Behind the Bars

You’re Not Alone, by Demmene Syronn

I wrote this lyric with the intent of telling family and friends one of my deepest secrets. My objective was to audibly paint what it was like for me when I got stuck on “the white horse.” Sans the boring gateway experiences, some time ago I was a much different person. The choice to pursue music most literally (and in my opinion) saved my life. That being said, the catalyst for its release as the lead single for my solo venture has become the real meat and potatoes for the song, and its intent.

It’s fairly obvious that American people generally love their drugs. If you were born any time after 1950, then at some point in your life you’ve probably used one. The most common illicit substance being alcohol. Many of us are exposed to a wide variety of substances at a relatively young age. In the 1980s many of Americas urban hotspots were devastated by the wide spread popularity of crack usage. This is ultimately why I deemed it important to release this song.

When people overdose and/or die from abusing drugs, the narrative that my small social media cipher spins seems to center around two ideas. The first is probably the most common. “We never used to do the drugs, we used to sell them.” The second is the, “ it was his/her choice, ‘make your bed and lie in it,” line of reasoning. I began to sense a deep disturbance in my force. I wondered if people would treat me differently if they knew I was or could have become one of those people they’ve cast judgment upon. I thought it strange that one could say “I never did the drugs, etc…” and at the same time not consider who they were selling the drugs to. We’ve heard the stories of the violence and desperation that surrounded the crack era. Dare I say those aren’t rumors. As far as choices go, I get it. I also know that people need support. There are many people who’ve just made poor choices and because of such, they’re caught in a whirlwind of self doubt and fear. I believe that some of those people are just like the people they’re being judged by, they just have less support.

This song and its meaning became something far more important to me then telling my story. This song is my attempt to inspire anyone who is struggling with a vice. Its my way of showing people that there is light at the end of the tunnel. I needed to tell those people that they were not alone!

Check out the lyrics on Genius.com