As the seasons change and the end of the year creeps near, we’ve asked our contributors to pick their favorite lyrics of 2016 — so far.
— Brenna Ehrlich, Talkhouse Music Editor-in-Chief
“Everyone will say/It’s dangerous to take this path/Everyone will tell us/Apart that we are more intact/Everyone will say that we’re crazy/And that we won’t last/Everyone will tell us/Alone that we are better off/This love ain’t made for the faint of heart.”
— Tegan and Sara, “Faint of Heart,” Love You to Death
There are no warnings quite like the ones you get when you fall hard in love with someone and have the audacity to tell your close friends about it. Sure, they may be happy for you, but any joy your loved ones may express is almost always accompanied by stern admonishments. “Be careful! Don’t let yourself get too close too fast!” The lyrics to Tegan and Sara’s “Faint of Heart” remind me of the old man who offers Link a sword in The Legend of Zelda and utters the now immortal phrase: “It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this.” Except Tegan and Sara are being told, “It’s dangerous to not go alone. Take this advice you didn’t ask for.”
Falling in love is sometimes easy, never safe, but always exciting. Although your friends may have the best intentions when they advise you to tread lightly, in doing so they may actually end up pushing you to jump in headfirst. And why shouldn’t you? When someone tells me, “You don’t know this person (you’re falling for),” I often hear, “You don’t know yourself.” I do know myself, better than anyone else knows me. I know that I’m not afraid to fall in love, and I’m not afraid to get hurt. When Tegan and Sara sing, “This love ain’t made for the faint of heart,” I know exactly what they’re talking about. Who wants love that is for the faint of heart? Falling in love is a risk, and giving yourself to a love that’s not for the faint of heart is truly a risk worth taking.
(Art credit: Dan Schmatz)
