Songs for the Darkening Days of Fall

For the one entering this season with fear and trepidation

Fall is my absolute favorite season of the year, but I remember recent years when I had an internal struggle between the anticipation of cozy outfits and pumpkin everything and the fear of the darker days and the encroaching seasonal depression and anxiety. There are some songs I revisit every year in fall, both for their themes and the fall vibes. They each have a constant place on my “Autumn Drives” playlist.

Power Perfect - Kings Kaleidoscope

I love some good horns and strings in a song for the fall. It’s a great song for the early mornings or the evenings when it’s slightly dark and moody out. This song has been speaking to me over the past few years reminding me of this truth: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness”. When you remember who you are and who your Father is, you can walk into any room with confidence, knowing He’s got your back.

Every line of this song carries so much weight. With God’s help, you have power over all your struggles and addictions. I love the phrase “Spirit ceiling” because it’s the opposite of a glass ceiling. I don’t fear any “glass ceiling” because every glass ceiling can be shattered with the help of the Holy Spirit. “Power over pulsing panic” has sunk deep into my bones as my thoughts and heart begin to race. “Power that is love in action” is the strength serve others when you don’t feel like it.

But the last part of the song hits me the most:

“Remember who you are

You are born and you were made in the image of God

Jesus loves you”

That’s really the key right there: remember who you are.

It’s that remembering that enables you to walk into a room with a boldness and confidence like never before. I can’t drum up confidence on my own. I’ve tried - it doesn’t work. But when I tap into the source of my identity and purpose, confidence begins to flourish.

Heavy Prey - Lacey Sturm

This song was written for a movie soundtrack but intentionally with a double meaning reflecting the plot and God’s love for us as His children. I love the spiritual undertones in this song and how it points to our identity in Christ, while showing the confusion we experience navigating this world while still discovering who we are and who our Father is and what that means for us as children of the Light. She repeatedly sings/screams from the perspective of God to His child “you’re my flesh and blood”. The chorus represents Jesus’s words from the cross saying “I won’t repent from this”. All of it was done for us, so we could know who we are and be in right relationship with our Father. The bridge is what speaks to me the most:

You only want my heart when it's cold
But it burns when I hear my inflection in your voice
Don't you see all my soul matches yours?
When you stand in the truth of who you are

This song has been a consistent reminder to me of my identity as a daughter of the Most High God, who most days doesn’t realize the full weight of what that means. But in my darkest days when I wonder what my purpose is or how I can push through darkness, I remember these truths.

Levitate - Twenty One Pilots

The spiritual realm is somehow more apparent in the dark.  Which is why this song suggests sleeping in a well-lit room to not let the shadows through.  As someone who has struggled with poor mental health, I have always noticed my most anxious thoughts and spirals occur after the sun sets.  And in the fall, the sun continues to set earlier and earlier, leading to more existential moments.  This song has always spoken to me in the midst of that, letting me know that I’m not alone by describing my experience with darkness and the spiritual realm to a T and empowering me to fight it.

“Cowards only come through when the hour’s late and everyone’s asleep, mind you” - I’ve always interpreted this line as if its referring to demons and how they only seem to attack in the dark of night. “Cowards” is an apt term for them since they wouldn’t attack if they didn’t think you were a threat to their plans. Understanding your identity helps in knowing why these attacks happen and simultaneously helps you stay strong in the midst of it.

There’s also the main theme of using creativity as a means to process and cope with what’s going on inside your head. I find that when it’s dark at 5pm and there’s nothing to do but sit at home, finding something creative to do to channel that energy. You can learn to levitate with just a little help.

The fall doesn’t have to be scary. Despite how isolating it feels in the dark, you are not alone. You have a Heavenly Father who loves you and looks after you and who fights for you when you don’t see it. And to the darkness that threatens me every year: no, you cannot have my favorite season.