Pride Month Music 04-dark times by Ben Platt
Sunday, June 22, 2025
Happy Pride Month! 🌈🏳️🌈
As we approach the end of Pride Month, I’m creating lettering pieces celebrating music related to LGBTQIA+ community. My goal is to expose people to good music and artists while also help bringing the community filled with diversity together, since music is like a universal language that can touch anyone’s heart.
“dark times” by Ben Platt is the song I wish my younger self could have listened to. It would have spared me much pain and misery as I was growing up.
Just the thought that my future self would smile at me and cheer me on, rather than berate me as miserable piece of shit who does not deserve love or even exist, would have made my life feel more worth living. Hell, even the idea that the future of me actually does exist at all would have been a blessing back then.
Just the thought that my future self would smile at me and cheer me on, rather than berate me as a miserable piece of shit who does not deserve love or even to exist, would have made my life feel more worth living. Hell, even the idea that the future version of me actually exists would have been a blessing back then.
That’s how much bleakness I experienced when I was a child. I was filled with self-doubt, self-loathing, and self-destructive thoughts during my identity crisis and constantly questioning my own worth of existence.
I constantly imagined the world swallowing me whole, believing that it’d be okay because everyone would be better off without me.
Actually, no, I was contemplating how much better off it would be if I could take away the parts of myself that didn’t conform to societal norms. I imagined how much
life would be easier for both myself and those around me, if I were not who I am. I believed the reason life was so hard to bear was because of my own identity.
I felt like a source of darkness, a mistake that would bring suffering to myself and everyone else—like a black hole swallowing up everyone and everything around me.
But, the truth is, as the song says, you only see the light shine in dark times.
And that light keeps carrying me through life, even during moments when I couldn’t bring myself to see it.
So, here I am today, smiling at my younger selves and cheering each of them on. I also know that all my future selves will do the same.
Tough times don’t last, but tough people do. I am now tough and brave enough to trust that light will shine upon me through both good and bad times.
Life is worth living, so I’m determined to live it fully, no matter what.
For the lettering, I use galaxy as the backdrop, with “dark times” depicted as stars that shine the light of hope. My favorite lyrics, “Tough times don’t last, tough people do,” convey the idea that this thought will help you see hope and continue persevering through dark times.
dark times by Ben Platt
13 is hard enough
So busy growing up
Now, you're sitting
on a secret no one knows
You see him after school
He barely
looks at you
'Cause you're both afraid that people might
suppose
I'll see you in the mirror when you're older
For now, just keep
your head up on your shoulders
Life goes too fast
Heart breaks in two
Tough times don't
last
Tough people do
So, wipe those tears from your crying
eyes
'Cause you only see the light shine in dark times
18, you fall in love
You think you found the one
And he
calls you up to say there's someonе else
Feels like thе world's in
flames
You give yourself the blame
'Cause the landing wasn't
worth how hard you fell
I'll see you in the mirror when you're older
For now, just keep
your head up on your shoulders
Life goes too fast
Heart breaks in two
Tough times don't
last
Tough people do
So, wipe those tears from your crying
eyes
'Cause you only see the light shine in dark times
Oh-oh, in dark times
Oh-oh-oh, in dark times
We're 27 now
Don't have it figured out
But, at least, no
one can say we haven't grown
Scars turn to memories
They keep
us company
But it's nice to know we're not in this alone
Life goes too fast
Heart breaks in two
Tough times don't
last
Tough people do
So, wipe those tears from your crying
eyes
'Cause you only see the light shine
You only see the
light shine in dark times