Music With Meaning: “FIND YOUR WAY BACK” by Beyoncé
I think we’ve all been lost before.
For some of us, it was as simple as getting lost in the store as a kid and being scared until our mom or dad came to find us.
Sometimes, it happens when our GPS isn’t working right, or we can’t read our map, and we find ourselves driving in circles.
Sometimes, though, it’s deeper than that — we find ourselves lost when we’re trying to figure out what to do with our lives, when we’ve made bad choices or mistakes that we feel we’re too far gone to come back from. Maybe we’ve lost our passion for something we once loved to do. We’ve all lost our way at some point or another…so when I heard “FIND YOUR WAY BACK” for the first time, it meant so much to me.
FIND YOUR WAY BACK is the fourth track on The Lion King: The Gift (second on the deluxe), a soundtrack for the 2019 remake curated and produced by Beyoncé. The song is an upbeat Afropop-inspired track, with influences of South African house — which also adds to the love I have for this song, as well as many others on the soundtrack, since coming from a Nigerian home, I’ve grown up loving Nigerian music, as well as music from the African diaspora in general. The song has a beautiful guitar chord progression that slides throughout the song, as well as a thumping four to the floor kick coupled with nice percussion that you’d find in South African house music or afrobeats like I mentioned before.
As the title of the song would suggest, “FIND YOUR WAY BACK” explores what it means to be lost in life’s challenges and struggles, and to find our way again. Beyoncé draws a parallel between her life (as well as the human experience at large) and Simba’s own story within The Lion King to drive this message forward.
As the production starts to settle in, Beyoncé begins the first verse:
Daddy used to take me walkin’ down the street
Daddy used to take my hand, say, “Follow me”
Daddy used to lead me back home all the time
I got big enough to run around, Daddy left me outside
The scenario Beyoncé paints here is one many people can relate to: even in things as simple and small as taking a stroll through the neighborhood, our parents, grandparents, guardians, or caretakers of any sort guided and watched over us. They showed us where to go and always tried to keep us close by, out of harm’s way. At some point though, we all got old enough to start doing certain things on our own, like playing outside. Simba himself had the same sort of experience with his father, Mufasa. Mufasa showed Simba many things, and taught him all about the pride lands, as well as the places he was not meant to be in. At some point, though, Mufasa allowed his son the freedom to play and explore on his own (with some guardrails, of course). As self-explanatory as this verse really is, I think this is one of those truths of life that don’t really hit you until you really give it thought; at some point we will all have something in our lives that we have to navigate through on our own…it’s a reminder not to take the guidance we receive for granted, but also to remember that the growth we experience is part of what prepares us to be able to tackle those challenges.
As the production adds more percussion and melodic elements, Beyoncé sings the chorus:
He said, “Find your way back
Big, big world, but you got it, baby
Find your way back
Don’t let this life drive you crazy
Find your way back
Come back home ‘fore the street lights on
Find your way back
Find your way back”
As you could probably already tell, the chorus really contains the central focus of the song: the world is a large place, and there are myriad challenges and obstacles we’ll face as we move throughout it, but we must always find our way back to peace, to joy, and to love. We must find our way back to the right path when we’ve lost our way. The line “Don’t let this life drive you crazy”, as simple as it is, also carries a lot of weight. For me, personally, this line speaks about the fact that life and its troubles have a way of wearing us down — mentally, emotionally, and spiritually too. It is important for us to practice self-care, especially in a world where it can be hard to find people and places that care for us. What’s just as important, is also the line “Come back home ‘fore the street lights on” — for many of us as kids, being inside the house before dark was an important rule — not because our parents didn’t want us to have fun (as convinced as we might have been that this was the case), but because there was no telling what kinds of danger lurked out there at night — our safety was a priority. Even if the street lights came on, they never provided the comfort and security that the lights in our home did. The same applies for a lot of things in life — it’s important to find light and shelter before life’s darkness has a chance to envelop us.
The song continues with fuller production, and the soundscape widens as Beyoncé begins her second verse:
Daddy used to tell me, “Look up at the stars
It’s been a long time, but remember who you are
Circle of life, and one day, I might not make it
Circle of life, and one day, I might not make it”
These next four lines directly reference two important moments in the film, the first being Mufasa and Simba’s conversation after his mishap in the elephant graveyard. When Simba asks his father if they’ll always be together, Mufasa explains that the stars in the sky are the Great Kings of the Past, looking down and guiding Simba, and that one day, Mufasa would join them in guiding his son. As many of you probably know, Mufasa’s death came sooner rather than later; as a result, Simba listened to Scar’s falsehoods and blamed himself for his father’s demise. Only after denying Nala’s request to return to Pride Rock do Mufasa and Simba speak once more, with Mufasa reprimanding his son for forgetting him, and so forgetting who he is. As Mufasa returns to rest in the stars, he says the words, “Remember who you are…remember…remember…remember.” For Simba to conquer his past and retake Pride Rock, he needed to remember who he was — the son of Mufasa, and the one true king. There are countless times in life where we end up forgetting who we are, whether it be our own heritage like that of Simba, or the innate potential and power we all possess. Our past and present challenges may cause us to forget that we are beings with the power to carve out our own destiny. Just like Mufasa, we may have parents, relatives, friends, mentors, and other loved ones who pass on before us, but the best way to honor and remember them is to remember who we are, and take on those challenges, whatever they may be. Life is a large cycle, and people may not always be around to guide us or support us — which means we must step up and make sure we do indeed find our way back when the going gets tough.
After Beyoncé sings the chorus again, this time with a fuller array of instrumentation and production behind her, she moves into the refrain:
Daddy used to teach me all my moves
Runnin’ ‘round wild, had to tie my shoes
Itty bitty child with a smile like you
Wild, wild child, look a lot like you
Daddy used to teach me all my tricks
Runnin’ ‘round wild, had to get my fix
Daddy used to teach me all my plays
On a marathon, have to run my race
These lines are a bit quick, but they largely reiterate the message of the song — we’ve had people or experiences to guide us in life, especially when we’ve been running wild. These important people have taught us all we know, but now it’s our turn to take the reins and navigate our own lives, however difficult it may be…and perhaps the most important thing about it is that our lives aren’t meant to be a sprint, they’re meant to be a marathon. And they’re our race, not anyone else’s — the only person we have to worry about beating is us. After this, Beyoncé sings the chorus once more, this time with the fullness of the production behind her, followed by rhythmic Yoruba scatting before the refrain is repeated, with the production settling down and completely quieting down as Beyoncé sings the words “Find your way back” for the last time.
This song and its message mean a lot to me — the past two years have been very turbulent at times and has brought with it a huge number of challenges. So many of us have felt lost and confused with all that has happened and continues to happen in the world today, and in our own personal lives. I think one of the most important things we can do in difficult times is to remember those who have supported, encouraged, and guided us, and remember who we are — human beings with the ability to change, to grow, and to find our way back no matter how far we’ve gone. No matter what’s happened in your life, and no matter how lost you feel, you can find your way back to peace, love, joy, and happiness. We all can.
I am so sorry for how long it took me to get this piece out 😂 I’ve been back in school for the past month or two and it’s taken some time to readjust to what it feels like being a student. Being away for a while was something that I struggled with coming to terms with at first, but after a while I realized that I had to move at my own pace and on my own path in life, and that I would find my way back in the time that I needed to. There are still so many different struggles we all might be facing because of how far the last two years have displaced us. Even still, we can get back to a good place when we remember the power we have, and we give ourselves the grace and time we need to use it. If you feel lost or unsure, I hope this piece helps you feel encouraged and inspired to take a step forward, no matter how big or small.
Thank you all for reading.
Peace and love,
Manny ✌🏾💙
P.S. You can listen to “FIND YOUR WAY BACK” here.
