Don't Give Up
in this proud land we grew up strong
we were wanted all along
I was taught to fight, taught to win
I never thought I could fail

no fight left or so it seems
I am a man whose dreams have all deserted
I've changed my face, I've changed my name
but no one wants you when you lose

don't give up
'cos you have friends
don't give up
you're not beaten yet
don't give up
I know you can make it good

though I saw it all around
never thought I could be affected
thought that we'd be the last to go
it is so strange the way things turn

drove the night toward my home
the place that I was born, on the lakeside
as daylight broke, I saw the earth
the trees had burned down to the ground

don't give up
you still have us
don't give up
we don't need much of anything
don't give up
'cause somewhere there's a place
where we belong

rest your head
you worry too much
it's going to be alright
when times get rough
you can fall back on us
don't give up
please don't give up

'got to walk out of here
I can't take anymore
going to stand on that bridge
keep my eyes down below
whatever may come
and whatever may go
that river's flowing
that river's flowing

moved on to another town
tried hard to settle down
for every job, so many men
so many men no-one needs

don't give up
'cause you have friends
don't give up
you're not the only one
don't give up
no reason to be ashamed
don't give up
you still have us
don't give up now
we're proud of who you are
don't give up
you know it's never been easy
don't give up
'cause I believe there's the a place
there's a place where we belong

GREAT song.

Did you see the Secret World Live video or dvd? Paula Cole sings it with him and it's great.

VinaBlue said:

I was surprised at how well she sang it. I still think he should've persuaded Kate Bush to drag her lazy arse on stage to sing it, just once, during the tour.

Easy for him to say. He's fucking loaded!

AsylumUtopia said:

Paula is actually an amazing singer. Very powerful. I saw her on tour with her second album and she blew me away. Seriously, I was speechless for a few hours after the show. How many women can pull off "Whole Lotta Love"?

I completely disagree. I'm a singer/musician so I do know what's it like. The fact is that there is not enough consistent money to be made from the arts, be it music, acting or writing. When you're having trouble paying your bills, you do question the validity of what you do.

My first comment was intended to be humourously flippant by the way. You have obviously completely missed the point. Being serious all the time is not my strong point.
I don't understand why you have an issue with what I say. I don't recall saying that Peter Gabriel's words should be discounted. I'm a realist, and that means that if I pursue my artistic wishes but can't afford to sustain a very basic standard of living and run the risk of being kicked out of my flat, I would have to choose a different career. There is not a month that goes by where I don't entertain such thoughts.
Once again, you are forgetting that I am a singer/musician and this is my living.
Most of my friends, who happen to be musicians or actors, feel exactly the same way. Changing circumstances would be bound to have a sizable effect in this matter. For example, if I became a parent tomorrow, there is no way that I would continue with music as a career. I could not live with myself if I was unable to raise a child properly. This is my definition of integrity. I could not be wholly reliant in this context on a profession that is unreliable, precarious and financially insecure.
My outlook has nothing to do with negativity but a lot to do with realism.
By the way, I do get out of bed every day. This is because I also work in addition to doing music.

To Slave2dagroove:

Cool. I'm a huge fan of this man anyway. I would never ever want to seriously denigrate another artist, whether it's Peter Gabriel or you. Hope you don't take my tirade as a personal slant. It's not easy doing what we do!

I think the older you get, your goals definitely change. When I was naive and 18, I wouldn't have settled for anything less than 10 sell-out nights at Shea or Wembley Stadium! These days, I just want to do what I enjoy but also make a fairly substantial living from it. Some years I do; other years are woeful. As I said earlier, I think about giving it up at least once every month. Ideally, I would not want to; the ups and downs of it all can be frustrating, but the moments where it all works out make it all worthwhile.

Beautiful song.

I'd just like to add, I doubt it's been easy for Peter Gabriel to become as successful as he is. I like to know it's possible for some of us and use people's experiences as inspiration. Sometimes I feel like I'm so stubborn I annoy myself, because I never give up on my dreams. And there's a cost to it, oh, yes...especially as one gets older...I think you really feel the cost. It's not really a question of giving up though, it's more a question of integration and keeping the spirit, imho. I've finally realized I don't have to be a star to be happy, and I can still be an artist even if I don't get paid and have to hold down a job to pay the rent. ( it'd be nice to have health insurance though...)

heartbeatocean said:

This is exactly what I'm saying. It is so a part of who I am giving up is not an option. Sometimes thoughg it's like I'm a boxer holding the ropes while the referee is giving me a standing eight count.

No health insurance? Now there's some damn reality. Do musician unions offer anything or are are there just not a lot options with the bullshit price of healthcare now?