My choir teacher told me to promise I would listen to this tonight. I did. And it saved me for one more night. I stayed alive another night. Thank you.

@JakeRunestad

Жыл бұрын

I'm so glad you chose to stay. You are breath, you are life, you are beauty, you are light.

I sing this whenever my self hatred gets too intense to handle. The line "You are not a burden to anyone" always makes me cry because I'm slowly working on believing that.

@JakeRunestad

6 жыл бұрын

Keep singing, keep believing in yourself. You are NOT a burden.

@arielm1112

6 жыл бұрын

You're not a burden.

@pepesfrau

5 жыл бұрын

Hi Mercy. I just found this video and read your comment. I hope you are doing well. In French the meaning of the name Fae is: Fairy. Also a, meaning: Confidence; trust; belief. I pray you have found confidence, trust and belief in yourself.

@pastor-tom-sims

5 жыл бұрын

I am glad you are working at it. I hope that is still going well.

@Takastrapi

5 жыл бұрын

that is my favorite line in the whole piece, and I find myself thinking of it right when I need to.

We sang this for All-State choir last year and nothing has surpassed the sound and emotion of singing "You are light" while surrounded by 100 others doing the same. I almost couldn't hold my note it was so powerful...

@JakeRunestad

Жыл бұрын

@michellechap792

3 ай бұрын

That was so beautiful and powerful!

I stayed alive because of this song.

@sethmazzuco3716

3 жыл бұрын

So glad you’re still with us

@Yagirlhannah2004

3 жыл бұрын

@@sethmazzuco3716 i am to. Im still struggling but everything has gotten so much better for me. This song is a lifesaver ^_^

@MrTherauhster

3 жыл бұрын

@@Yagirlhannah2004 this made me cry today. You're not alone hannah. sending love and good vibes your way.

@Yagirlhannah2004

3 жыл бұрын

@@MrTherauhster thank you i relapsed and cut again on the 28th of feburary but i havent cut since. Im goin almost 2 months and now draw when i feel upset like that :) not proud of myself for cutting but im proud of myself for staying alive

@MrTherauhster

3 жыл бұрын

@@Yagirlhannah2004 anytime you feel like that, you can reply to this comment hannah and I promise to respond as fast as I can ♥️ know help will be there wherever you seek it

I wish this piece had been in my life when I could have used it to save others. However, I’m saving myself now, and that’s okay.

@JakeRunestad

6 жыл бұрын

You are loved. Stay.

@pastor-tom-sims

5 жыл бұрын

You have it now and you will be able to use it to help others who will come into your life.

"You are light." I burst into tears at that point. Was introduced to this song for the first time this past week. My choir has chosen to add this song and 'Let My Love Be Heard" to our repertoire this year and I'm so thrilled. Remembering all those who have passed on for reasons of suicide or just giving up. For those struggling or wanting to give it all up....Please stay. Thank you for this wonderful music!

@aprylcullenmusic

5 жыл бұрын

I always cry at that part. It's so powerful

@aprylcullenmusic

5 жыл бұрын

I always cry at that part. It's so powerful.

Ok. So the soloist made me cry actual tears, such a lyric soprano voice. So soothing and crystal clear. This piece is packed with so much emotion.

The chord on the word “life” is the most beautiful sound I have ever heard. Took my breath away

@savannahswan810

4 жыл бұрын

Michelle Trust “You are light” is a very powerful line. 💜

I get to meet Jake Runestad in a few days because I get to do a workshop with him with my choir! If I can I’m going to let him know that he’s my hero because this song saved my life.

@pastor-tom-sims

5 жыл бұрын

I am so glad you stayed .

This choir is unbelievable. I have to admit they are incredible. Every note is so clear. I actually sang this with my choir at the University of Akron. I just wanted to say this group is incredible.

Mr. Runestad. Thank you. This song will never leave me. I made an attempt on my life because I felt that no one was there. I wish that I had heard this beautiful song. This song is a perfect embodiment of hope and will keep being a beacon of light throughout the ages. This song has saved my life and will continue to save others in the future. Singing this will be one of the hardest things I'll ever do, but I feel this immediate need to tell as many people as I can that they are loved. Thank you... Thank you Mr. Runestad.

@JakeRunestad

6 жыл бұрын

Thank you for sharing your story, Sam. I so glad that you are able to share a message of hope through your life and your singing.

This hit me hard, especially the line about not being a burden, I often won’t talk to anyone for fear of being a burden... this is amazing

@JakeRunestad

6 жыл бұрын

You are not a burden. Hope is real and help is real.

Our choir has decided we will be performing this song for our Fall program this year. In the past month, we have lost 2 of our classmates to suicide. I cannot fathom how much this song has touched us and brought us together as a choir and as a single community. There was not a dry eye as we listened to this song, and remembered who they were and what they meant to us. We miss them more than ever, and they won't be forgotten thanks to you and the song that just seemed to find us in this time. It has made me feel like they are still here with us now, and I could have made them listen to this and convinced them that while they felt like they were the only people in the world, they were the world to someone else.. Your work is absolutely stunning, and I couldn't think of a better memorial for Nick and for Raistlin. May they rest in peace. This song means so much more to our school as we mourn now than it ever can, and it means that much more to me, as Nick was an old friend but a very important one. Thank you Mr. Runestad. Keep inspiring.

@JakeRunestad

7 жыл бұрын

I'm so sorry to hear about your classmates. Sending love to you and your community.

@allissamaddern1896

6 жыл бұрын

Just this past month my school too has had 2 suicides, one being a teacher's son. They were only in 8th and 9th grade. I plan on mentioning this song to my choir teacher.

@laceybyrd1452

6 жыл бұрын

My high school choir is also singing this song in our fall concert for suicide awareness. Our choir teacher asked us to look up this song and listen to it because she said it was so beautiful. I started crying. I'm so sorry for the lose at your school. Nothing, NOTHING, can replace a human life who has left us.... I'm so sorry

@foolishdonut

5 жыл бұрын

Our choir decided to sing this piece as well. We lost a friend not because of suicide but a heart attack. He had a bright future and was a genuine prodigy. His life was ended too short. When we sang this classmates had to leave the room. We have all been through hard times and this song reminds us that we are not alone. Thank you. God bless you and your wonderful music.

As a 14 year old with extremely severe depression and anxiety with suicidal thoughts just makes all this make me feel better. Friday a choir performed this at my school and I was crying the whole time

@JakeRunestad

6 жыл бұрын

Thank you for sharing your story -- I'm glad you continue to stay.

@obitwokenobi9808

2 жыл бұрын

Me too. Couldn't hold back my tears during this song.

@sageycakes22

2 жыл бұрын

@@obitwokenobi9808 exactly. Now I'm here, 18 years old. I still stayed ♡

@--_Nikita_--

2 жыл бұрын

@@sageycakes22 I'm so glad you made it. A funny coincidence. I'm a 14 year old with sever depression and anxiety with lots of suicidal thoughts. Tonight was my district's high school's spectacular show for show choir. The middle school grades all came to sing one song with them, and then watch the show. This was the last song they sang. Everyone the middle schooler section was crying. I balled my eyes out the entire time along with a few others. My sister looked at me the whole time while singing this. She was singing it to me. After it was over we hugged for at least 5 minutes. Neither one of us wanted to let go. I'll remember this for the rest of my life.

@sageycakes22

2 жыл бұрын

@@--_Nikita_-- use my story and many others as a sign dear, you can do it. You're stronger than you know. You'll make it♡

I sob every time I listen to this. Rehearsing it in choir is also a challenge. This hits so very close to home for me. Thank you, Mr. Runnestad for creating this beautiful piece.

@juliaroblin7382

4 жыл бұрын

My choir is doing it too. I cried the whole time we worked on it today. It's such an amazing piece but it really hits home

when we performed this in high school, anyone who had lost someone to suicide came down at the end and held up pictures of the person. beautiful song and beautiful memories

“Suicide does not get rid of your pain-it passes it on to everyone else” is a really horrible thing to say to anyone feeling despair. This song is beautiful and has helped me but hearing that line makes me feel even worse to the point that I have to stop the song.

#pentatonix needs to do this song.

@JakeRunestad

6 жыл бұрын

Agreed. :)

@kassiebazan5519

5 жыл бұрын

honestly

@gabbyleach7436

5 жыл бұрын

Yessss

@chuckpineda9199

4 жыл бұрын

DITTO, or any Vocal ensemble with a sensitivity and awareness to this unfathomable loss, a depth of soul & range, a passion for social justice & dynamic contrast, an integrity of self & pitch, countless sustained connections in breath & community, a beautiful kaleidoscope of empathy for all persons affected & timbre required to complete such a courageously demanding, accented text, while risking exposure! Overly dramatic? NAH! Already exemplified in this video by composer, ensemble, soloists, & conductor. Future ensembles (Pentatonix, Voces8, Roomful of Teeth, etc.) take note! Just a few reasons why 4.5K viewers selected thumbs up... DUH!!! Credited in the ensemble, but not formally announced, a "choral-director's-limbs-on-another-person", the VIRTUOSO on keyboard!

Hello. I am sining this song with my school chamber choir. Last year, my school lost a student to suicide. I have a friend who has tried to commit suicide multiple times. I helped him and he his doing better. Planning to share this to social media. Very inspiring song. Thank you!

@JakeRunestad

6 жыл бұрын

I'm so sorry for your loss and I'm glad you were able to help your friend. Keep spreading the light!

This song came too late for my son RYAN. He ended his life on his third attempt, the internal turmoil, the emotional pain was too much to bear. I can HONESTLY say that my brave brave boy, 25 years young, tried his damn hardest to keep loving for nearly 10 years. He had reasons to be depressed and anxious, he was being treated with therapy and medication, and special programs for mental illnesses, yet he did what he did because the daily pain was too much after so much effort on his part to improve his life and overall mental/emotional well-being, my poor boy. I so WISH I could’ve taken it all away so he could have now been here LIVING THE LIFE he wanted to really have. If you’re hurting and thinking of ending your life, PLEAE PLEASE, DONT, PLEASE STAY! Your family & those that DO CARE & LOVE YOU WANT YOU HERE!!! Talk to them PLEASE, go to therapy, take meds if necessary, ACCEPT the help you need to get better. Tomorrow is a new day and you’ll feel better. Thank you. Ryan’s Mom & Family - Dad David, sisters Natalie & Bella ❤

Magestic conducting at 2:50-3:01.. Too beautiful!

@pralisa371

5 жыл бұрын

Siviwe Njajula this is where I cried, in line ‚you are light‘ . so beautiful

@funkypants7297

4 жыл бұрын

I agree! The conductor is awesome! I'm so hyped to sing this

I am someone with depression. A good friend of mine showed this to me. It almost put me to tears. Her hand shook as she held mine while we listened. I have had depression for a long time. More than 3 years most likely. I have had thoughts of suicide for many of those months, and 3 weeks ago it was particularly strong. This song means a lot. I don't get to see my friend very often, and I'm more commonly alone then with someone. While ending my life sounds like such a beautiful thing, I don't think I will. I'm not living for me. If I did, I would have been gone a long time ago. I'm living for the friends that care. There aren't many that I know, but there are some. And I will live for them. Even if I don't know how to live for myself. This song does give me hope. Maybe people do care. More than I can see. I am very thankful for my amazing friend for putting up with me and showing this to me and I am thankful that this song has been made. If it can bring hope to me, I'm sure it gives hope to many more. I hope we can stay strong, stronger than me.

@JakeRunestad

6 жыл бұрын

Thank you for sharing your story. I am so glad that you have chosen to stay and continue to stay. You are strong and you are loved.

@arielm1112

6 жыл бұрын

You're so right- "Maybe people do care. More than I can see." People do care, much more than you can ever know. Thank you for sharing your story, Ornji. You are a valuable person. You are worthy of giving your love to this world and receiving the beautiful gifts of life. Life will change, you'll continue to evolve through challenges and joyful surprises, and you'll look back and be able to use the challenges you've faced to bless someone else. In the meantime, you are loved and cared for even by a complete stranger like me! Sending you all my love.

@tj_noir8813

6 жыл бұрын

Ariel M Thank you very much. This world is a hard one, but knowing people like you exist can give hope. I wish I knew more like you. Once again, thank you for

@tj_noir8813

6 жыл бұрын

Giving me such a kind comment

@lanethajeffersonm.ed.5868

5 жыл бұрын

Please stay!

This is absolutely STUNNING. It takes quite a bit for this stone cold queen to shed a tear during a piece. This did exactly that, it's so obvious to me that this was such a labor of love. From where some of the words were taken from to the lines and to the choralography. THIS is choral music in the world.

Listening to this song helps me process my grief, both as a survivor and as I continue to grieve the young lives I’ve lost to suicide 💙 thank you so much, Jake Runestad… your words help more than you can ever know.

A choir came to my high school and circled around the students (including me) and sang this song. I have depression and social anxiety and at that time I hadn’t told anyone that I was suffering. When the choir sang this song, I got this feeling in my chest and it felt magical. It felt like I was finally pulled away from all of the depressed thoughts and was able to breathe. I was finally being seen. A few months later, I told my doctor and I was quickly got a therapist who I saw weekly and was also given medication. The first few sessions I cried and my therapist said, during the last couple of meetings, that she saw a total 180. I am now more confident, working on my social anxiety, and found my true calling which is writing. If it wasn’t for this song, I would never be the person I am today.

@JakeRunestad

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for sharing this. I'm so glad that you found help and are getting better.

Just recently I had a mental war happening all day and I had been breaking down an crying for no reasons and then I started to remember all of my loved ones who killed them self’s because of mental health. And I sadly started cutting my legs again. Where I know no one would see it. I almost took my life because I couldn’t deal with the pain and suffering that I’m constantly going through. I didn’t do it because my best friend had texted me. Just to check up on me at 3AM. I was crying and I called him. And he talked me out of it and told me that I wasn’t a burden even though I felt like I was. And this song is such a beautiful composure. Thank you so much.

@JakeRunestad

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you for sharing your story. You ARE breath, life, beauty, and light.

The soloist is so full of emotion with her control over her vibrato. Very touching voice.

Every time I listen to this, I cry. Wish it were a more popular song. Your story is not over, you're not a burden to anyone. 💖

Mr. Runestad, I swear I've listened to this on repeat for the past 3 months. So, so stunning. I wish to be a choral music educator in the future, and this totally reminded me why I wanted to do so. Music is supposed to bring us together and it definitely can make a large impact on someone's life without them truly realizing it. I think you totally achieved that. By far my favorite composition. You truly inspire me. Thank you for being such an amazing composer.

@JakeRunestad

6 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much, Caitlin. I wish you the best as you follow your passion!

I just finished All State Choir in Montana. We sang this song. It was an absolute honor to meet Jake Runestad and perform it for him. It was an amazing and emotional experience that I will always remember. Thank you Jake💓

Bro, I had a choir concert last week at school and the vocal choir sung this song & everyone was crying, this song reminded me of my cousin, he committed suicide In 2015, this song hit everyone like a truck, I miss my cousin so much😢😭☹️

This is the only song that has made me fight back tears while singing. We sang this for the Montana All-State Music Festival this last October and Jake Runestad was going to fly in from Salt Lake to teach us his music. Unfortunately, his flight was canceled and there was no flight he could take to make it in time. He could have just accepted it but instead, he decided to be a mad man and drive all the way from Salt Lake to Great Falls just to make our performance sound great. It really shows how much he cares and how dedicated he is, learning how to sing a piece from the composer is always cool but Jake was so much more incredible and he made All-State unforgettable for me. Thank you!

I met Jake Runestad in 2018 region honor choir for coastal California region. the music he composes is so nice and refreshing it makes me feel piece. Especially, the piano when it sounds like its own solo behind the the choir and how the choir becomes the accompany.

@tylerwoods4120

4 жыл бұрын

And I'm singing this song in the bakersfield college this concert

I went through such a difficult year, being a composer myself, this piece makes me realize the importance of my music. If i didn't open up and talk to someone than i would have also been part of the statistic. Thank you very much for this piece of music, i really appreciate the reminder.

@JakeRunestad

6 жыл бұрын

Thank you for sharing your story and for staying. You and your art are SO important.

My high school choir is singing this song. Everyone was so entranced in the song when we first heard it. Most people were almost brought to tears. Even our music director admitted he cried when he first saw this performed. He said it impacted him so much because he thought of us and all his students. In all honesty it hit home for me. Ever since last year I have been falling deeper into depression and close to making an attempt. While in class singing this it’s never hit me hard because we are just learning it and there isn’t much emotion put into yet. We haven’t done any of the spoken lines and that’s what hit me hard while watching this video. I’m crying right now.. I think I might ask for help finally.

@JakeRunestad

6 жыл бұрын

Ronicia -- I'm so glad you are singing this piece and appreciate you sharing your story. It can seem really, really difficult to move beyond what you're feeling but it IS possible and there are people that want to support you! I hope you do seek help -- it's a sign of strength to do so. Sending lots of love. Here's a great resource: suicidepreventionlifeline.org/talk-to-someone-now/

i can usually hold it together until they all start holding hands... and then i start crying. because community was honestly what saved me when i so deep in depression this past year. if i hadn’t been in school, i really don’t know what would have happened to me.

A story of how this song was too good to perform: I was in an advanced choir in High School, you had to audition and there were about twice the number of performances. We performed with Eastern Michigan University in February 2019 and they did this piece and for the last part of it they spread through the whole church where we were performing, down the rows etc. Most of the choir was crying during it, so many of us either knew someone who had attempted suicide, been close to that point, or had been that person. The next school year our choir director proposed doing the song but knowing the obvious weight of the subject matter offered up that in any way after the hour ended to contact her if it would be too much to do emotionally. We never spoke about doing the song again. It is that powerful of a song.

When i was 17 our choir got to go to a college concert. I had a plan to end my life that night. They sang this song and it was like a sign from god. Now im 22 happier than ever.

so my choir teacher showed it to the girls choir and we just were dead silent it pulled us in to listen. This piece of music is strong. it made me want to cry.

I sang this my junior year in choir in high school. At the end, we did what they did in this video, joining hands. I was still on the risers so I could see the audience. I didn’t realize that magnitude of what I was doing until I looked out into the audience and saw people crying, and it hit me how important singing this was. That will always be my favorite choir memory.

My school choir sang this. I was moved to tears. Whoever see this, you are loved. Just be you. You’re NOT alone. Have a good day.❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

My choir teacher showed this to us the day after suicide prevention day, it was stunning. We have upwards towards 80 people in the A Capella choir at my school, and never have I heard a room so silent. In that moment, we weren’t seniors and juniors, bass and tenor, or alto and soprano; we were a family. It was truly one of the most eye-opening experiences I’ve ever had in choir. Beautiful song. I’m absolutely sure this performance has changed lives.

I wish I had found this piece in 2021, I was at the lowest point in my life, and there wasn't hope for me. I'm not still here because I found a reason to continue, I'm here because God decided that I needed to still be. I attempted twice, and both times they failed by chance. I got the help I needed, but the shame I feel I still battle with. This song so perfectly encapulates how I feel. Thank you so much for writing this

@JakeRunestad

Жыл бұрын

I'm so glad you're here with us and sharing your story. You are breath, you are beauty, you are light.

@holdeenyo8914

Жыл бұрын

@@JakeRunestad Thank you so much for your kind words

Mr. Runestad you are a GENIUS. Each of your compositions bring me to tears through how rich and thorough they are, not just through musical structure but through lyrics. You never fail to make powerful pieces. Thank you for bringing people together and giving people hope. Never stop creating.

I sang in this song and I go back and watch, every time it brings me to tears. As someone who suffers from anxiety which has brought me to horrible thoughts it's nice to hear this when I need to. Thank you, Jake Runestad, for writing this to help everyone who also needs this said to them. I'm so fortunate to have been able to work with you with the Capital University Chapel Choir. You have no idea how much this song means to me.

I first heard this song at one of my highschool concerts about 5 years ago. A student had committed suicide that year which is why they sang this song. I didn't know him, but several people in the honor choir did. Despite having sang the song several times before, most of the choir members cried on stage. I remember sitting on a railing in the back and this song felt like a deep stab to my soul, like it was ripped open. Like I was bleeding out, yet no blood was there. Like I would open my mouth and no words would come out. That was during a very rough period in my life where suicide was on my mind nearly every day. I searched up this song and found this video. Since then, it has made me cry alone while stopping me from commiting suicide more times than I will ever admit to anyone. This is the very first video on what is now a nearly 40 song playlist that I listen to whenever it comes back. And after all this time, I am still here. Thank you so very much.

Our high school choir sang this song last night. The kids who spoke the words had a personal experience with suicide. So glad many of them were there last night to share why they stayed. And my heard breaks for those who couldn’t stay and were not there to hear this song.

2:40 - 3:10 . Those have to be the most touching lyrics I’ve ever heard in any song. Thank you, Jake Runestad. This song has helped me cope partially with my depression.

I have BPD, GAD and Depression. This song has saved me numerous times -- including tonight. Thank you.

Learned this song in choir in 2022 and I still come back to it. We weren’t able to perform it and it felt like a dagger hitting my heart because this song meant so much to me and others I know. This song is beautiful and having to had studied the words and worked on singing it, it’s not hard to put your feelings into it but it’s so hard to keep yourself together the more you feel the lyrics… I’ll never forget this song

i've probably watched this over 20 times now and every single time it has the same effect. we're singing this at davidson high school and performed last week it at our fall concert. a student very recently took his life in the past month which gave it even more power. mental health shouldn't be something we're ashamed of and it should be talked about!! no matter how many times we sing this or i listen to it, i get chills. Thank you mr. runestad. truly. such an amazing piece and hearing how positively everyone was impacted by it just makes it that much more worth it.

@JakeRunestad

6 жыл бұрын

I'm so sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing your story and giving voice to this message!

Brother, you are invited to jump right in and be the Blessing! we all knew was in you...all along....those Cloud of Witnesses ...your Mom and Dad are rejoicing, and you don't have to be 2:11 ! Blessings!

I am crying in class right now. I guess I didn't realize how much I needed to hear this until right now. I will stay if it means that one day I can help others the way this song has helped me in this moment

The Chamber Choir i’m in at my school and I are performing this piece in march. I am really looking forward to singing this! The impact this song has is amazing, and I can’t wait for us to share it with the world. Thank you for this amazingness

Tears everytime I listen, can't wait to sign this Sat March 23 in Duluth, MN

I just heard this piece at the season closer for The Orpheus Choir of Toronto (Robert Cooper) as the concert was called "Sound Mind" and this song moved me deeply. I have suffered with ADHD and various degrees of depression, however "choral music" has always been my therapy having sung in some of North America's many professional choirs. I love the words in this piece, and the concluding messages of hope and reflection are amazing and speak to the "day to day struggle" that having mental health issues daily attacks one's self-esteem, however this choral piece provides hope! BRAVO Jake Bunestad!!

Well here I am on the floor crying in the bathroom at my work. I’ve been overworked for the last five months and had no energy to cry and this finally let me get it out

the choir at the school i went to performed this and it was probably the most impactful moment i’ve ever had with music. i’ve suffered my whole life with depression and hearing this song broke me to tears. anyone reading this who is having a hard time, please, stay.

Today was one of those days where I needed a Jake Runestad fix (they come around every so often ever since I had the privilege of performing The Peace of Wild Things many years ago). Anyway, I listened again to The Peace of Wild Things, A Silence Haunts Me, Please Stay and Let My Love Be Heard. As usual, I smiled and cried and felt settled deep in my soul.

We sang this at our concert in memorial of a friend who died of a heart attack and by the end of the concert everyone on stage was in tears. Rip David

I finally managed to get into Allstate where I am and this is one of the pieces they picked this year. I’ve been really struggling and finally got some help for it, and seeing this is one of the songs they’ve picked made me tear up a bit. It really is special

I watched the University of Michigan’s Men’s Gee Club perform this as well as other pieces all related to mental health. I didn’t cry at the show, but when my choir teacher played it in class I couldn’t contain my tears.

An update: I just found out that one of my cousins took her own life by overdose last night. :'( Singing this song will be difficult but also much more meaningful. So sad.. I wish she could have heard this song. When we perform it in public for the first time, I will be dedicating it to her memory.

@JakeRunestad

7 жыл бұрын

I'm so, so sorry for your loss.

@guibox3

7 жыл бұрын

Thank you, Mr. Runestad. I had a good chat with my junior high class this morning and I played them this song as well. If I can get one of them to think about it or be a help for someone who might be contemplating suicide, then at least something good came from my family's sorrow.

@MinaBellonaAckerman

2 жыл бұрын

I'm so sorry for your lost.

my choir class watched this today in class for our suicide awareness week at school, and it made the whole class start crying. our accompanist had lost her cousin to suicide last night. this song really means a lot to people, thank you for making this.

This struck something in me I didn’t know I was feeling. I’m very grateful for this piece.

Gosh my chamber choir is singing this for our next concert.. idk how I’m not going to cry while singing.. 😭

My choir is singing this piece in our spring concert and when I listen to this piece, I can't help but to cry. I have suffered from depression for 10 years. It has worsen over the past few years and I had almost made attempts multiple times. I have gotten better, but I still suffer and this song keeps reminding me that I can go on. I am very happy and grateful to sing this song in our choir because it may be difficult, but we can get through it. Stay strong and as the song says, "Please Stay."

This. This is truth in the purest state. My school district is dealing with a very sudden and tragic loss of a classmate. He seemed like the happiest person in the world, overcoming obstacles each day. The beauty of music is it's ability to find the people who need it most. As the Music Program prepares to deal with this, I believe that this is the message that should be spread. Please stay.

@JakeRunestad

6 жыл бұрын

I'm so sorry for your loss -- I'm hoping for peace for you and your community.

I have a friend who is going through mental struggles with this right now. I thought back to this song, which we sang almost 2 years ago exactly today. This song helped so much- for her, but also for me, giving me relief and hope. Thank you.

@JakeRunestad

4 жыл бұрын

I'm so glad you find meaning in these words and this music.

God bless this song. ❤️ Wish this was on Spotify.

I lost my brother to suicide. I nearly lost my sister. I came very close to losing my daughter within the past 12 months. This piece is one of the most stunning works of art I have ever experienced. As someone who has had suicide touch his life, I can tell you that this piece of music is REAL. There are moments in your life where something inside you has changed - even if just a little. Mr. Runestead, this piece which I just listened to for the first time, was a life changing moment. Thank you for this gift to the world and I cannot wait to share it with my HS choir.

@JakeRunestad

4 жыл бұрын

I'm so sorry for the losses you've had, and I really appreciate you sharing your story. Thank you for wanting to bring this message of hope to your community.

Poignant and beautiful. Thank you Jake Runestad and Dr Lynda Hasseler

We watched this in choir today. Because we are doing it for our next concert. When they say “your not a burden” that’s when I started tearing up.

my choir is performing this piece this week and i’m so thrilled.

We actually had the honor of Mr. Runestad coming to our school and doing a workshop with us on some of our songs such as Let My Love Be Heard, Climb, and Please Stay. I’m so honored he actually came to us and helped us. We performed this piece last night and there was no dry eye in the audience. Thank you Mr. Runestad for everything!

Our community chorus performed this 2 years ago at my urging. I have lost close people and I work in suicide prevention and in the support of schools, organizations and people after a suicide loss. Hope is real, Help is real. our role as caring concerned folks is to help people see beyond the pain of this moment ; to reach the next chapter. Just Stay, We lost singers because the song was too raw and painful. In that pain lie the seeds of hope. Gotta feel the pain to offer hope to others. Greg Marley in Maine.

I'm performing this piece at my zone Honor Choir and every single time I hear "you are breath" I get chills

The line "you are light" makes me cry every time

What a fantastic choir, and a fantastic solo... so well projected and supported

My best friend committed suicide in December, I wish he could have heard this before then. I’ve struggled with depression since then and I know it has helped me so much. You were my clinician for the Florida all state choir this year, it was really special to meet you. Keep doing what you’re doing, it doesn’t go unappreciated.

This is my anthem. This choral piece will forever be my nagical spell to cast out all the monsters in me. Words and magic were in the beginning one with the music.

This song is so incredibly powerful. We are singing this song in choir right now- the first time we finished, the room was silent for at least a full minute. We all know people who have dealt with this problem, and one person out of those is my good friend. After choir she came up to me and just hugged her for a while. This song has power. Thank you.

@mriley7110

5 жыл бұрын

My choir is too, we watched this video first and the same thing happened everyone was silent. This song has a powerful message.

Thank you for the song... Soul reviving indeed 😇😇😇

I always come back to this, in February the young adult choir preformed this for HPS at Carnegie hall. I come back to this to relive the memories of crying in the audience with best people i have ever preformed with

After losing two of our own students to suicide our choir teacher decided it was best to use this song a tribute to them, and as for someone like me who has also been in and out of hospitals for the same reason this song touches my heart in a way no other song has. Like they said "It's okay to be a work in progress"

@teresakucera5779

3 жыл бұрын

Progress not perfection.....🗝️

This song could help thousands of people. Please stay for another day, for another week, for another month, for another year, till your story comes to an end.

A great song, our highschool choir is singing it for our winter concert and its great

I'm still so blessed that I got to be at this performance in person as well as perform songs of yours with the college. The lyrics of this song have stuck in the back of my mind since this day and I will never forget the message that it teaches people. Thank you Mr. Runestad for coming to this event for the day and giving, not just me, but all of the other high schoolers and college students the opportunity to perform your amazing music and hear your story.

@JakeRunestad

7 жыл бұрын

Thank you for your kind words and for being part of that special day! Keep singing and being a light with messages of love and hope.

I wish I had the chance to say Please Stay to my son.

So many voices are heard here. This song is powerful, and it continues to help me.

I happened upon this song, this performance. I so needed to hear these words.

My school’s choir sang this for our spring concert a few days ago. I’m someone who has been stuggling the past few years and hearing this made me shed a tear, this is such a beautiful piece

Update: I got the first solo, and we won FIRST in competition with it! I am so thankful for you writing this song. It is so powerful and needed and it is so freaking thought provoking. I had people that I didn’t even know coming up and thanking my director for having us perform this. It was so emotional and we all have you to thank. We sang it for a school that just lost one of their students to suicide and the emotions I could feel in the room from those students was so raw. So thank you so much.

I love how the choir came forward, it made the number so personal!

My choir was going to perform it for contest at the beginning of April but then Corona happened. Mr. Runestad, you have a way with words and musical texture that moves the soul and leaves people changed. You’ve got a fan in me and in my students and school administrators

Thank you for making music that helps people like me who maybe feel thoughts of self-harm or thoughts of ending their life ftoo feel less alone

We listen to this song in choir td i was holding back tears, I lost my uncle a few years ago and yesterday was his b-day.

@JakeRunestad

7 ай бұрын

I’m so sorry for your loss. ❤

One of my really good friends sent this to me & I’m really glad she did 😌 I really needed to see this tbh

My friend who is in choir at our school sent this to me. It hits hard. I never tell people I'm upset or why because I don't want to make them upset.

My high school chamber choir is doing this piece for our spring and tour set, and many of our singers have been affected by suicide in some form throughout their lives; whether it be themselves attempting or a family member or friend who have "succeeded". The first time we all heard this song, one of my friends, who lost two of her family members to suicide, was choking back tears. I myself, having lost family member that way, was having a hard time keeping back my tears as we sat in the middle of class watching this exact video. I knew right then that we had to do it, for all of the people we've lost. For all the people who have attempted or contemplated. This song truly has made a way for us to express our love for the people we've lost. So thank you, Jake Runestad, for creating a piece to truly bring peace to us all. My classmates and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts.