I took I looked and wasn't any closer
'Cause sometimes when you say goodbye, yeah you say it
Over and over and over and over

I'm in no way famous, but when a friend of mine completed suicide in her home (one town over from ours), every time we drove through the memory was there, and it really was a matter of having to say goodbye each time.  Up until the time we left I had not reconciled the feelings present.

Promises I Can't Keep

Post Traumatic (2018)

What's the difference between a man and a monster
Is it somewhere between "I can" and "I want to"
Is it somewhere between the promises I made
And the fact I couldn't see something getting in the way

[Pre-Chorus]
I used to think that I know what I want
Never saw it coming unglued
I used to think that I know what I want
Now it's time to see if it's true

[Chorus]
I had so much certainty
Till that moment I lost control
And I've tried but it never was up to me
I've got no worse enemy
Than the fear of what's still unknown
And the time's come to realize there will be
Promises I can't keep

[Verse 2]
What's the difference between a loss and a forfeit
I tried to make it better, but I made it more sick
I tried to make it right, but now awake at night
I know reality was getting in the way

I've thought long and hard on the line "Is it somewhere between 'I can' and 'I want to'" and which side of the coin equals man or monster.  I have spent a lot of time in the 'I want to' realm, but only get concerned when I crossover to the 'I can' side of things.  I rarely have much certainty, but when I do, losing control feels like the worst thing in the world.  There have been many times where I thought I was well enough to tackle something but ended up with 'promises I can't keep'.

Crossing A Line

Post Traumatic (2018)

I don’t know how to warn you
For what I’m gonna say
'Cause you’re holding so tight to
What I’m taking away
I got demons inside me
So I’m faced with a choice
Either try to ignore them
Or I give them a voice

[Pre-Chorus]
And it’s keeping me up at night
Worried it’s not alright
Holding back things you don’t know
And it’s keeping me up at night
Worried it’s not alright
You’re not gonna like where this goes

It's much easier some days to ignore the demons inside and try to not let others be hurt by them than it is to give them a voice, where you let everyone know how much you are hurting.  The internal debates can definitely keep you up at night; trying to come up with the best solution that will include honesty but not cause your loved ones to worry is a hard line to know when to cross.

Hold It Together

Post Traumatic (2018)

She said, "Are you okay?"
And I'm staring into space
It's making her nervous cause one thing is certain
I don't have my head on straight
We're trying to get through each week
On two or three hours of sleep
I say to be patient
That we're going to make it
I have to admit that I'm struggling

[Pre-Chorus]
They say take it slow
But the world keeps spinning
And that I don't control
And so there I go
Trying to act normal
So they won't know that…

[Chorus]
I'm just trying to hold my shit together
Together, darling
I'm just trying to hold my shit together
Together, darling

Staring into space, listening to all the noise that's in your head, and as sleep decreases the volume gets turned up until it's deafening.  Getting to the point where I can admit I'm struggling is a huge leap in trusting those around me (but they usually know I'm slipping before I say anything).  Keeping up appearances for as long as possible, and hoping that those outside of my immediate circle don't know anything is wrong seems to be the most important thing in the world.  Sometimes holding my shit together is a full time job and completely exhausting.

Make It Up As I Go

Post Traumatic (2018)

Featuring K. Flay

[Intro 1: K.Flay]
I keep on running backwards
I keep on losing faith
I thought I had the answers
I thought I knew the way

My brother said be patient
My mother held my hand
I don't know what I'm chasing
I don't know who I am

[Verse 1: Mike Shinoda]
Woke up this morning holding my head
Thinking last night is one I'll regret
Washing off the bad decisions, the blurry vision
The clues that I'm still a mess

Spitting out the taste I have in my mouth
Knowing what this all is really about
Knowing there's an explanation, an expiration
I gotta figure shit out

[Pre-Chorus: Mike Shinoda]
And they're asking me if I can see
The darkness down below
And I know it's true, I say I do
When half the time I don't

It's so easy to try and run from what we don't understand and don't want to feel, and sometimes that leads to things we regret when we're stronger or awake.  There is a darkness that is easy to fall into, and sometimes we don't see it until it's too late.  The path unfortunately is not straight forward, and I know I've taken as many steps backwards as forwards at times. But I'm told I have to give myself credit for just keeping going.

Running From My Shadow

Post Traumatic (2018)

Featuring Grandson 

[Verse 1: Mike Shinoda]
Wanna know where I don't go
When it goes from "okay" to a "oh no"
When it goes from hi five to a low blow
When it goes from all five to a solo
Lemme tell you what you don't know
I been down, so low, I was
Looking for something but denying that I found it
There's an elephant sitting in the room
And I can't find another way to tiptoe around it
I been doing greater good for a long time
But I can't find any other way to give now
I been putting myself on the sideline
And it's been time so I'm saying can I live now

There are times when I kick myself
Say I'm not sick but I can't get well
Say I got this while I chase my tail
As if they can't tell

[Chorus: Mike Shinoda]
I'm running from my shadow
Running from my shadow but it's still there chasing me down
I'll never win the battle
Never win the battle and I should have known it by now
Just when I think I've found the end (Oh)
I'm going back around again (Oh)
Running from my shadow
Running from my shadow but it's still there chasing me down

Sometimes, I think we chase our shadows, and sometimes they chase us.  There are always those times where things seem to be going well, and then something major comes in and kicks us back into the mess.  Admitting that we may be sick with whatever type of mental illness we have is a hard thing to do, but it has to happen to try and get well.  It doesn't matter how many go-arounds it takes, we will always be in the chase. It's just a matter of who's leading.  After something traumatic happens, I do think people tend to go into a holding pattern, but at some point, life has to happen again so asking the question can I live again is huge.

Nothing Makes Sense Anymore

Post Traumatic (2018)

I used to sleep without waking up
In a dream I made from painted walls
I was a moment away from done
When the black spilled out across it all
And my eyes were made sober
World was turned over
Washing out the lines I’d seen
And my heart is still breaking
Now that I awaken
No one’s left to answer me

[Chorus]
My inside’s out, my left is right
My upside’s down, my black is white
I hold my breath, and close my eyes
And wait for dawn, but there’s no light

The truths we face in our sleep can be very different from what we show on the outside.  Mike Shinoda is extremely creative in many genres.  He has done wall sized paintings for outdoors exhibitions, so imagine being almost done and then black paint spilling across all of it.  I think those who are creative in some ways have easier ways to express what is going on in their head but I think they are more susceptible to something coming along and erasing it.

World's On Fire

Post Traumatic (2018)

Don't think I need to say this
'Cause you know what's in my head
"Fucked up" is an understatement
Can't wait for this year to end
It all fell apart, don't know where to start
And everything moves so slow
I can't get a break, it's too much to take
But closing my eyes, I know

[Chorus]
When the world's on fire, all I need is you
I don't always think to say it but it's true
When I just wanna disappear, you're the one that keeps me here
The world's on fire, all I need is you

It doesn't matter if it's a year, or many years, out there is always a part of the brain that is "Fucked Up" after losing someone to suicide.  Having a person or two to turn to can make all the difference in the world.

Can't Hear You Now

Post Traumatic (2018)

Run, run it back, tell 'em what I'm coming at
I was on that bullshit then, now I'm done with that
Scared of what I didn't want, scared of what I wanted
And thought that I was finished but I hardly had begun, in fact
I'm a beast, I'm a monster, a savage
And any other metaphor the culture can imagine
And I got a caption for anybody asking
That is, "I am feeling fucking fantastic"

[Pre-Chorus]
Some days, it doesn't take much to bring me down
Some days, I'm struggling for control
Some days, it doesn't take much to bring me down
Right now, I'm floating above it all

There is a point in healing that their voice isn't always echoing in your head and you start to move on.  I think for someone who is so in the spotlight there will always be people who don't feel like they are mourning correctly, or for long enough, and that is where you just have to say it doesn't matter what you think "I am feeling fucking fantastic" and be okay with that.

Mike Shinoda put out this amazing album which gives a window into what he went through when he lost his friend Chester Bennington to suicide.  I feel like the album also helps those of us who are trying to heal from the loss of someone close to suicide.  For me, this album is a reminder of how much pain those closest to me would suffer if I committed suicide. So as bad as I feel at times, I know I can't do that to them.  I don't know if Mike knew he would save lives by sharing his pain through music, but I know I'm at least one who is being saved by listening to Post Traumatic.

Take Care!