Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: emo
Song Meaning of “Exister” by Hot Water Music
As a song by the punk rock band, Hot Water Music, ‘Exister’ carries a strong message of empowerment and resilience. The song starts off with the lyrics “You’ve been shaking through rigid times, won’t you be the one to try,” urging the listener to take action in the face of any challenge, no matter how daunting. Through images of seizing opportunities, such as “hitting the line with a flame in hand,” the song speaks of forging one’s own path and beating the odds to “make it through that mess of doubt.”
Despite its upbeat tone, ‘Exister’ also speaks of the uncertainty of life, invoking contrasting emotions of fear, aggression, passion, and defiance. In the chorus, Hot Water Music sings of “chopping at the root” of one’s suffering, a reference to the act of confronting what’s causing us pain or difficulty and working to overcome it. The band recognizes that, when we choose to “scrape the bottom of the barrel” and persist in the face of adversity, we can still “find a way to stand up,” proving that even when we feel our most helpless, we can still have the power to shape our own future.
Many of us may feel exhausted and powerless; for Hot Water Music, perseverance is the key to carrying on. ‘Exister’ expresses a sense of personal strength and encourages us to keep moving forward, no matter our current circumstances. It offers a way for us to find hope and strength in our struggles, to “lose some, take some if you want.” In this way, Hot Water Music encourages us to embrace the human experience and use our difficult moments as an opportunity to grow.