Powerful Words in the lyrics of Garry Barlow’s Sing

Garry Barlow’s Sing is packed full of some excellent power words. Understanding why these words work as lyrics can boost your own communication skills.

Let’s look at how Gary Barlow’s lyrics create a tremendous sense of unity and how they motivate people to care about the wider world. More importantly, we’ll discover how we can inspire a sense of unity in others through everyday conversation by following Garry Barlow’s lead.

So, how do the lyrics to Sing create such emotion and unity?

 

Analysis of the lyrics to Sing

No I or Me, Just You and We

The absolute number one feeling created by the lyrics to Sing is a sense of unity, and no surprise. The words “We” and “You” are used repeatedly to create a sense of communion.  “Find your feet, stand your ground  / Don’t you see / Right now the world is listening to what we say.”  There are two valuable insights revealed by these lyrics. First of all, anytime the word “We” is used, a listener feels a sense of unity. It doesn’t matter whether it’s friend or enemy who says “We,” either way, the listener has no choice but to feel a momentary sense of belonging.

Secondly, “You” is used to motivate the individual to recognise their importance as a part of the group. In Sing, “We” and “You” are used to say, “We are something special right now, and you are an important part of what we are.” Put together, the natural result is one of complete unity. That’s why, at the end of listening to Sing, you’ll feel more connected to the wider world and to society than you did before.

 

 

Powerlessness

If I told you you can’t do something, that there’s some challenge our there that you simply will never have the strength or skill to succeed in, how would you respond? Most people would respond by feeling highly motivated to do the thing deemed impossible. How dare you tell me I could never swim the English Channel without using my arms or legs! We’ll see about that!

The lyrics to Sing take full advantage of this. Right at the beginning of the song, at its quietest moment, when the listener is most focussed on the lyrics, a young African sings “Some things they can’t be spoken only sung.” The “can’t” in this line is incredibly important; it tells the listener that something is impossible. As discussed above, this sense of impossibility creates a great deal of motivation which serves to drive the listener right into the heart of the song.

This sense of impossibility is repeated later at the beginning of the second verse. The line is: To sing we’ve had a lifetime to wait. The sense here is one of powerlessness because the line suggests that some power has been holding the singing back. This recapitulates the sense of powerlessness and impossibility and once again motivates the listener to get right back into the song.

Here’s a simple suggestion to make use of the lesson of these lyrics in your everyday life:  try telling someone they cannot do something. You will probably have never seen them react more powerfully in their lives

 

 

The Moment

Every great motivational speaker knows that there is a natural charisma created from putting emphasis on the present moment. Where so many people live for tomorrow and yesterday, hearing someone say “Right now is the most important time of your life” carries with it a heck of a lot of positive motivational energy, and again, the lyrics to Sing tap into this admirably. There are a few ways the lyrics achieve this: Make this moment last forever. . . shouting love tonight… The number one place where emphasis is placed on the moment, however, is at the beginning of the song.

“There’s a place, there’s a time

In this life when you sing what you are feeling

Find your feet, stand your ground

Don’t you see

Right now the world is listening to what we say”

The last line is the important one. It quite literally says: everything is about now and here. What could be more energising than that? It’s thanks largely to these lyrics that you get the tingling sensation in your hair, because the lyrics put so much energy on the present moment. It’s the equivalent to saying: This is it. The listener cannot help but feel positively energised by the song’s focus on the moment. And this presents us with a third way to boost everyday communication: placing emphasis on the moment heightens our listener’s energy levels and motivates them to act in the moment.

So, thanks to Mr Garry Barlow we’re left with three exemplary illustrations of ways to heighten our everyday speech: focus on the moment to create energy, create a sense of unity with words like “We” and “You” rather than “I” and “Me” and motivate people to act with determination and bravery by telling them something is impossible. Imagine if everyone took advantage of the true power of words. How much more beautiful would our everyday conversations be?

 

 

The full lyrics to Sing

Some words they can’t be spoken only sung

So hear a thousand voices shouting love

There’s a place, there’s a time

In this life when you sing what you are feeling

Find your feet, stand your ground

Don’t you see

Right now the world is listening to what we say

Sing it louder, sing it clearer

Knowing everyone will hear you,

Make some noise, find your voice tonight

Sing it stronger, sing together

Make this moment last forever

Old and young

Shouting love tonight

To sing we’ve had a lifetime to wait

And see a thousand faces celebrate

You brought hope, you brought light

Conquered fear, no it wasn’t always easy

Stood your ground, kept your faith

Don’t you see

Right now the world is listening to what we say

Sing it louder, sing it clearer

Knowing everyone will hear you,

Make some noise, find your voice tonight

Sing it stronger, sing together

Make this moment last forever

Old and young

Shouting love tonight

Some words they can’t be spoken only sung

To hear a thousand voices shouting love

And light and hope

just sing,

just sing,

just sing,

just sing,

Come on and…

Sing it louder, sing it clearer

Knowing everyone will hear you,

Make some noise, find your voice tonight

Sing it stronger, sing together

Make this moment last forever

Old and young

Shouting love tonight

Hear a thousand voices shouting love