“Why can’t I catch my breath?
I’m gonna work myself to death
I don’t wanna fight no more”
Those lines in “Don’t Wanna Fight” by Alabama Shakes stuck with me. Personally, being in poverty and trying to navigate the system of finding jobs that will hire me or creating my own jobs and obtaining clients feels like a constant back and forth of pushing through, feeling hopeful, and then wanting to quit entirely. I remember a similar feeling when I was in college and high school trying to just make it to graduation. The lyric “I don’t wanna fight no more” taken away from the working context reminds me of wanting to die or having suicidal ideations when I had depression starting in middle school. Brittany Howard, the front woman of Alabama Shakes, sings to comfort your exhausted mind, body and soul, and gives you space to cry and release the heaviness from simply trying to exist in a society that constantly tells us it is too hard to just be.
Lyrics:
My life, your life
Don’t cross them lines
What you like, what I like
Why can’t we both be right?
Attacking, defending
Until there’s nothing left worth winning
Your pride and my pride
Don’t waste my time
I don’t wanna fight no more
I don’t wanna fight no more
I don’t wanna fight no more
I don’t wanna fight no more
I don’t wanna fight no more
Don’t wanna fight no more, ah
I’ll take from my hand
Put in your hands
The fruit of all my grief
Lying down ain’t easy
When everyone is pleasing
I can’t get no relief
Living ain’t no fun
The constant dedication
Keeping the water and power on
There ain’t nobody left
Why can’t I catch my breath?
I’m gonna work myself to death
I don’t wanna fight no more
Don’t wanna fight no more
I don’t wanna fight no more
I don’t wanna fight no more
I don’t wanna fight no more
I don’t wanna fight no more, ah
No, no, no, no!I don’t wanna fight no more
I don’t wanna fight no more
I don’t wanna fight no more
I don’t wanna fight no more
I don’t wanna fight no more
I don’t wanna fight no more
I don’t wanna fight no more
I don’t wanna fight, I don’t wanna fight
I don’t wanna fight no more
I don’t wanna fight no more
I don’t wanna fight no more
I don’t wanna fight no more
I don’t wanna fight no more
I don’t wanna fight no more
I don’t wanna fight no more
I don’t wanna fight no more
Featured photo is from here.
Shannen Roberts (she/her) is the Peruvian-American, founding editor-in-chief of The Strange is Beautiful, musician and yogi.
Learn more about her here.
