There are at least 3 Artists using the name STEPSON

1) Stepson are a… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least 3 Artists using the name STEPSON

1) Stepson are a 5 piece melodic hardcore/punk band from Brisbane, Australia. Influences include Balance & Composure, Counterparts and Endless Heights. They have released 3 EPs: Broken Bottles/Drunken Hearts, Echoes in a Empty Room and The Beautiful Lie.

2) El-p and nick diamonds are stepson.

3)Stepson's were an American Heavy Blues Rock band from the 70's. They released an excellent self titled hard/blues album, with Jeff Simmons on one track. Most of the songs were written by the group and the vocals and guitar parts are especially interesting (Rude Attitude, I Apologize, Burnin' Hurt). Arthur Lee of Love and Chris Hillman od The Byrds get "special thanks" on the cover.

Hawks, Newman and Gallucci had all previously been in Don and the Goodtimes and later with Hauser in Touch.

After the demise of TOUCH, 3 (of the 5) members went on and resurfaced in 1974 with this hard drivin' slab of attitude, swagger, fuzz and hammond. JEFF SIMMONS appears on one of the tracks and a heavy Detroit-vibe hangs in the air throughout.

Band Members:

LEN FAGAN drums
DON GALLUCCI piano
JIMMY GREENSPOON organ
BRUCE HAUSER bass, vocals
JEFF HAWKS lead vocals
JOEY NEWMAN guitar, vocals
JEFF SIMMONS harp

Compassion & Growth
Stepson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

If love is a flower
It needs compassion to grow but
How do you nurture
When you feel all alone

And if hope is a candle
My wick has burnt away
My smoke is a waving, ash grey

I'm fading away

I'm burnt out at both ends
I'm always exhausted
I'm so tired, I'm trying, I'm trying
Believe me I'm trying

I give up, I can't do this anymore

If love is a flower
It needs compassion to grow but
How do you nurture
When you feel all alone

And if hope is a candle
My wick has burnt away
My smoke is a waving ash grey
I'm fading away

I've built up a wall
To protect me from harm
But how will I know
When the right person comes along

I'm so afraid of letting anyone in
At risk of getting hurt
A broken heart heals protracted
Beating still unheard

I keep pretending
That everything's okay
But the truth is you're the reason
It's hard to smile everyday

The closer you look the less of me you'll see

Overall Meaning

In "Compassion & Growth," Stepson explores the difficulty of feeling love and hope when someone is struggling with their mental health. The lyrics "If love is a flower, it needs compassion to grow, but how do you nurture when you feel all alone" examine the idea that love requires empathy and care to thrive, but it can be hard to give that care and attention when you are struggling yourself. The song speaks to the isolation and exhaustion that often accompanies mental health struggles, and the feeling that it is hard to give anything to anyone else when you are barely hanging on yourself.

The lyrics "And if hope is a candle, my wick has burnt away, my smoke is a waving, ash grey, I'm fading away" convey a sense of hopelessness and despair. The imagery of a burnt-out candle is a metaphor for the loss of hope, and the fading away suggests a feeling of giving up or succumbing to those feelings. The song also touches on the experience of building walls up to protect oneself from harm but not knowing how to let love and connection in. This can be a common experience for people struggling with mental health, as the fear of vulnerability can make it difficult to form close relationships.

Overall, "Compassion & Growth" is a raw and honest look at the struggles of maintaining relationships and a sense of hope in the face of mental health issues. The song speaks to the reality of living with mental health problems, but also suggests that there is a glimmer of hope through the compassionate support of others.

Line by Line Meaning

If love is a flower
Love requires constant care and attention, like a flower that needs watering and nourishment.

It needs compassion to grow but
Compassion is essential for love to thrive and continue to grow.

How do you nurture
How can you provide the necessary care and attention that love requires?

When you feel all alone
It can be challenging to provide love with the necessary care and attention when you don't feel supported or understood.

And if hope is a candle
Hope can be fragile and fleeting, like a flame that can easily flicker out.

My wick has burnt away
My hope has been consumed, and I feel a sense of hopelessness.

My smoke is a waving, ash grey
The remnants of my hope are weak and barely visible, just like a puff of smoke fading away.

I'm fading away
I am losing my will to keep going, and everything feels like it's falling apart.

I'm burnt out at both ends
I am exhausted and drained, physically and emotionally.

I'm always exhausted
I never feel rested, and the weariness feels like it's taking over my entire being.

I'm so tired, I'm trying, I'm trying
I am doing my best to keep going, even though every step feels more challenging than the last.

Believe me I'm trying
I want others to know that I'm doing everything possible to keep moving forward, even though it's a constant struggle.

I give up, I can't do this anymore
The weight of everything has become too much, and I am ready to surrender to defeat.

I've built up a wall
To protect myself from further hurt, I've created emotional barriers that keep others out.

To protect me from harm
I don't want to be in a position where I am vulnerable and at risk of getting hurt.

But how will I know
It's not easy to know when you've met the right person and when it's time to let your guard down.

When the right person comes along
It takes courage to let someone in and trust them enough to share your innermost thoughts and feelings.

I'm so afraid of letting anyone in
I fear getting hurt and exposed, leaving myself open to emotional pain.

At risk of getting hurt
The possibility of being emotionally wounded is too much to bear.

A broken heart heals protracted
The process of healing from emotional pain can be long and difficult.

Beating still unheard
Even though I am trying to keep going, my heart is still hurting and my pain goes unacknowledged.

I keep pretending
I am not ready to face the truth and keep putting on a facade to keep up appearances.

That everything's okay
I'm trying to convince myself that things are not falling apart, but deep down, I know that they are.

But the truth is you're the reason
The real reason things are falling apart is that you are not here to support me.

It's hard to smile everyday
The weight of everything makes it challenging to find reasons to be happy, and smiling feels like a chore.

The closer you look the less of me you'll see
Even though I am doing my best to keep up appearances, the closer you get, the more evident it becomes that I'm falling apart.

Contributed by Aiden B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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