“Waiting for Superman” (2013) Daughtry

She’s watching the taxi driver, he pulls away
She’s been locked up inside her apartment a hundred days
She says, “Yeah, he’s still coming, just a little bit late
He got stuck at the laundry mat washing his cape”
She’s just watching the clouds roll by
and they spell her name
like Lois Lane
And she smiles, oh the way she smiles

She’s talking to angels, counting the stars
Making a wish on a passing car
She’s dancing with strangers, falling apart
Waiting for Superman to pick her up
In his arms, In his arms
Waiting for Superman

She’s out on the corner trying to catch a glimpse
Nothing’s making sense
She’s been chasing an answer
A sign lost in the abyss, this Metropolis
She says...“Yeah, he’s still coming, just a little bit late
He got stuck at the Five and Dime saving the day”
She says... “If life was a movie, then it wouldn’t end like this
Left without a kiss”
Still, she smiles
The way she smiles, yeah

She’s talking to angels, she’s counting the stars
Making a wish on a passing car
She’s dancing with strangers, she’s falling apart
Waiting for Superman to pick her up
In his arms, In his arms
She’s waiting for Superman

To lift her up and take her anywhere
Show her love
And climbing through the air
Save her now before it’s too late tonight
Oh, like a speeding light
And she smiles

She’s talking to angels, she’s counting the stars
Making a wish on a passing car
She’s dancing with strangers, she’s falling apart
Waiting for Superman to pick her up
In his arms, In his arms
She’s waiting for Superman

To lift her up and take her anywhere
Show her love and climbing through the air
Save her now before it’s too late tonight
She’s waiting for Superman

I’m skipping ahead in my alphabetical list of songs (that I started in September 2012 and still need to finish) because I have a new song to add to my list of all-time favorites, and I want to share it with you. It’s called Waiting for Superman, by one of my favorite groups, Daughtry. (That link will take you to the video.)

Like all the songs I’ve written about for this series, there are several things that stood out to me; first of all, I love Superman. He’s my favorite superhero. I won’t get into why (I wrote another post about it called My Hero! that you can read here), but he is. And I have superpowers. So there’s that.

Also, I love Daughtry. And. The music is pretty awesome. But most significantly, this song makes me think of myself. And God.

Bet you didn’t see that one coming! I didn’t either. At first I liked it because it was about Superman and it didn’t suck. But the more times I listened to it – really listened to the lyrics – the more clear it became:  I’ve been waiting for Superman. And you know what? The irony of it is that God is my real superhero. He always has been, and always will be. Whenever I need (and I mean actually need, not want but think I need) anything He is right there to provide it.

In the song he says, “She’s talking to angels/counting the stars/making a wish on a passing car/She’s dancing with strangers/she’s falling apart” – all of those things are considered “crazy” by society’s standards. This is a girl on the edge, waiting for a superhero to come pick her up and carry her away. How many people do we know who are in the same situation? They may not be as obviously lost as someone who dances with strangers, but how many of your friends, coworkers, family members, neighbors are waiting for someone to rescue them? An even more terrifying thought – how many of them don’t even know they’re lost?

Just something to think about as this new year begins. I’ll probably be coming back to this song a time or two, but one thought at a time for now. Blessings!

“September” (2009) Daughtry

How the time passed away?
All the trouble that we gave
And all those days we spent out by the lake
Has it all gone to waste?
All the promises we made
One by one they vanish just the same

Of all the things I still remember
Summer's never looked the same
The years go by and time just seems to fly
But the memories remain
In the middle of September we'd still play out in the rain
Nothing to lose but everything to gain
Reflecting now on how things could've been
It was worth it in the end

Now it all seems so clear, there's nothing left to fear
So we made our way by finding what was real
Now the days are so long that summer's moving on
We reach for something that's already gone

Of all the things I still remember
Summer's never looked the same
The years go by and time just seems to fly
But the memories remain
In the middle of September we'd still play out in the rain
Nothing to lose but everything to gain
Reflecting now on how things could've been
It was worth it in the end

We knew we had to leave this town
But we never knew when and we never knew how
We would end up here the way we are
Yeah we knew we had to leave this town
But we never knew when
And we never knew how

Of all the things I still remember
Summer's never looked the same
The years go by and time just seems to fly
But the memories remain
In the middle of September we'd still play out in the rain
Nothing to lose but everything to gain
Reflecting now on how things could've been
It was worth it in the end

When I originally started this series of posts, I intended to write about one song a day for the month of September (hence the title Songs of September), and this song, September, was on the list. Well now it’s July (ten months later) so the song isn’t quite as meaningful, but it still rocks.

First of all, I just love Daughtry in general. I’m not sure they have released a song that I don’t enjoy. This is one of my favorites, not so much for what it says although I love the message, but definitely for the music. It’s almost haunting, and the effect is intensified by what he says, remembering summers with friends and how hard it was to walk away from all of that, to find out who they were to become. I never had experiences like that, but I’m always drawn to stories from others who have.

I think my favorite part is the second verse:  “Now it all seems so clear/There's nothing left to fear/So we made our way by finding what was real/Now the days are so long that summer's moving on/We reach for something that's already gone”. How true for so many of life’s situations and circumstances – we reach for something that’s already gone. I’m not one to say we should let go of the past, forget it and move forward; but I also don’t think it’s good to hold on too tightly. Just allow yourself to enjoy the memories, tell the stories, hold on to the lessons and laughter, and learn from your mistakes and successes alike.

“Home” (2007) Daughtry

I'm staring out into the night, trying to hide the pain
I'm going to the place where love
And feeling good don't ever cost a thing
And the pain you feel's a different kind of pain

Well, I'm going home, back to the place where I belong
And where your love has always been enough for me
I'm not running from, no, I think you got me all wrong
I don't regret this life I chose for me
But these places and these faces are getting old
So I'm going home, well I'm going home

The miles are getting longer, it seems, the closer I get to you
I've not always been the best man or friend for you
But your love it makes true and I don't know why
You always seem to give me another try

So I'm going home, back to the place where I belong
And where your love has always been enough for me
I'm not running from, no
I think you got me all wrong
I don't regret this life I chose for me
But these places and these faces are getting old

Be careful what you wish for 'cause you just might get it all
You just might get it all and then some you don't want
Be careful what you wish for 'cause you just might get it all
You just might get it all, yeah

Oh, well I'm going home, back to the place where I belong
And where your love has always been enough for me
I'm not running from, no, I think you got me all wrong
I don't regret this life I chose for me
But these places and these faces are getting old
I said these places and these faces are getting old
So I'm going home
I'm going home



This is one of my favorite songs, by one of my favorite bands, although I must admit both of those lists are quite long. The idea of going home “to the place where I belong” is not an easy one to write about. In this instance, he’s singing about being on the road and loving the life he chose as a singer/songwriter, but missing home and his love. Isn’t it interesting how he mentions the pain there being different, and the miles getting longer as he gets closer?

Home is not only a great song, it’s also an interesting concept; what is “home”? Well, that depends on who you ask. We all have a different definition, shaped by our past experiences and future desires. For someone who has a supportive, loving family, home is where the heart is (it’s a cliché for a reason); for others, who have moved around a lot or been hurt by those who were supposed to care for them, home might be a four-letter-word, or something only found in dreams.

Personally, I’m not sure how I define home. And I’ve given it a great deal of thought in the past few years. It’s definitely more than a place on a map or a living space filled with my things. (I've lived places that could never have been "home" to me. So is it a feeling then?) Family is part of it, but not the same way it was when I was younger; now I think of the family I want to have, a husband and children, rather than the one I was born into. So in that respect, I’m not home quite yet. But I’m on the way.

I’m still working on my first novel, Coming Home, and as part of the planning process I considered what “home” means to the protagonist. She was away from her family and hometown for University, and now that she’s returned – to a family grown and grown up, and a town that has expanded and changed – the “home” she left no longer exists. I don’t want to spoil the ending, but I assure you she finds a new way to see “home” that holds the promise of a future.