Chris Rock once said that life isn’t short, it’s long. It’s both true and not true—I remember my grandmother at age 95 telling me how fast it had gone. How can something that feels like it passes in an instant also feel like such a test of endurance? This song’s sparse arrangement and patient pacing, the way it builds slowly to a gorgeous, aching crescendo at 3:00, is an aural metaphor for a beautiful, sublime resilience. We must persevere through life, not just physically, as in the long-distance runner, but emotionally and existentially as well. Hope leads us on.

“The Long Distance Runner,” written and performed by T E Morris, 2014.

This post is part of Music 100, a love letter to songs. 100 words on 100 songs in 100 days, running from Groundhog Day to early June, 2025.

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