Kamila Artykova
ENG 210 a
Professor Filitsa Mullen
17 October 2014
I Was Here
Diane Warren
I wanna leave my footprints on the sands of time
Know there was something that, and something that I left behind
When I leave this world, I'll leave no regrets,
Leave something to remember, so they won't forget
I was here
I lived, I loved
I was here
I did, I've done, everything that I wanted
And it was more than I thought it would be
I will leave my mark so everyone will know
I was here
I want to say I lived each day, until I die
And know that I meant something in, somebody's life
The hearts I have touched, will be the proof that I leave
That I made a difference, and this world will see
I was here
I lived, I loved
I was here
I did, I've done, everything that I wanted
And it was more than I thought it would be
I will leave my mark so everyone will know
I was here
I lived, I loved
I was here
I did, I've done, everything that I wanted
And it was more than I thought it would be
I will leave my mark so everyone will know
I was here
I just want them to know
That I gave my all, did my best
Brought someone to happiness
Left this world a little better just because
I was here
I was here
I lived, I loved
I was here
I did, I've done, everything that I wanted
And it was more than I thought it would be
I will leave my mark so everyone will know
I was here.
(I lived), I lived
(I loved), I was here
(I did), I did
(I've done), I was here
(I lived), I lived
(I loved)
I was here
(I did), I did
(I've done)
I was here
_____________________
Benevolent Message in the Ballad “I Was Here” by Diane Warren.
The ability to hear and listen is an important way of perceiving information. Every day
we hear different songs which evoke different emotions. A ballad “I Was Here” by Diane
Warren is an emotional “powder keg” which makes us think about important things in life. The
main objective of the song is to spread out the message of doing something good for another
person and having benevolent attitude towards our surroundings.
“I Was Here” is a song recorded by an American R&B artist Beyonce Knowles. The
ballad was written by Diane Warren, who dedicated it to the 9/11 tragedy in the United States.
The song was performed for the World Humanitarian Day at the United Nations General
Assembly on August 19, 2012. The video featuring the song starts with such words: “One day.
One message. One goal. To inspire people all over the world. To do something good, no matter
how big or small, for someone else.” 1
The ballad starts with an affirmative statement which tells us about the author’s
aspiration to “leave footprints on the sands of time.” Using the word “footprints” she does not try
to portray the physical trail or mark that is left behind, but to illustrate global contribution that a
person leaves behind after his/her life. “The sands of time” is an idiom which relates to the
passage of time either through something reaching an end or through a person’s death. The idea
originates from the sand used in hourglasses, an ancient way of measuring time.2The process of
the sand being emptied in the hourglass creates a visual metaphor for the limited duration of days
of our lives. The life is given only once. Therefore, we have to try to make the best out of it not
1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i41qWJ6QjPI
2
http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/the+sands+of+time.html
only for ourselves, but also for the living creatures around us. The author wishes to make her life
sublime by leaving something valuable for the humankind. Overall, this line has a significant
meaning as an opening statement for the song. It immediately makes us think about the idea of
life meaning that we should live our lives to the fullest, and not just merely exist.
The general idea of the ballad continues to develop further in the next lines of the first
stanza. The author tells us that she will not leave any regrets when she leaves this world. This
statement can be viewed as satisfaction with her life path and successful completion of her
mission on the Earth. From one of the lines, a reader learns that the author wishes to be
remembered by something she has left. There is no explicit explanation or indication in the song
of what this something can be. Though it may be viewed as any action or contribution which
makes a person feel better or have a positive effect on the world in general. One of the fears that
people face is to live a meaningless life. They all seek the purpose of life and they all want to be
remembered. If nobody can remember you that means you did not really exist. People are mortal,
but their actions and contributions can be immortal. For instance, immortality can be reached
through humanitarian acts with large-scale efforts, local efforts, and day-to-day actions. Whether
a person is a volunteer with the Peace Corps in a Third World country, or a volunteer at a local
soup kitchen, or a voluntary assistant of a disabled person, he or she brings value to the
community and leaves a remarkable footprint.
At the same time, the author says she lived each day, implying that she was living to the
fullest, and not just existing or surviving. She lived physically until the moment she died, but her
contributions would be still alive, they would be immortal. To touch a heart is not easy, thus, a
person needs to establish an intimate (personal) connection with another person to get deeply in
the heart and soul. For instance, the author touches one’s heart and mind, so that she can make a
difference. Making a difference implies making a change. Likewise, the quotation of Mahatma
Gandhi states, “be the change you wish to see in the world”. The author has made a difference by
bringing a benevolent change in the lives of people with whom she established spiritual or
interpersonal bond.
Every small change starts on an individual level. The author managed to bring some
change to people’s hearts and minds. Humans are the architects of their own destiny and they are
in charge of their life decisions. Every little action or decision has a consequence and leads to
something. The ideology of one’s course of life determines whether it is going to be a positive
action or a negative action.
Every good action counts, even if you think it is not significant. Someone may consider it
as a great gift of life. Happiness does not have a certain parameter or measure. It is different for
everyone. The author does not know what is the scope and scale of happiness for each individual
person. She leaves this world a little better place because she was here. The true perfection of a
human is defined by what he/she used to be as a person. According to the author, she lived a
meaningful life which was worthy because somebody had benefited and became happier.
The ballad leaves a reader with an inspiration to leave a remarkable footprint and to
fulfill your life with vivid experiences. The song makes us re-evaluate our actions towards the
people who are around us. It teaches a reader that life is given only once to make the best out of
it. Different people have different vision about the purpose of life. Doing something good for
another person and having benevolent attitude towards our surroundings should be an integral
objective of each and every individual.