What’s the “Song” in Your Head?

Ever noticed how nobody ever says, “I’ve got this sentence stuck in my head!”? There is something magical about music. Something about it connects to the rhythm of our hearts. There is a kind of harmony that words and tune make within our soul that reach us at a deeper level.

This is why we get songs stuck in our head. There is something sticky about it.

We hear all sorts of ‘songs’ throughout our day. The world is full of music, even in its silence. What is the song in your head? Why does it matter? And what does it mean for how to live your life?

What is a Song?

The metaphorical song is the purpose of our lives. There are a host of noises all vying for the role. But in the end, we resonate with something specific. Some isolated vision that allows us to love and serve in the context of community.

One of the great struggles of life is to wade through all the noise and figure out what truly makes us who we are. What really matters to us?

There is something resonating inside of us. Some harmony longing to be exposed. On occasion, we connect right up to it. We live our best life when we live in alignment with our vision and values.

Your vision and values are a song in your head. They might get pushed out based on how loud and familiar some other songs might be. But there is one tune, one voice, that is truly you and is longing to be heard and sang and celebrated on repeat.

Naming The Song

There are a few things that cause a song to get stuck in us, both literally and metaphorically.

First is the playing of the song. We hear it over and over again. There has to be some sort of element of connection, some knowledge of some of the words and some familiarity. In short, the song has to be (at least on its way) to being system one. We don’t have to like it, but we have to have heard it multiple times.

Second, we have to have heard it recently. Something prompts it getting stuck in us. Even if we haven’t heard the song itself, we have been triggered by something that made us think of the song. Something that suggested at that familiar tune or those familiar words.

Third, it has to be incomplete. Physically, a song gets stuck in our head because we have not seen it all the way through. A great cure to getting a song out of your head is completeness. Stop and sing it from beginning to end and it will likely go away. Likewise, the song in our head just wants to play from beginning to end. It wants to run its course.

Singing the Song

Our lives are searching for meaning. We are trying to navigate the structure of the world to find the fulfillment, joy, and peace that only comes through purpose.

What is the song ringing in your ears? What is the message you were born to proclaim?

There is a tune, a single song within each of us that fits all the criteria above. We seem to have been born being familiar to it. For some, that is painting or writing words or calculating numbers or telling jokes. We have been active in it recently precisely because it is what our soul needs to feel alive. And we have yet to fully complete it, seeking the transcendent finish that is full participation.

Don’t shuffle through theses metaphorical songs or try to get the meaningful tunes to just go away. Seeking and finding the truth about who we are is at the heart of what it means to be human. There is a song in your head. And it is beautiful. And we need you to sing it.