Anointed by the 2010 Boston Music Awards as Boston’s Americana Artist of the Year, the David Wax Museum has been called “pure, irresistible joy” (Bob Boilen, NPR) and hailed by TIME.com for its “virtuosic musical skill and virtuous harmonies.” It is no surprise that their acclaimed performance at the 2010 Newport Folk Festival was hailed as one of highlights of the entire weekend by NPR. The band fuses traditional Mexican folk with American roots and indie rock to create an utterly unique Mexo-Americana aesthetic. Combining Latin rhythms, call-and-response hollering, and donkey jawbone rattling, they have electrified audiences across the country and are “kicking up a cloud of excitement with their high-energy border-crossing sensibility” (The New Yorker).
The band’s album, Everything Is Saved, produced by Sam Kassirer (Josh Ritter), drew rave reviews from all corners and has propelled the band into the national spotlight. With an illustration in The New Yorker, a feature in Paste Magazine, a Daytrotter session, a nod from TIME magazine as one of the top ten acts of this year’s South by Southwest, and an appearance on NPR’s World Café, the band quickly became “one of the hottest new indie bands around” (Better TV).
Harder Before It Gets Easier
David Wax Museum Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've been stitching your heart on the outside of your sleeve
You've been wrung out and then doused with grief
In the ocean of time this moment will be brief
Oh I know it's going to get harder before it gets easier
Knock, knock, fate was at the door
Knock, knock, we were unprepared
Knock, knock, fate it does not care
The muddled position of our hearts will shift
Someday this burden of loving will lift
And the difference between wrong and right will close like a fist
But for now judgments passed on us will be swift
Oh I know it's going to get harder before it gets easier
A baby is born in a mud hut
With a worm fastened to his gut
Yes, most doors open briefly and then they are shut
The circle of life is a wheel that gets stuck in a rut
Oh I know it's going to get harder before it gets easier
The lyrics of "Harder Before It Gets Easier" by David Wax Museum describe the pains and struggles of life, emphasizing the fact that things tend to get worse before they get better. The first verse describes a moment of extreme emotional pain where someone feels like they can barely breathe due to sobbing too hard. The imagery of having their heart stitched outside of their sleeve highlights the vulnerability they are experiencing. They feel like they have been through a lot and are currently under immense grief, but the song reassures them that this pain won't last forever, but it will get worse before it eventually gets better.
In the second verse, the song describes the sudden appearance of fate for the singer and how it throws them off guard. The muddled position of their hearts and the burden of loving someone have become too much to bear. There seems to be a struggle to distinguish right from wrong, and the world is quick to judge them in their current state of confusion. However, the song reminds them that this, too, is just a phase, and things will inevitably improve, but only after they go through the challenging period.
The last verse provides additional examples of how life can be challenging and unpredictable, with a baby born in a mud hut with only a worm fastened in their gut, and the circle of life being a wheel that often gets stuck in a rut. The song is ultimately a reminder that life is not always fair, but one has to push through the rough patches to get to the other side, where things will ultimately get better.
Line by Line Meaning
You've been sobbing so hard you can barely breath
You have been crying so intensely that it has become difficult to breathe.
You've been stitching your heart on the outside of your sleeve
You have been wearing your heart on your sleeve, expressing your emotions openly and vulnerably.
You've been wrung out and then doused with grief
You have been drained of emotion and then inundated with sadness.
In the ocean of time this moment will be brief
This moment will be fleeting in the vast expanse of time.
Oh I know it's going to get harder before it gets easier
The road ahead will be tough, but there is the promise of relief in the future.
Knock, knock, fate was at the door
Fate has suddenly come knocking at our door.
Knock, knock, too loud to ignore
The knock is too startling and persistent to overlook.
Knock, knock, we were unprepared
We were not ready for fate's arrival.
Knock, knock, fate it does not care
Fate is indifferent to our feelings and circumstances.
The muddled position of our hearts will shift
Our emotionally uncertain state will eventually change.
Someday this burden of loving will lift
The weight of loving someone will eventually be lifted.
And the difference between wrong and right will close like a fist
The line between right and wrong will become clearer and more defined.
But for now judgments passed on us will be swift
Currently, we will be judged harshly and swiftly.
A baby is born in a mud hut
A child is born into poverty and adverse circumstances.
With a worm fastened to his gut
The child is afflicted with an intestinal parasite, further complicating the situation.
Yes, most doors open briefly and then they are shut
Opportunities are fleeting and easily missed.
The circle of life is a wheel that gets stuck in a rut
The cyclical nature of life can become monotonous.
Contributed by Lily R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
seashellhell
this song makes me smile so hard, tears flow. thank you.
fixtillbroke
Awesome video & tune!!!! Really looking forward to your live performance in Cambridge on Saturday!!!!!!! S & P
shyvicki
Loving this!
Eleanor Innes
God, I love this song.
Samantha Petruck
I can't help but dance around the house to this! More, more, more!
Addie Ramsdell
Got to love this song!
Tricia Cherie
Man I heard this song once on the radio and have been searching for it ever since...finally I've found it hehe :)
David Winchester
Great song. Really digging the Graceland vibe.
screwyootube1
Very trippy video! And love the song!
Cataldo Leone
I love it that they have 178 likes (including mine) and 0 dislikes! They are happy and focused on their music, they seem to be oblivious to the bullshit - that's the stuff of great artists. Where are you guys from?