“I’m not ready to get older”
The soulful melodious voice of Alec Benjamin sounds like a complaining young adult who wants the time to slow down. The ever-changing time flashes by fast without making us notice the change we have had in ourselves. From the blooming of a childhood dream to the first time a dream shatters, everything sounds like it will take forever but before we can comprehend, we grow up faster than we notice.
“Guess my childhood is over, I’m taking down the posters”
The roller coaster of childhood changes into grown-up decisions about the little things that make us an adult. Breaking countless promises, first heartbreaks to constant heartbreaks, the restlessness of the forever tumultuous journey that life throws at us.
Alec with his soft and pleading voice tries to plead for time to stop this rollercoaster, to give us time to be ready to get older. Once adolescence ends with the twenties, mental respite is something we forget.
The under-preparedness for the future, the hustle to be independent, rushing with the mob, a never-ending competition with the self and the word, the duality never rests. The closest to twenty feels like it’s not too far from thirty.
Timeless ageing and epiphanies
From the end of innocence to the first signs of maturity, bitter realisations, and epiphanies later, adulthood already starts its plight before we notice, the next thing is getting drunk and loving the forgetfulness that it brings, for a little while. We are never ready to get anymore older than we already are, the seconds when attended to, seem to move so slow yet the blink of an eye pulls time closer.
The song Older is the anthem of everyone who is exploring the tough decisions and easy decisions, questioning what’s right and what’s wrong, and taking ages to be decisive about their personality, the song encompasses every ‘what if’s and ‘ifs and buts’ of every regret and decision that pushed us to where we are today.
The unwilling flashbacks of innocence that seem unlikely, and an unfazed detachment with the younger self make us existentialist adults who are surviving on job hunting and more questions about themselves.
We were taught wrong, we were said everything will start to make sense when we are older, but the uncertainty burns deeper into our understanding and conscience, the late realisations of things we could have done better, the endless loop of keeping up with time yet being timeless in understanding how much we grow with every second.
Our entire existence flashes like nostalgia in front of our eyes before we take the time to cherish it.
Conclusion
Through the angsty and confused lines, Alec Benjamin exudes and conveys his turmoil which all of us find painfully relatable, much to our dismay. The song ends leaving its impression long on the listeners, contemplating the heartfelt lyrics.
