Lyrics & Story Behind Song #15: “We All Belong”
“Where do I belong? What do I belong to? What belongs to me?
Like a million notes in a symphony that’s echoed through eternity—
You…and you…and you…and me—we’re all one song. We all belong.”
American Psychologist Abraham Maslow ranked "belonging" as third on the hierarchy of basic human needs. First came food and shelter. Next came security. Third was love and belonging. Maslow called belonging a “social” need (gotten from others). Yet I believe our lifelong search for belonging is, at its deepest level, an inner search. When we remember our connection with all life we reclaim our unshakable, inner sense of belonging.
In her book Anatomy of the Spirit, Caroline Myss describes human growth as an ever-expanding spiral. As infants, our circle of awareness is small. We “belong” to family. As we age, our circle expands outward to include friends, school, church, country, community, professional associations, etc. All these “belongings” are outer associations. The real turning point comes when our umbrella gets big enough to include everything. Suddenly we realize belonging, at its highest level, has nothing to do with how well we fit into one group as separate from another. The consciousness of true belonging isn’t about exclusive memberships. It’s about dissolving any illusion of separation. In the words of William Blake, remembering you are one with all life happens as you begin to “see a world in a grain of sand, and heaven in a wild flower; hold eternity in the palm of your hand, and eternity in an hour.”
I spent my early life believing I was the “black sheep” in my family. I was sure I was flawed and didn’t belong. Throughout my early life I struggled to “fit in” or “find my tribe”. The more I wrestled with this belief that I was “separate”, the deeper I went down the separation rabbit hole. In my 50s I was invited to participate in creating a women’s program exploring belonging. Women from many generations, religions and walks of life explored where we felt we did or didn’t belong. I realized climbing out of the separation rabbit hole required dissolving humanity’s shared belief that separation is real or possible.
My song “We All Belong” was my attempt to put that awareness into words. Verse one begins with the questions I asked as a child. These questions only exist from the viewpoint of belief in separation. “Where do I belong?” “Does anyone or anything belong to me?” As the verse continues, the lyric invites us to step back for a broader, more inclusive look. Verse one ends with the image of a million threads interwoven into a tapestry. That image symbolizes the awareness that, not only do we all belong, our endless differences enrich and enhance the whole.
In my lifetime I have identified with lots of “small” belongings. Each had their own joys, sorrows and lessons. I had a husband who "completed" me. My in-laws were a family whose door was always open. I belonged to welcoming churches and inspirational communities. I took pride in working for organizations that made a difference. I believed in American ideals to the point where my eyes filled with patriotic tears when I stood for our national anthem. Some would say that all of these small belongings were important. I agree. They were and they are. Yet, none of these “group” affiliations based on separation thinking satisfied my soul-deep search for true belonging. It was only when I recognized my place in “all life”, that the illusion “I don’t belong” dissolved.
Rumi, a 13th century Persian mystic, wrote, “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field. I’ll meet you there.” From the perspective of the unified field, separation is impossible. In that state of awareness we share a space of infinite peace, joy and belonging. In that space we are simply all one song. There is only oneness. We all belong.
Lyrics: We All Belong
Verse 1: Where do I belong?...What do I belong to?...What belongs to me?
When the rhythm’s “wrong”, what can I do to bring back harmony?
Open your eyes. Open your mind, with a grateful heart.
You will see the web of life and how to play your part.
Chorus: There’s a place where we all belong. We were called to life by LOVE.
There’s a point where a picture forms if you step back far enough.
Like a million threads in a tapestry of interwoven destinies—
You… and you… and you…and me—we all belong.
You… and you… and you…and me—we all belong.
You… and you… and you…and me—we all belong.
Verse 2: Ripples from a stone, spread across a pool to reach the farthest shore.
Every single thought, every single word, actions even more—
Leave their tiny marks (be they light or dark). No one walks alone.
Each of us must make our way as we walk each other home.
Chorus: There’s a truth that includes us all when judgment fades away.
There’s a love deep in every heart nothing can betray.
Like a million notes in a symphony that’s echoed through eternity—
You…and you…and you…and me— we’re all one song.
You…and you…and you…and me— we all belong
You…and you…and you…and me— we all belong.
© June 2007 Ann S. Bugh