What if you believe that the grass could grow/
Up through the snow, it’s possible.

In “Try”, Lisa Loeb contrasts herself with a friend who has a pessimistic viewpoint on life. Some might call it “realistic”, but Loeb says that if you just try to change your attitude, things could possibly be better. What is the worse thing that could happen? She thinks that you’ll find that you can accomplish a lot more if you only try.

Try is a great song about the benefits of taking the optimistic view on life. Perhaps we could all use a reminder to try to put things in perspective: like she says, most of our problems are little things. It is not like our dreams are shattered. Loeb always seemed like she has a very upbeat attitude and this song is a great representation of her personality.  This song is very on-brand.

As “Try” begins, Loeb uses a piano instead of her patented acoustic guitar. That is a wise choice. It helps to hear the song differently. The introductory chords sound like they are about to bring an important message. Overall, the lyrics in the song are very strong. They are much more straightforward than in much of her other work. Also, this is a fairly unique concept for a song. There are multiple good lines. Her voice sounds pretty like it always does. There is a lot going for  Lisa Loeb’s “Try”.

Try Lyrics

What’s the difference between you and me?
To me it’s kind of small.to you it’s like prison;
What’s the difference between you and me?
To me it almost happens, to you it almost isn’t.

How did you become so sure?

Your girlfriend never smiles, no one ever calls.
You begin to wonder if they were your friends at all.
You frown, you take a look around,
You shout, “this’ll never get better”.
But the doubt that you grow
In your field is sprouting,
Turning your field into a deeper valley.

You’d find
(I know you’ll find)
The mountains aren’t so high,
(The mountains aren’t so high)
If you’d only try,
To do better.

It’s 9:33 and the traffic, at the stoplight
Somebody hits you, nothing ever goes right
In the gridlock, nothing ever goes right.
But it’s just a little scratch, not a permanent scar,
It’s just a tiny dent, you don’t need a new car.
It’s just a little mess, your dreams aren’t shattered,
You climb up while I hold the ladder.

You’d find
(I know you’ll find)
The mountains aren’t so high,
(The mountains aren’t so high)
How many times I’ve tried.
How many time I’ve missed and I’ve tried
How many times I’ve tried,
How many time I’ve missed and I’ve tried
When everything’s so difficult, I feel so low.
But I find a better view on the other side of the window.
So that’s the difference between you and me.
What if you believe that the grass could grow
Up through the snow, it’s possible.

You’d find
(I know you’ll find)
The mountains aren’t so high,
(The mountains aren’t so high)
If you’d only try,
To do better than get by.
You’d find
(I know you’ll find)
The mountains aren’t so high,
(The mountains aren’t so high)
If you’d only try,
To do better you’d find
The mountains aren’t so high.
(The mountains aren’t so high)
If you’d only try
To do better than get by
To do better than get by

Songwriters: Lisa A. Loeb