Song Review: Your journey is like just around the river bend

Music can empower people in every single day. It is not just from the melody and beats but the meaning behind the lyrics as well.

There were many Disney movie soundtracks and songs inspired people to keep going every day and the value that makes you forever be stuck in your mind after watching the movies.

This article is going to share one of the best songs in Disney, Just Around the River Bend in Pocahontas by Judy Kuhn.

When you sing “have you ever heard a wolf cry to the blue corn moon” to your friends, they might recognize this song and said: Yeah, this is "Color of the Winds" by Vanessa Williams in Pocahontas! If you are Pocahontas fans, you know it is a good song in the entire movie.

But “Just around the river bend” is one of the best in the Disney movie songs.

It is not only catchy, beautiful melody, fun, but it contains the meaning and symbolism that related to our purpose of life.

“We can’t step in the same river twice”

Follow your steps with Pocahontas, she loves to dream and hopes to achieve her dream. When she steps into the river and sing “You can’t step in the same river twice, The water’s always changing, always flowing”.

Here, the river refers to the journey of life. Water is always changing and always flowing described everyone’s life journey is different like the water. When we grow up, we will experience the changing and never walk in the same footstep.

The river we are stepping into now is not the same as we will be stepping into next year. We might end our semester and go to the next. We may be facing different teachers, new friends, or lessons.

The flow of the river is like our journey of life.

“We all must pay a price”

That’s true. In the progress of changing, we might have the challenges and struggles in the journey. This are the doubts that we are always thinking about, we may ask ourselves “ I hope I can be the musician, but what if I failed”. If we make the decision, we should ready to pay the price.

Sometimes the purpose of life needs a certain level of confidence to choose between adventure or security, a pathway or an ocean in life.

If we choose the security way, we will be safe forever in our comfort zone, at the same time, you might lose the chance of learning.

While, when we decide to experience wide learning adventure, we might pay the price which would be our challenges. But, after walking through every step of the adventure, we may found that our perspectives and thinking have changed and become more mature.

Indeed, our life is like the song sings “about knowing when to steer the steady course and follow the pathways to a specific goal”. Living is active whilst life is passive. The one who leads us to pursue our life purpose cannot be done without paddling our kayaks to continue the river.

“Don't know what for what I dream the day might send”

The lyrics “don’t know what for what I dream the day might send” shows the reality about the point of dreaming for our future. We can’t just have a dream without work and purpose.

If you choose to be a musician, and your purpose is just to get a better income and famous, then it would be meaningless, as the progress of learning and experience is the key to achieve your goal. Our journey is not just for learning but is about learning because if we can’t be about learning then we can’t properly be for learning.

The song teaches us when we are taking the journey, instead of dreaming or steering all our boats round dozens of riverbeds, we should think “how on earth can we plan for that”.

“Should I choose the smoothest curve”

Lastly, Pocahontas finishes the song with rhetorical questions. She looks at the two curves of the river, which is the smoothest curve and winding curve. She chooses the winding curve.

The smoothest curve is not just for her rapid-ride, rock-risk, or waterfall. Her dreaming is not at going to the end because she has her Dream Giver waiting for her.

Similar to our life, we need our dream giver in our life. Dream givers refer to family, friends, partners or someone is keeping you going on your journey. Sometimes when we are tired, they are the ones who gave us the support and motivation to continue our dream.

Watch the music video "Just around the Riverbend" by Judy Kuhn