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The Ugly Weed
They gave the flowers softer ground
And kept them safe from wind and rain
I found a crack beside the wall
And pushed my way through dirt and strain
I never looked the way they should
I never grew where beauty stood
I learnt before I knew the need
That I was just the ugly weed
I'd rather be the ugly weed
With deeper roots for what I need
Bent by the wind but standing free
Growing into all of me
I bear the marks of where I've been
The roughest edges still are seen
I'm strong enough to plant my seed
I'd rather be the ugly weed
A stone appeared across my way
I bent around and carried on
The water left the shallow ground
My roots went deep before too long
I pushed when there was little room
I crowded things I shouldn't crowd
The harder every season grew
The tougher I was growing too
I'd rather be the ugly weed
With deeper roots for what I need
Bent by the wind but standing free
Growing into all of me
I bear the marks of where I've been
The roughest edges still are seen
I'm strong enough to plant my seed
I'd rather be the ugly weed
The seasons turned and flowers went
The garden changed as gardens do
The weed I barely recognised
Was standing taller than it knew
The rock was somewhere far behind
The deepest roots were holding still
I saw the whole of what I'd grown
And knew these roots were now my own
I grew outside the garden's plan
Hard seasons shaped the way I stand
I carry all that made me strong
I'll do my best and keep growing on
I'd rather be the ugly weed
With deeper roots for what I need
Bent by the wind but standing free
Growing into all of me
I bear the marks of where I've been
The roughest edges still are seen
I'm strong enough to plant my seed
I'd rather be the ugly weed
ABOUT THIS SONG
Written and produced by Tasmanian songwriter Jason Bresnehan, The Ugly Weed is a musical arrangement in the folk-pop genre with male and female duet vocals. Inspired by Julio Noboa Polanco’s poem Identity, the song explores Identity Truth through the contrast between cultivated flowers and an ugly weed that grows outside the garden’s plan.
The lyrics follow the weed through three stages: first appearing out of place beside the protected flowers, then being formed by harder conditions, and finally recognising what those conditions have produced. Stones force it to grow around obstacles, dry ground sends its roots deeper, and difficult seasons make it tougher, but not necessarily prettier. At times the weed even acts ugly, pushing and crowding as it learns to survive. When the seasons eventually turn and the flowers disappear, the weed remains standing. It carries the marks and rough edges of where it has been, accepts that the past cannot be changed, and finds freedom in recognising that its deep roots, strength and imperfections are all part of what it has become.
The artwork depicts two large dandelion weeds rising above a colourful garden of smaller flowers beneath a canopy of trees. Their oversized leaves, long stems and seed heads deliberately make the weeds the dominant feature of the image, while the surrounding flowers remain smaller and more traditionally decorative. The playful illustration reflects the song’s acceptance of being different: the weeds do not need to become flowers to have their own place in the garden.
This song forms part of the Identity Truth Inspired by Famous Poems Collection by Seventh Ribbon Music.
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Jason Bresnehan is a Songwriter, Author and Consultant: Business & Recovery