"My Own Shit"

Jason Mraz released a much-awaited studio album in 2018 called "Know" and it was his sixth. However, only 10 songs made it in the album’s tracklist. Other gems from the singer/songwriter’s roster had to be still unreleased. One of those unreleased gems was a song called “My Own Shit”.

Jason Mraz from redandblack.com

LINK FROM YOUTUBE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJ8mWOb3Pro

Judging from the title, it was not very radio-friendly with regards to the profanity of the word “shit”. In line with this, a song from that album called “Unlonely” used the word “fruck” to disguise some other word that rhymes with it. Going beyond the title, one would really feel the emotion running through the course of the whole song. I would say that “My Own Shit” could humanize whoever is singing along with it.

With only audience recordings of the song’s rare performance available, it could be said that non-concertgoers like me would be able to grasp the meaning of the song.

The song starts off with these lines.

“Everybody’s got a little bit of their own

I got voices inside

And I got fears I still hide

I’m gonna break down sometimes

‘Cause I got tears I must cry

I’ve got wrongs I get to right

Truth be told I’ve told some lies

I’ve got friends I’ve got to find

And I still need to apologize…”

Soon after, Jason leads us to this wonderful chorus.

“Everybody's got, everybody's got

Everybody's got their demons

Everybody got their reasons

Everybody goes to seasons

Trying to hold on

Everybody’s got their own shit

Everybody's got to own it

Everybody's got those hardships they're trying to let go of

I've got my own”

The song tells us about the struggle present in one’s life. There are conflicts involving friends, parents and families, and even lovers. But as for me, the most difficult one to handle would be the conflicts that one could have with their own self. Those inner demons can damage you more than anything else, and eventually be the roots of the conflicts one is bound to have with some, if not all, of the relationships and interactions needed for harmonious living.

It can be very challenging to admit that you have issues and roots of conflicts within you. What can make it work is knowing that “everybody’s got a little bit of their own”. Knowing that we all experience problems though they may not be entirely similar. It is not about the joy knowing that there is somebody else feeling the same agony that you feel, but it is instead about the thought that you are not alone. “I am not the only one who is still a work in progress.”

The worst thing that one can feel after acknowledging the existence of his/her demons and conflicts is the feeling of being alone. One shall not be a lone fighter in this world. One cannot overcome his battles alone. Being there for someone can be really instrumental in accomplishing that work in progress.