Keep Your Head Up – Ben Howard

There’s something quietly powerful about Keep Your Head Up —
as if it’s not just a song, but a mantra whispered from one part of you to another.
The part that’s weary, the part that’s been bruised, the part that still dares to hope.

“I spent my time watchin’ the spaces that have grown between us…”

That line lands differently when you’ve lost people —
whether by choice or by circumstance.
It echoes the silence left behind,
and the ache of distance that sometimes follows even your best attempts to stay close.

But this isn’t a song of defeat.
It’s a song of quiet resistance.
Of planting your feet even when you feel hollow.
Of finding something beautiful in the mess you never asked for.

“I saw a friend of mine the other day, and he told me that my eyes were gleamin’…”

There’s a warmth here — a recognition that healing doesn’t always look like victory.
Sometimes it just looks like still being here.
Still showing up.
Still loving yourself, even when it’s hard.

This track reminds me of what I’m trying to model —
not perfection, but presence.
Not endless positivity, but a grounded “I’m still with you” — to my inner child,
to my adult self, to anyone watching.

“Keep your head up, keep your heart strong…”

I hear that now as a message to myself when I’m wobbling.
Not a pressure to “be strong,”
but an invitation to remember I’ve survived everything so far.
And there’s gold in the places I’ve dug through the dark.

Reflection Prompt:
What helps you keep your head up when everything feels heavy? Can you name one thing that reminds you you’ve grown — even if it’s small?