YOLO: You Only Live Once.

The idea is to live fully and do it without regrets, right? But so often we hold back, afraid to go big and fail, or afraid of going against what is culturally considered as “normal,” or “okay.”

I do actually believe in reincarnation, but YOLO applies to this lifetime, this single version of who you are.

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This song was born of thoughts circling my head, as usual. It started in 3/4 time, but I shifted it into 4/4 and liked that better. Now it won’t get out of my head, but that’s okay. It’s so much fun to sing.

Big thanks to @snook for adding reverb to the audio! I’m hoping to record a “studio version” of just audio and maybe work with someone to mix it. Get my drums out and layer some tracks…

I filmed this video the same day I wrote the song. The lyrics came together in the morning, and I shot this around midnight with a tired voice that had sang this all day long, but I really like this performance as it captures the music in its essence.

Hope you enjoy it!

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You Only Live Once

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I didn’t plan it like this
Can’t help how I feel
But it’s good for the soul
And somehow it’s healing
To let this thing flow
Let myself know
How free I can live
How much I can give

You only live once
They said, they said
Again, and again
It gets in your head
And you realize
Beyond the disguise
Who you really are
And how far you’ll go

Only you will know
Parts of it will show
Parts of it will hide and grow
No one ever knows
How deeply they will dive
Until they touch the sky
A voice repeats inside
YOLO, YOLO, YOLO

I like myself more
Having opened this door
And a thousand doors besides
Didn’t feel good to hide
Gotta give yourself bliss
Isn’t worth it to miss
No point to deny
Just live honest and try

To see through the lies
Designed to disguise
How limitless we are
Free your soul, see how far
You can let yourself fly
You know the best why
Is the song deep inside
Sing it, don’t fight the tide

(chorus)

Life is bigger than that
Made of fear and lack
So much repressed
So many of us stressed
We bend and we break
We deny and we fake
But it doesn’t hold true
Doesn’t feel like you

I gave up already
Trying to be steady
To do what I “should”
What’s supposed to be good
I set myself free
Permission to be me
Now I grow like a tree
Into my soul I see

I’m bigger than all
The trips and the falls
The hurt and the walls
No more will I stall
Don’t know how much time
I have to call mine
So I’m gonna live
I’ve got so much to give

(chorus)

Original songwriting by Katrina Ariel

I am seriously in love with this song. Sometimes your own creations can blow you away. I know it’s long, but I couldn’t stop singing it. ;)

Each lifetime is a collection of stories. Often, the most difficult choices bring about the best stories, and the epic experiences are—in my mind—what we collect on a soul level. So dream big, live large, and roll with the waves that come.

Thanks for listening! Big gratitude to all who support music on the blockchain!

Whatever happens, keep singing your song!

Peace. @katrina-ariel

Photos mine unless otherwise credited.

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Author bio: Katrina Ariel is an old-soul rebel, musician, tree-hugging yogini, and mama bear to twins. Author of Yoga for Dragon Riders (non-fiction) and Wild Horse Heart (romance), she's another free-spirit swimming in the ocean of Steem.

dragon art: Liiga Smilshkalne

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Posted using Partiko iOS