Slow and Steady

I am confident that today’s selection will appeal to a dear friend and regular commenter who loves lyric videos. And I imagine he will like the song, too. The instrumentation is varied and creative, with dreamy sounds and interesting claps and other percussive elements that help make a warm and beautiful place that enwraps the distinctive vocals.

“Slow and Steady” is a song by the Icelandic indie folk/rock group Of Monsters and Men, formed in Reykjavik in 2010. I have heard several of their songs on Apple Music, and today’s is my favourite so far.

Through rich and beautiful imagery in the lyrics, I believe the band is talking about inner growth, facing and overcoming our shadows and other negative aspects, and moving ahead “slow and steady” to be better humans to ourselves, other life, and the planet. And it’s about knowing that on the journey, sometimes we need to move, at least figuratively, beyond those who would hold us back or bring us down. (Maybe those we move past are former versions of ourselves; I think that’s a great image.)

“The lights go out, I am all alone
All the trees outside are buried in the snow
I spend my night dancing with my own shadow
And it holds me, and it never lets me go

I move slow and steady
But I feel like a waterfall
Yeah, I move slow and steady
Past the ones that I used to know

My dear old friend, take me for a spin
Two wolves in the dark, running in the wind
I’m letting go, but I’ve never felt better
Passing by all the monsters in my head

And I move slow and steady
But I feel like a waterfall
Yeah, I move slow and steady
Past the ones that I used to know

And I’m never ready
‘Cause I know, I know, I know
That time won’t let me
Show what I want to show

And I move slow and steady
But I feel like a waterfall
Yeah, I move slow and steady
Past the ones that I used to know

And I’m never ready
‘Cause I know, I know, I know
That time won’t let me
Show what I want to show”

“Slow and Steady,” by Nanna Bryndis Hilmarsdottir, Ragnar Thorhallsson, Arnar Rosenkranz Hilmarsson, Arni Gudjonsson, Kristjan Pall Kristjansson and Brynjar Leifsson. Lyrics retrieved from AZLyrics.com.

In the animated lyric video, the viewer is looking down upon a goose that’s floating high above the earth. The goose flies over and through clouds (uncertainty), a barren tundra landscape that sometimes has images superimposed on the snow (perhaps the hardness of life, and imprints of difficult memories that won’t disappear), and other geese (more of those former selves?).

The lyrics tell of help from friends and the feeling that there’s never enough time to “show what I want to show” (of one’s current, more developed self, I presume). “Slow and steady” and “like a waterfall” are two phrases that perfectly describe the contrasts in life: one moment, it’s manageable, and the next, it’s roaring out of control, and all the while, we keep on with the work of staying aloft. It’s a beautiful song.

“Slow and Steady” comes from the band’s debut studio album, My Head Is an Animal (2011).

Now you know a little about why this is my Song of the Day for Today. Thanks for joining me here.

Please enjoy the official lyric video from the Of Monsters and Men YouTube/VEVO channel:

And for my sweety, who loves to watch a live performance, here’s the band playing live for the Off Guard Gigs series at the Latitude Festival in Suffolk, England, in July 2012:

With my best wishes to you,

Steve