“Nineteen” is the second single and second track from Movements‘ 2016 debut EP Outgrown Things.
Movements vocalist Patrick Miranda shared what “Nineteen” is about in a Twitter Q&A session:
My relationship with my dad has been pretty shitty for a long time. 19 is me saying everything I never co...
[Intro]
There's a fire in my heart
But I've got blood in my mouth
Tongue caged by my teeth
Trying hard just to speak
But your shout has got me beat and I'm rusting
I'm rusting
[Verse 1]
And my mother always told me
"Tread lightly, don't step on his toes"
And that was okay at a young age
But I am fully grown
Suit and tie at the table
Another disappointment
I'll stay quiet, still unstable
I'll swallow the poison
[Chorus]
'Cause I am not who you were at nineteen
I am not the man you want me to be
I'm not a warrior, I am fragile, I am weak
I'm not a warrior, I am not you, I'm barely me
[Bridge]
And someday, I hope to make it clear to you
That success is not determined by leather-bound books and ink on paper
But rather the passion that I have found
Out of heartbreak and anger
I know that happiness is stability but
Stability is not a desk job
And I refuse to sacrifice my aspirations for an income
And security, what the hell is security?
[Verse 2]
See, I'd rather die at my fullest
Poor but free to roam
Than let an office drain me slowly
For the sake of a home
'Cause I watched your endless intermission
An actor trapped in mediocrity
Gave up on your ambitions and your convictions compared to mine
Oh, what a rigid dichotomy
[Chorus]
'Cause I am not who you were at nineteen
I am not the man you want me to be
I'm not a warrior, I am fragile, I am weak
I'm not a warrior, I am not you
I am not who you were at nineteen
I am not the man you want me to be
I am not, I am not
I am not my father's son
Nineteen was written by Patrick Miranda.
Nineteen was produced by Will Yip.
Miranda further elaborated on the meaning of the song in Rock Sound magazine issue 213:
I wrote ‘'Nineteen’‘ about clashing with my dad. Him wanting me to get an office job or join the military, and me not being that person. It’s all the things I’ve wished I could say to him, but have never been ab...