To build on the momentum, Benjamin began uploading new songs to his YouTube channel at a rapid clip and eventually earned a viral hit with “I Built a Friend” and a deal with Atlantic Records.
Benjamin connects to listeners by incorporating using his life struggles to tell stories and give meaning to his songs. You can see this in “Let Me Down Slowly,” “Paper Crown,” “I Built a Friend,” “Death of a Hero,” and “If We Have Each Other.”
Benjamin released his first studio album mixtape, Narrated for You on November 16, 2018, and released his first studio album, These Two Windows on May 29, 2020
I'm Not a Cynic
Alec Benjamin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've tried bein' optimistic but it doesn't seem to help
So I'll just have to admit this is the hand that I've been dealt
I'm not bein' pessimistic, just bein' honest with myself
I'm not a cynic, oh, today's just not my day
I've tried to spin it 'bout a thousand different ways
But from every angle, oh, the outlook is the same
I swear that I'm not a cynic, my glass just has no water in it
You only get that which you're given, it's not always up to you
Not every Sunday is a picnic 'cause the sky ain't always blue
You can't just change the weather by changing your point of view
Some days you have to wait until the storm just passes through
I'm not a cynic, oh, today's just not my day
I've tried to spin it 'bout a thousand different ways
But from every angle, oh, the outlook is the same
I swear that I'm not a cynic, my glass just has no water in it today
So like a boat on the ocean, I'll rock with the waves
God, I'm so sick of this notion that I have to fake
Fake my emotions and pretend I'm okay
So like a boat on the ocean, I'll just rock with the waves
I'm not a cynic, oh, today's just not my day
I've tried to spin it 'bout a thousand different ways
But from every angle, oh, the outlook is the same
I swear that I'm not a cynic, my glass just has no water in it today
I swear that I'm not a cynic, my glass just has no water in it today
The lyrics of "I'm Not a Cynic" by Alec Benjamin can be interpreted as a coping mechanism for dealing with a bad day. The singer starts off by acknowledging his attempts at maintaining positive thinking but admits that it has not worked out for him this time. He then states that he is not being pessimistic, but only acknowledging the hand he has been dealt. In the chorus, the singer repeats that he is not a cynic but is having a bad day. He explains that there are times when one cannot control their circumstances and must wait it out until the storm passes.
The second verse explores the idea that life is not always in our control. The singer acknowledges that not every day is going to be perfect and that there are going to be days when we need to wait out the bad weather. In the chorus, he repeats that he is not a cynical person but that his glass just happens to have no water in it today, in other words, he is just having a bad day.
Overall, the song can be interpreted as a reminder that it is okay to have bad days and that having a positive attitude may not always be the solution. Sometimes, one needs to acknowledge their emotions and wait it out until the storm passes.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm just bein' realistic, bein' honest with myself
I'm trying to accept the reality of my situation and be honest with myself.
I've tried bein' optimistic but it doesn't seem to help
I've tried being positive, but it hasn't made a difference in my situation.
So I'll just have to admit this is the hand that I've been dealt
I have to acknowledge that my circumstances are beyond my control.
I'm not bein' pessimistic, just bein' honest with myself
I'm not trying to be negative, I'm just trying to accept the reality of my situation.
I'm not a cynic, oh, today's just not my day
I'm not a cynic in general, but today is not a good day for me.
I've tried to spin it 'bout a thousand different ways
I've tried to approach my situation from many different angles.
But from every angle, oh, the outlook is the same
No matter how I look at it, the situation is still the same.
I swear that I'm not a cynic, my glass just has no water in it today
I'm not trying to be negative, I just don't have any positivity in me today.
You only get that which you're given, it's not always up to you
You can only work with what you have, sometimes things are beyond your control.
Not every Sunday is a picnic 'cause the sky ain't always blue
Not every day is going to be perfect, sometimes things will be difficult or unpleasant.
You can't just change the weather by changing your point of view
You can't control everything just by changing your perspective.
Some days you have to wait until the storm just passes through
Sometimes you have to wait until things improve on their own.
So like a boat on the ocean, I'll rock with the waves
I'm going to go with the flow and ride out this difficult time.
God, I'm so sick of this notion that I have to fake
I'm tired of feeling like I have to pretend to be okay when I'm not.
Fake my emotions and pretend I'm okay
I don't want to pretend to be okay when I'm actually struggling.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alec Benjamin, Alex Hope
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@strivingfornewhorizons9281
"I'm not a cynic, but today's just not my day"
"I swear that I'm not a cynic, my glass just has no water in it today"
I love how he says "today". It's not necessarily an everyday thing, but it happens. Sometimes you just have to accept that everybody has bad days. Even the most enthusiastic and optimistic person has them
The song hit the nail on the head today, it reminds me that the next day can always get better. I'm living with my parents again 'cause of quarantine and every single day ends with a fight. The entire household tries to make it right for one person and said person still has 1000 things to complain about/is never satisfied. "I've tried to spin it 'bout a thousand different ways". I'm sick of understanding everyone's point of view and being able to empathize with all of them, then feel guilty for standing up for myself because I've been honest about how I personally feel for once and now they "might feel bad"
Sorry for the rant
Edit: Dang, almost 200 likes? Thanks!
@gyuzies
I'm just bein' realistic, bein' honest with myself
I've tried bein' optimistic but it doesn't seem to help
So I'll just have to admit this is the hand that I've been dealt
I'm not bein' pessimistic, just bein' honest with myself
I'm not a cynic, oh, today's just not my day
I've tried to spin it 'bout a thousand different ways
But from every angle, oh, the outlook is the same
I swear that I'm not a cynic, my glass just has no water in it today
I swear that I'm not a cynic, my glass just has no water in it
You only get that which you're given, it's not always up to you
Not every Sunday is a picnic 'cause the sky ain't always blue
You can't just change the weather by changing your point of view
Some days you have to wait until the storm just passes through
I'm not a cynic, oh, today's just not my day
I've tried to spin it 'bout a thousand different ways
But from every angle, oh, the outlook is the same
I swear that I'm not a cynic, my glass just has no water in it today
So like a boat on the ocean, I'll rock with the waves
God, I'm so sick of this notion that I have to fake
Fake my emotions and pretend I'm okay
So like a boat on the ocean, I'll just rock with the waves
I'm not a cynic, oh, today's just not my day
I've tried to spin it 'bout a thousand different ways
But from every angle, oh, the outlook is the same
I swear that I'm not a cynic, my glass just has no water in it today
I swear that I'm not a cynic, my glass just has no water in it today
@bananamuffin4286
"People say these things to make sense of the world. Secretly, in their heart of
hearts, almost everyone believes that there’s some meaning, some willfulness to
life. Fairness. Basic decency. Good things happen to good people. Bad things
only happen to bad people.
No one wants to believe that life is random. My dad says he doesn’t know
where my cynicism comes from, but I’m not a cynic. I am a realist. It’s better to
see life as it is, not as you wish it to be. Things don’t happen for a reason. They
just happen. "
An excerpt from Nicola Yoon's The Sun Is Also A Star. I just felt that this song fit this excerpt so much!
@minecraftpro4768
Is it just me or do all Alecs songs feel like a friend, or yourself...like someone else understands you.
@trashcuber7654
is it just me or are most of the demos and unreleased songs are actually better than the released songs
@mintbubble8400
You'r not alone
@justami481
It's bc he understands us bc he is just like us a human being ;°; but in genius and talented
@dorkyali_
YES. It feels like he is there for you no matter what
@mcrfan4131
Pie Yeeter Fr tho!! It feels like he knows how you feel
@mohavi3860
It’s incredible how Alec can describe my emotions better than I ever can
@zoedixon9737
@@kittyjohnson4764 same, I'm bad for bottling my emotions so when I get angry or sad it's like a dam wall collapsed because all my emotion piles out all at once usually directed at the person who triggered it, and then I'm good for another month. Even with happiness and love it happens and I'll cry for hours thinking through what's been going on.
@arielyeung7880
same omg. his songs are always so relateable :>
@garlic_bread180
sometimes everything that makes me sad just piles up and up and I'll just lie down on my bed crying for hours in the dark not even knowing y.... ugh life is so tough isn't it? Well its alright just go on chase ur dreams show ur haters that u dont give a damn abt them. And remember that there's someone out there who might b going thru much more pain than u... anyways hope u have a gud day :) thank u so much if u read the whole thing... means the world to me 💜💖🧡💛