The Dog Days Are Over*
Florence and The Machine
Happiness hit her like a train on a track
Coming towards her stuck still no turning back
She hid around corners and she hid under beds
She killed it with kisses and from it she fled
With every bubble she sank with a drink
And washed it away down the kitchen sink.
The dog days are over
The dog days are done
The horses are comin’ so you better run
Run fast for your mother; run fast for your father
Run for your children all your sisters and brothers
Leave all your love and your longing behind.
You can’t carry it with you if you want to survive
The dog days are over
The dog days are done
Can you hear the horses
‘Cos here they come
And I never wanted
anything from you
Except
everything you had
And what was left after that too Oh!
Happiness hit her like a bullet in the back
Struck from a great height
By someone who should have known better than that
The dog days are over
The dog days are done
Can you hear the horses
‘Cos here they come
Run fast for your mother run fast for your father
Run for your children all your sisters and brothers
Leave all your love and your longing behind
You can’t carry it with you if you want to survive
The dog days are over
The dog days are done
Can you hear the horses
‘Cos here they come
The dog days are over
The dog days are done
The horses are comin’
So you’d better run
The dog days and over
The dog days are done
The horses are comin’
So you’d better run
—
I heard this song months and months ago, and never got around to downloading it. It’s not hard to understand why it catches the ear; I mean, I know I have a thing for soul music and Euro Pop Ladies, so it’s not hard for me to understand why I love this song so much. But it’s so unspeakably filled with joy, it practically makes your chest explode from the inside out, no matter your musical taste.
There are so many interpretations as to what the song means, but for me, it encapsulates what growing up, becoming an adult, is all about. Some of us spend a large, misspent, portion of our life mourning what isn’t, missing what is in front of us, sometimes being too consumed with grief that we’re unable to live presently, no matter how obvious our blessings are to the rest of the world. Sometimes even a knock to the head isn’t enough for some of us to get on with it already.
Life is filled with ups and downs and disappointments and unexpected grace. You roll with it. You remain present for it all, you commit to being active for every last drop.
This song is a good reminder to do just that. It’s all short anyway. There is good at every turn if you stop hiding from it.
*If you click the link, it should take you to a blog post where you can stream the song.
