Break My Stride

I think the first verse is really his thoughts on the relationship

He does something extraordinary for their relationship

"I sailed away to China In a little row boat to find ya"

The the other party (be it his girlfreind or the record industry) puts something trivial in the way

"And you said you had to get your laundry cleaned"

The song is about the guy's girlfriend breaking up with him. She makes a clean break from him and moves on nicely. He then does the same thing. The chorus applies to her at first, and then later to him. Even though it's about breaking up, it has a very positive message -- for both characters. Plus it's just so freaking catchy. :)

This song was described as "a gift to myself" by Matthew Wilder in an interview with People Magazine. How he never had any support in the music industry and was turned away by everything. I think this song was a big confidence booster for Wilder to continue taking on the music world during the roughest of times. Little did he know that it would become a very successful single and a very catchy tune that a lot of people would associate with the 1980s in the decades to come.

This is definitely a break-up song. The song is a bit misleading, if only because the chorus is not told from the perspective of the singer, but that of the person he is leaving.

He put an incredible effort into wanting to be with her, and she felt even trivial things were important to do. She didn’t want to be tied down in a relationship that would distract from her ambition.

Her early life was rough - probably poor - but then it got better and she was feeling good about herself. However, the singer drew her focus away from her ambitions, which scared her that she would end up back where she started.

Eventually he tired of competing for her attention/affection.

yeah I remember this song from back in the day too...even tho that was only a little way back lol. I always get this song in my head when I'm in a bad mood (well that or Raindrops Are Falling on my Head). The chorus just makes me think that I have to go forward and forget stupid mistakes along the way.

Ive gotta say... i think that this has some golden lyrics "you said you had to get your laundry cleaned"... brilliance. airing the dirty laundry etc... so good. love this...

I didn't know this was a break up song....

This guy chases after a girl and she pushes him away. So he decides to push her away

Break My Stride is one of my favorite songs. When I play this song, I use it as a motivator. But today, when I played it on YouTube with the lyrics on the screen,I never occurred to me as a love song - more specifically, a man going through a break up that caused him pain. The one verse I never payed attention to and overlooked.

"You're on the road and now you pray it lasts The road behind was rocky But now you're feeling cocky You look at me and you see your past Is that the reason why you're runnin' so fast".

From the first time I heard this song, it always drove me to push harder...keep going.

Many people have different interpretations of things people say or actions they make.

Break My Stride is a great song, one of my favorites. I've gone through many obstacles in my life and am very lucky to be alive. These words are always in the back of my mind:

"Ain't nothin' gonna break-a my stride Nobody gonna slow me down, oh no I got to keep on moving Ain't nothin' gonna break-a my stride I'm running and I won't touch ground Oh no, I got to keep on moving"

Every time I hear this song, it makes me smile., I think of the people I know who are negative and show no effort towards anything in life. People who think this way are just bringing themselves down in addition to people around them. These people want to be given extra attention, have you feel sorry for them and just have nothing nice to say about anything. One of my biggest pet peeves is when some says 'I CAN'T DO IT".

That's a false statement. CLEAR YOUR MIND OF CAN'T. You can do anything you put your mind to. When I hear this, the first thing that comes to mind is that the person is either scared, lazy as hell and think of all the excuses in the book or just don't care enough about themselves to make that stride.

CHANGE YOUR WAY OF THINKING.

The first step is taking a stride in the direction you've chosen for yourself. Second, don't let anything or anyone get in the way, push past them, don't slow down....you HAVE to keep on moving.

Why waste your time with people that'll slow you down?

My motto: Don't let the negatives stand in the way of what you're aiming for. It's a mental game, if you put your mind towards anything you want to do. You just have to keep moving forward with a positive attitude.

Listening to the words of this song saved me. The first time I heard it, I took it to heart and I let nothing get in my way. This song drives me to keep pushing no matter what stands in the way...just as long as a keep moving..

How many times has one had a crazy dream which makes us think when we're awake?

I like that paragraph which opens the song, and the rest of the lyrics give an optimistic message. All of that make this a song which I love to listen to. It stays in your head... and in your heart.