Keep Going

Words and music by Christopher Kent

When I started on my journey I had to leave the promised land
Soon I found myself walking through a desert filled with windswept sand
This land had once had many lakes, but all the water was gone
And vultures circled overhead, so I just kept moving on
Finally the landscape changed to a path of less resistance
I heard the sound of songbirds, I saw storm clouds in the distance
Many people had offered advice about the journey ahead
So I stopped to rest. Then in my pack I found a note that said:

Sometimes you have to stay on course
No matter which way the wind is blowing
And when there’s too much information
You have to figure out what’s worth knowing
Even though the desert is wide, somewhere rivers are flowing
So if you’re going through hell
Keep going

My path led into a forest filled with blackened, lifeless trees
I heard no sound as I entered, but the smell of death was on the breeze
I searched for signs of life as I walked, but none were there to find,
And I thought about the safe, familiar world I’d left behind
This once had been a thriving woods; now all was dry and burned.
But after walking for several days, sounds of life returned.
I looked for signs to guide me, but the omens disagreed;
Then when I slept, I dreamed an eagle came and spoke to me
He said:

Sometimes you have to stay on course
No matter which way the wind is blowing
And when there’s too much information
You have to figure out what’s worth knowing
Even when a forest burns down, it still keeps growing
So if you’re going through hell
Keep going

In the distance I saw a range of mountains topped with snow.
They looked forbidding, but I saw no other way to go
I chose to follow an eagle, and my path began to rise
And as I climbed the air grew cold, snow blew in my eyes
When I approached a mountain pass, night began to fall
So I stopped inside a cave to rest, huddled up against a wall
I found the ashes of a fire, but there was something more:
A message from a person who had sheltered there before
It said:

Sometimes you have to stay on course
No matter which way the wind is blowing
And when there’s too much information
You have to figure out what’s worth knowing
You made it up the mountain this far, though it was cold and snowing
You’ve been going through hell
Keep going

In the morning the weather cleared; I made it through the mountain pass
Down below I could see a valley green with trees and fields of grass
Beyond that there was an ocean and above, a bright blue sky
I made my way down slowly, and a warm breeze drifted by
Then I met a stranger, just beginning on her quest
She was headed up the mountain, and I wished her all the best
She asked what I could tell her that might help her on her way
And I told her I’d had good advice that helped me every day:

Sometimes you have to stay on course
No matter which way the wind is blowing
And when there’s too much information
You have to figure out what’s worth knowing
Things don’t always go as we’ve planned
But that’s when your courage starts showing
So if you find yourself going through hell
Keep going