Last week, I shared with you the latest song that I posted on my YouTube channel, AllysMusicRoom.

If you haven’t heard it yet, here is my original song,  “Tarantula”:

©2017 Allison Merten

T-A-R-A-N-T-U-L-A

T-A-R-A-N-T-U-L-A

You can try to bring her down, but you won’t.

You can try to bring her down, but you won’t.

She doesn’t care what you do.

She doesn’t live her life for you.

You can try to bring her down, but you won’t.

She’s a tarantula, fiercer than anyone, trying to make her life her own.

She’s got a tough exterior, but if she loves you, you’re in the clear.

She’s trying to make the dreams in her life come true.

Does she inspire you?

Does she inspire you?

You think you’re gonna shape her. You’re wrong.

You think you’re gonna shape her. You’re wrong.

She doesn’t care what you say.

She’ll speak her mind anyway.

You think you’re gonna shape her. You’re wrong.

She’s a tarantula, fiercer than anyone, trying to make her life her own.

She’s got a tough exterior, but if she loves you, you’re in the clear.

She’s trying to make the dreams in her life come true.

Does she inspire you?

Does she inspire you?

She chooses not to let others’ judgments hold her back from her path.

She fights for what she feels is right, and she has no regrets about that.

She’s a tarantula, fiercer than anyone, trying to make her life her own.

She’s got a tough exterior, but if she loves you, you’re in the clear.

She’s trying to make the dreams in her life come true.

Does she inspire you?

Does she inspire you?

Does she inspire you?

Last week, I told you that I would share the story behind this song. Earlier this year, in “The Performance I Didn’t Expect,” I wrote about how I unexpectedly loss someone who was extremely important to me.

During times of tragedy, I often find music to be the most healing. To honor my cousin, I wanted to write her a song. I had been working on the song, “Tarantula” for months. In the past, I’ve written songs about losing people, but I’d never written a song about someone I lost with the purpose of both honoring her and inspiring others to follow her outlook in life.

It was very hard for me to finish the song “Tarantula” because I wanted it to be perfect. Unfortunately, as I learned through the recording process of my debut album, TEMPTATION, music can never be “perfect.”

My plan was to share my song “Tarantula” as my song of the month last November, and when November 30th rolled around, I realized I had to finish my song that day!

Writing “Tarantula” was one of the most difficult song writing experiences I have had. It was very challenging to make an upbeat song about someone that I have lost. It was very challenging to write this song about my inspirational cousin because she was such a remarkable human being, and I still cannot believe that she is no longer part of this world.

Although it is impossible to fully express through a song what an amazing person she was, I wanted to write a song for her about how much I admired her for her independence, her ambition to achieve her goals, her refusal to care what others thought of her, her compassion towards her family and anyone who needed help, and her ability to understand that happiness and living one’s life to the fullest is what matters above all else.

My cousin was a remarkable human being who truly inspired me to be a stronger person and continue to pursue my goals. I hope she inspires you too. ❤