Solid Ground Lyrics - Michael Kiwanuka

Song Facts:

• Genre: Soul, Folk


• Featured Artists: None


• Lyricists: Michael Kiwanuka


• Composers: Michael Kiwanuka


• Soundtrack: Featured in the soundtrack of "Beautiful Game."

Annotations and Meaning:

"Solid Ground" by Michael Kiwanuka is soulful, pensive, and tuneful with Kiwanuka's musing on dealing with uncertainty and feelings of being isolated, looking for some kind of stability and understanding. Inevitably, the artist features the kind of nature which is contemplative and boasts minimalistic arrangement of song lyrics.

The poem sets the early tone with the opening lines, "How does it feel when it's quiet and calm? And will I be denied? The song actually questions feelings linked to loneliness and worry of being refused or saying "no," and could often be a translation of doubts about being accepted in life—personal, social, or professional.

The term "Solid ground" is repeated as a relative with a key symbol to hold onto desire and change. It repeats the same pattern for longing for some type of stability or sureness within instability or chaos. The motif can ring throughout the song, comparable with a child's wanting a sure foundation—normally just out of reach—either literally, emotionally, physically, or spiritually.

Kiwanuka sings, "Mother says kneel and pray, When it gets hard, I will roll those sleeves, Life can be so unkind,", following in her mother's lyrics of fortitude and coping that date for generations. The advice reaches down to the idea of kneeling and praying, introducing the aspect: spiritualism and how faith and hard work are the answer to life's challenges.

The first verse, "I'm on my knees today," followed by "When it gets dark, I will know no fear," and "Life can be so unkind," are speaking of the problems that one has to go through and how one should take the problems without feeling intimidated. This portrays a odyssey from frailty to strength, marking growth in life and the struggle to rise above hardship.