Andy is married to Jill Phillips, a fine artist in her own right. He is also a member of the Square Peg Alliance.
The Secret
Andy Gullahorn Lyrics
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He carried it like a silver dollar in the pocket of his heart.
It cried out for some room to breathe but his pride just kept it in the dark.
And the darkness was like rainfall to a flower.
It needed it to grow.
And the roots kept growing deeper till the wrapped their wretched arms around his soul.
Gotta let that secret go.
Surrounded by a wife and friends who knew everything about him except the truth.
The truth was like a double edged sword in someone else's hands.
He knew his friends would listen but he never thought that they could understand the way the secret can.
In the middle of the sidewalk was a single blade of grass.
It kept pushing up from under till it finally made a crack.
When that crack became a canyon wide it was past the point of covering.
With no familiar place to hide Charlie set the secret free.
Freedom was a hammer to a darkroom wall that let the light shine through.
He knew carrying secrets to the grave was impossible to do.
The secrets carry you.
The Secret by Andy Gullahorn tells the story of Charlie, who has been carrying a secret with him since he was a boy. The secret comes with a long list of unwritten rules and Charlie is expected to die without revealing it. He holds the secret like a silver dollar in the pocket of his heart and his pride keeps it in the dark. Charlie realizes that the darkness he has been keeping the secret in has taken over him like rainfall to a flower, it has grown deep roots around his soul making it wretched. As the chorus says, Charlie has to let that secret go.
As time goes by, Charlie becomes a man and thinks he is too strong to lose. Although he is surrounded by friends and a wife who know everything about him except the truth, he knows that no one would understand the power the secret holds. However, one day, while walking on the sidewalk, Charlie sees a single blade of grass pushing up from under, eventually making a crack. This crack becomes a canyon wide and Charlie realizes that there is no familiar place to hide. He sets the secret free and freedom becomes a hammer to a darkroom wall that lets the light shine through. Charlie understands that carrying secrets to the grave is impossible; the secrets carry you.
Line by Line Meaning
Back when Charlie was a boy somebody handed a secret down with a long list of unwritten rules so he'd die before he let it out.
When Charlie was a boy, someone entrusted him with a secret along with an unspoken code of conduct, insisting that he should take the secret to his grave.
He carried it like a silver dollar in the pocket of his heart.
The secret was so valuable to him that he held it tightly within him, never letting it go.
It cried out for some room to breathe but his pride just kept it in the dark.
Although the secret needed some air, Charlie's ego suppressed it and kept it concealed, hidden from the truth.
And the darkness was like rainfall to a flower.
The darkness surrounding Charlie's secret was like rain to a plant, necessary to sustain it and help it grow, but also oppressive.
It needed it to grow.
The secret needed the darkness to grow stronger.
And the roots kept growing deeper till the wrapped their wretched arms around his soul.
The secret kept growing, digging its roots deeper into his mind and soul until it consumed him entirely, leaving a weighty burden.
Gotta let that secret go.
Charlie knew that he needed to let go of the secret that was causing him distress and misery.
That boy soon became a man who thought he was too strong to lose.
Charlie grew up and believed he was too strong to be defeated by his secret, that he could keep it hidden forever.
Surrounded by a wife and friends who knew everything about him except the truth.
Even though Charlie was supported by family and friends who knew him well, he still kept his secret hidden from them.
The truth was like a double edged sword in someone else's hands.
The secret had double consequences if entrusted to someone else, both beneficial and harmful.
He knew his friends would listen but he never thought that they could understand the way the secret can.
He was confident his friends would hear him out but didn't believe they would relate to the struggles he experienced because of the secret.
In the middle of the sidewalk was a single blade of grass.
From one simple place, a symbolic gesture or sign could flourish and grow, representing something more powerful and significant.
It kept pushing up from under till it finally made a crack.
The blade of grass persevered, growing stronger and eventually creating a rift, illustrating how perseverance can lead to freedom.
When that crack became a canyon wide it was past the point of covering.
As the grass grew wider, it became harder to conceal, signifying how the truth can no longer be suppressed and must be released.
With no familiar place to hide Charlie set the secret free.
Charlie finally released his secret, with no place to hide, bringing him newfound freedom and peace of mind.
Freedom was a hammer to a darkroom wall that let the light shine through.
Freedom acted as a tool that broke down the walls enclosing Charlie's secret and allowed the light to penetrate the darkness.
He knew carrying secrets to the grave was impossible to do.
Charlie understood that keeping secrets hidden forever wasn't a tenable solution and would only cause more harm than good.
The secrets carry you.
The burden of a secret carried over time becomes more than just a memory - it becomes a permanent fixture that drastically affects the lives of those keeping them.
Contributed by Callie E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.