With his third album, People Watching, Sam Fender has tackled a variety of subjects in his songwriting. He dives into everything from the struggles of everyday people to losing a loved one. In “Chin Up”, he sings about trying to stay optimistic as he moves through life.
“Chin Up” and the Cost of Living
Fender discussed “Chin Up” in an interview with Variety. In the interview, he contrasts his success over the last few years with the struggles many of his friends face, from addiction to finances.
“It’s about the sort of duality between their life and mine — my job’s a doss, really,” he explained. “So I suppose I’m sort of berating myself in the first half of it. There’s a little bit of self-loathing for feeling bad about anything, you know what I mean? You almost feel like you don’t have a right.”
“Chin Up” explores many of the themes heard throughout People Watching, especially those relating to the working class. The song opens with Fender waking up and facing the day feeling sorry for himself. He reflects on his own struggles and losses.
I’m rising up with the Sun
No time to victimize myself
Two steps, I’m walking to the rhythm of it
Sometimes it’s healthier to wallow in it
I’m cashing out on my loss
I’m going all in on a dead horse
Two steps, I’m walking to the rhythm of it
I feel the changes when I wallow in it.
As the verse continues, he compares himself to a child—specifically, a baby—and his own entitlement.
Entitled, idle and dumb
Twenty-eight, still sucking my thumb
Hard truths I’m dancing to the rhythm of it
Scarred youth, but now I’m actually going through it.
The second verse considers perspectives other than Fender’s own and addresses the cost-of-living crisis in the UK in particular, painting a vivid picture of the different ways it affects people and who it hurts the most.
My friends at home are in pain
Chucky debt, God, I hate cocaine
I keep moving to the rhythm of it
Can’t be responsible for everybody
The marred streets put fire in my bones
People turfed right out of their homes
Our Jackie navigates through the penury
He lost his job again in January
At night, she’s hearing him cry
Getting stains out his shirt and tie
The cold permeates the neonatal baby
Can’t heat the place for f*cking love nor money.
Photo by Matthew Baker/Getty Images