Strength, Courage and Wisdom- India Arie

Inside my head there lives a dream that I want to see in the sun
Behind my eyes there lives a me that I've been hiding for much too long
'Cause I've been, too afraid to let it show
'Cause I'm scared of the judgment that may follow
Always putting off my living for tomorrow
It's time to step out on faith, I've gotta show my faith
It's been illusive for so long, but freedom is mine today
I've gotta step out on faith, It's time to show my faith
Procrastination had me down but look what I have found, I found

[Chorus]
Strength, courage, and wisdom
And it's been inside of me all along,
Strength, courage, and wisdom
Inside of me

Behind my pride there lives a me, that knows humility
Inside my voice there is a soul, and in my soul there is a voice
But I've been, too afraid to make a choice
'Cause I'm scared of the things that I might be missing
Running too fast to stop and listen

It's time to step out on faith, I've gotta show my faith
It's been illusive for so long but freedom is mine today
I've gotta step out on faith it's time to show my faith
Procrastination had me down but look what I have found, I found

[Chorus]
Strength, courage, and wisdom
And it's been inside of me all along,
Strength, courage, and wisdom
Inside of me

[Bridge]
I close my eyes and I think of all the things that I want to see
'Cause I know, now that I've opened up my heart I know that
Anything I want can be, so let it be, so let it be:.

[Chorus]
Strength, courage, and wisdom
It's been inside of me all along,
Strength, courage, wisdom
It's been inside of me all along, everyday I'm praying for:

[Chorus]
Strength, courage, and wisdom
To find me, yeah,
Strength, courage, and wisdom
Inside of me

Vamp
I found it in me, I found it finally
I'm sure to keep it' cause I like it, I say thank you

The genre of this song is neo-soul R&B music. Its features include melodic beats, harmonious verses, lyrics with meaning, and some sort of band-type of music (drums, piano, etc). This genre exists predominantly in African American homes all over America, but the genre touches other races also. This society represents the African American soul, throughout history, African Americans express themselves musically. This genre just allows music to take on a poetic feel. It is creativity at its finest. This genre, well specifically this song conveys the message, "Strength, Courage and Wisdom" - the title of the song. In this song, India Arie, the composer simply goes through her journey towards finding herself. She held herself back for years, and this song is simply about self empowerment :) The target audience in my opinion is anyone who has a dream, or has ever had a dream. The song is just a reminder that sometimes we are our biggest critics, and fear of the unknown and judgement can sometimes hold us back from our true potential. I feel like people who are empathetic to this can appreciate this song more, so their needs are served more-so than those who never were held back. The information is conveyed through poetic lyrics, and masterly performed by India in my opinion. This song is perfect for her voice, and it really makes the song so much more inspiring. This genre does depend on another genre however, poetry. This song sounds like it started out as a narrative poem and turned into a melodious tune. It always falls in the R&B category of music of course, because she's singing. India completely makes a connection with this song because she is telling a story about herself. She is singing her story to the world, unashamed of her past and proud of who she had become. This song is completely about self trust, and how imperative it is. It is effective, this song has inspired me to be better for years. It is a song that I turn to when I need that extra push. This genre is a particular favorite of mines. Singing has always and will always be a passion of mines. Music is amazing and completely inspirational, this piece shows that. This is R&B at its' finest...