The Story Behind the Song
The Daily Remix
Life doesn’t come with a consistent difficulty setting.
Some mornings, you wake up ready to tackle anything. Other mornings, the weight sits heavy before your feet hit the floor. And the trick isn’t having the perfect strategy—it’s knowing when to adjust the blend.
“Some Days” came from a stupid joke I made to myself one particularly rough morning: “Some days it’s a tot of whiskey in my coffee. Other days it’s a tot of coffee in my whiskey.”
It made me laugh. Then it made me think. That’s actually the whole philosophy right there.
The Metaphor That Stuck
The coffee/whiskey line became the spine of the entire song because it works on multiple levels:
Literally—we all have our rituals, our ways of facing the day. Sometimes you need the kick of caffeine. Sometimes you need to take the edge off.
Symbolically, it’s about adaptation. Flexibility. Recognising that what worked yesterday might not work today, and that’s okay.
“Woke up this morning, sun’s breaking through / Got my old mug ready, got some work to do / Some days it’s a tot of whiskey in my coffee / Other days it’s a tot of coffee in my whiskey.”
No judgment. No shame. Just an honest acknowledgment that we’re all mixing our own blend to get through.
Building the Sound
Musically, I wanted this upbeat—120-130 BPM, movement-inducing, the kind of song that makes you nod your head even if you’re going through it.
Banjo and acoustic guitar open it with folk-rock warmth. Djembe and South African percussion drive the rhythm. The vibe needed to feel light despite addressing real struggle—because sometimes joy is an act of resistance.
The Zulu became the counter-melody in the chorus: “Shintsha indlela, shintsha indlela / Siyaqhubeka, siyaqhubeka” (Change the way, change the way / We keep going, we keep going).
That’s the whole message. Change your approach when the approach isn’t working. But keep going.
The Rap Reality Check
The rap section brings the dirty south swagger but keeps it encouraging:
“Some mornings hit different, feel that weight on your chest / But you lace up them boots, put your grit to the test / Whiskey courage or coffee clarity, pick your position / Life’s a remix, baby, make your own composition.”
I love that line—life’s a remix. You’re the DJ. Adjust the ratio when the ratio’s off. Take a sip, take a breath, shake that burden off.
“Today might be heavy, tomorrow might shine / But right now, right here, we’re doing just fine—uh!”
The Bridge as Permission
The bridge strips down to just the struggle and the hope:
“When the day weighs down / Namuhla nzima, namuhla nzima” (Today is heavy, today is heavy)
“We’ll turn it around / Kusasa kuyeza, kusasa kuyeza” (Tomorrow is coming, tomorrow is coming)
“Find strength somehow / Ngizolilungisa, ngizolilungisa” (I will make it right, I will make it right)
That Zulu phrase—”Ngizolilungisa”—hits different. It’s a promise to yourself. I will fix this. I will adjust. I will find my way.
What It Means Now
This song has become my reminder that strength isn’t just pushing through with the same strategy regardless of circumstances. Sometimes strength is recognising when you need to pivot.
Adjust the pour. Change how you face it. Mix it up. No shame in that.
I’ve played this for people going through rough patches and watched their shoulders drop. Like, they got permission to not have it all figured out. Permission to adapt rather than just endure.
The Universal Thread
We’re all out here making our own composition. Some days need more fire to face. Other days, you ease back and find grace.
The people who act like they have the one perfect strategy for everything? They’re either lying or they haven’t lived enough yet.
“Ain’t no shame in switching up the blend / Whatever gets you through until the end / Strong or smooth, it’s all the same fight / Just gotta find your balance, make it right.”
That’s it. That’s the whole philosophy.
You’re gonna make it. Maybe not the way you planned. Maybe not with the strategy you started with. But you’re gonna make it.
Some days. One remix at a time.
Listen to “Some Days” and adjust your pour.
From the album Ancient Roads
