"Hold On"

"Hold On" belongs to The Secret Garden by Marsha Norman & Lucy Simon based on the 1910 novel penned by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It went into previews in the St. James Theater on the fifth of April, 1991, opened the twenty fifth, and went for 709 performances until the third of January in 1993. "Hold On" is a belters' holiday from the angry "I'm going to take whatever is beating me down!" songs we hear so often. This song is tricky because you need to be able to extend up to your head voice with a fair amount of power. If you have a great accompanist and you spend the time really thinking about the meaning behind song you can bring anyone to tears.

Mary Lennox, both spoiled rotten and completely neglected as a child is orphaned when her parents die of the fever and is moved to the care of her recluse uncle, hidden from the world since the death of his wife. Also in the house is her equally spoiled but crippled cousin, kept in hiding in another wing. Over time Mary finds her cousin Colin as well as her deceased Aunt's garden. With the help of Dickon and her housemaid Martha, Mary starts to turn the manor and Colin around, spreading life everywhere. Mary's eyes remind her uncle too much of his wife, Lily, and he escapes to Paris, leaving the house in the care of his doctor-friend Neville. Fearing Mary will be the end of everything, jealous of how she has helped Colin, Neville attempts to send Mary to boarding school. Mary, finally growing out of her contrary nature fears losing everything she has gained. She is depressed and scared. In the pivotal moment, to fight or to go, she asks Martha, who comes out with this beautiful ballad.

The point of "Hold On" can be boiled down to the first few lines. Storms will brew around you, fights will happen, life will be difficult, but you have to hold on to who you are and remember you are the lasting power, not the storm. Martha sings this to Mary and it can be heart wrenching! I haven't yet found a YouTube version that does it justice, so good luck!

Here's a small quote from the song:

"When you see the storm is coming,
See the lightning part the skies,
It's too late to run-
There's terror in your eyes!
What you do then is remember
This old thing you heard me say:
"It's the storm, not you,
That's bound to blow away."