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Draw a bird. Name ten things you’re looking forward to. Write about who or what or where is home to you... Scribbled Pleas is a book of lyrics by singer-songwriter Mia Stegner, filled with unique prompts designed to inspire creative expression and self-reflection. A storyteller at heart, author Mia Stegner views songwriting as an avenue to ask questions, seek answers, and ponder both personal and collective pieces of the human experience. Learn more at www.MiaStegner.com
“This is a song about how self-construction can lead to self-destruction. It’s one of the first songs I remember writing, and it’s definitely one of the first original songs I ever put anywhere online. The album version was super fun to work on and I’m stoked to share it! The idea of "being yourself” is great, but for a lot of people, it’s a far more complicated and difficult thing than two words can really represent. Everybody’s constantly walking the line between figuring out who they are and trying to decide who they want to be. These feelings aren’t exclusive to your teenage years, but I definitely think they’re heightened. We find, create, and imagine a bunch of versions of ourselves that we then have to juggle. We borrow styles, beliefs, attitudes, and mannerisms from our peers, friends, family members, favorite characters, role models, celebrities, teachers, inner voices, etc. In little ways and big ways, we try everything on to see what fits. Even back when I first wrote it, I never wanted the song to send the message that these are bad things to do. I just wanted to express some angst about the process, and explore what happens when it feels like you’ve run out of options. I’m someone who thinks you can absolutely change pieces of yourself. I don’t think that’s unauthentic; in fact, I think it’s part of the chase toward authenticity. But too much experimentation, or too much of an attempt to control every piece of yourself, can be exhausting. “ -@MiaStegner on Instagram, 2/12/19
lyrics
We play hide and go seek with ourselves
Every day a new version of each of us is trying to strive
But then they go back on the shelf, like rows and rows of dolls
That we’re starting to be tall enough to reach
And we're conflicted, so we grab our dolls and we smash their heads
We play hide and go seek with ourselves
Every day a new version of each of us is trying to strive
But then they go back on the shelf, like rows and rows of dolls
That we’re starting to be tall enough to reach
And we're conflicted, so we grab our dolls and we smash their heads
And we take a piece from each and we grab the glue instead
We play hide and go seek with ourselves
Every day a new version of each of us is trying to strive
But then they go back on the shelf, like rows and rows of dolls
That we’re starting to be tall enough to reach
And we're conflicted, so we grab our dolls and we smash their heads
And we take a piece from each and we grab the glue instead
If we're different every day, would that really be so evil?
And it's easy to complain but we are very lucky people
We play hide and go seek with ourselves
Every day a new version of each of us is trying to strive
But then they go back on the shelf, like rows and rows of dolls
That we’re starting to be tall enough to reach
And we're conflicted, so we grab our dolls and we smash their heads
And we take a piece from each and we grab the glue instead
If we're different every day, would that really be so evil?
And it's easy to complain but we are very lucky people
Trying to be the best version of ourselves. Behind the scenes
We're just as confused as everyone else
We play hide and go seek with ourselves
Every day a new version of each of us is trying to strive
But then they go back on the shelf, like rows and rows of dolls
That we’re starting to be tall enough to reach
We're conflicted to we step into the world, questioning every now and then
The pieces that we glued together - we change our minds again
So we go back to the ruins with the hammer and the glue
We get addicted to the process. We know what we must do
We don't want to make a choice, but we must, we must, we must
Because if we keep smashing the pieces we'll soon turn to dust
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