Mac Miller’s Timeless Wisdom: A Guide for the Lows
Swimming in the depths of the divine energy of Mac Miller
Photo by Christaan Felber for Vulture
Fires erupted throughout LA on January 7th. Balloonerism dropped on January 17th. Mac’s birthday was January 19th.
In an eerie time when many are feeling the weight of the world, Mac Miller’s posthumous album arrived like a cosmic nod—his life, his legacy, his music, all celebrated in perfect synchronicity. The lows that Mac felt in his lifetime, the demons he battled, and the depths he swam through mirror what many of us are collectively feeling. But here’s the thing: Mac Miller’s lyrics and wisdom aren’t just relics of his genius; they are tools to help us navigate our own lows.
Why Mac’s Music Still Guides Us
Mac felt deeply. He wasn’t afraid to be both silly and successful. And he loved openly.
The truths he grasped and conveyed through his lyrics are the same revelations many only come to understand near the end of their lives. It’s no wonder he called himself a tortured soul. The existential questions he wrestled with as a teenager and young adult—questions of purpose, self-worth, and the fleeting nature of life—are the very ones that haunt us later in life. That kind of knowing can feel isolating, lonely, uncertain. But Mac found his outlet: music.
His albums were ahead of their time. Balloonerism was originally created in 2014, yet its 2025 release sounds like it was made present day. That’s the magic of Mac—his music is timeless because his soul was always operating outside of time.
The Divine Feminine & the Depths of Mac’s Soul
In his early 20s, Mac was already grasping the essence of the Divine Feminine—not just honoring women and the sacred wisdom of the womb, but understanding Mother Earth, Pachamama, the slow and intentional unfolding of a flower in bloom. He was in tune with the rhythms of the universe in a way most people never reach.
Like the Cancer Moon he was, he felt everything. And like the Capricorn Sun that grounded him, he was relentless in his dedication to his craft. While he took music seriously, he was also a fan of life, of play, of keeping his inner child alive.
In Balloonerism’s Excelsior he asks:
"Whatever happened to apple juice and cartwheels?"
Even in his most profound moments, Mac never lost his ability to laugh. On Rick’s Piano, you can hear him joking: "Okay, enough f’ing around,"followed by laughter. In We featuring CeeLo Green, he keeps the raw, unfiltered moment: "You gotta deal with Mac Miller, b*tch," said with a grin. Ariana’s laughter opens My Favorite Part. He left the bloopers in because life wasn’t supposed to be so serious.
Mac Knew What Mattered
Despite his fame, Mac never let materialism define him. In an interview, he admitted that the only expensive thing he ever splurged on was a custom G-Wagon. Otherwise? He rocked Vans (shoutout to his inner-teen), his own merch inspired by album covers designed by his brother Miller, and a Studio City bucket hat that looked like it could’ve been picked up from CVS.
Like many prophets before him, Mac understood the deeper meaning of life—happiness isn’t found in things, and success doesn’t define the soul.
"Please don’t tell me I made it, that’s how people get jaded," he raps in Funny Papers from Balloonerism.
Lifting Others & Elevating the Moment
Mac wasn’t just about his own shine—he lifted others up.
Performing with Ariana, he would gesture toward the heavens as her voice soared. In a live version of Objects in the Mirror, he improvised a verse about being late, laughed about it, then told the band, "Wait, hit the hook one time," letting the crowd take over. He was in awe, grinning, "That’s right, baby. That’s f**ing tight. That was good for not practicing."
He refused to be boxed in. Hip-hop, jazz, lo-fi, alternative—Mac did it all. Under his producer alias Larry Fisherman, he even dropped a jazz album. And we can’t talk about his legacy without mentioning his NPR Tiny Desk performance, which now has over 120 million views. There, in that intimate space, he called out Thundercat for a round of applause and gave his bandmate a playful nod for shaking the maracas—no one was left out.
Music as Medicine
I’ll say it outright: music is my favorite form of art.
Music is medicine. Literally. Frequencies speak to our nervous system. Music is poetry, therapy, a time capsule of emotion. It has held me through every chapter of life, made me feel less alone in every season.
Mac noticed the details, found meaning in the small things, and translated them for the masses.
So here’s to Mac—his music, his wisdom, his light. And here’s to you, moving through the highs and lows, knowing that you, too, are a shining light.
Here are some lyrics to guide you through:
On Love / Divine Feminine
ROS (Rain or Shine):
"Give me all of your love, I will be yours through rain and through shine"
"I am the king, you are the queen, look at this chess we’re playing, we had a love that love was record-breaking"
"Feel free to fall, you are a catch”
“I want to take care of you, marry you, something I’m prepared to do, there can’t be two”
"Mother Earth made us all a gift, she made you perfect"
Congratulations:
“I see your eyes look through my soul”
“I felt the highs and they felt like you”
“You too divine to just be mine”
Ladders:
"Waking up I open up my eyes, do you mind if I blow your mind? A little closer baby, don't be shy"
I’ll be there:
"She know I love her, the world's best mother, yeah it ain't fair, so I’m gonna take care of her in her gray hair"
Objects in the Mirror
“A thought is love's currency, and I been thinking about her all the time”
Stay
“It's only she and I, ocean floor, how deep we dive”
On Life
Friendly Hallucinations:
"Hold on and be strong, kneel before your king, the land you put your knees on, it won't be long 'til your path finds ya"
Funny Papers:
"I heard the answer in the gibberish of an old drum, all he said was he's in no rush"
"Don't you love silence, everything quiet but the music"
Oy Vey:
"They seem surprised with the look that's in their eyes, how I can be myself and do away with their disguise"
I’ll Be There:
"Sunshine or prayer, I’ll be there. Through the good times or bad, I’ll be there"
"See, I was 6 years old with a dream, and my mom told me I could do anything"
On Hard Times / Self-Reflection
Rick’s Piano:
"The best is yet to come"
"Please don't give me any credit, that's how people get jaded"
"People start to get worse once they think they're the greatest"
"I wonder if the truth comes with a song, and if it does, I wonder if we'll get to sing along"
Small Worlds:
“Do you want it all if it’s all mediocre, staring at the wall and the wall full of posters, looking at my dream, who I wanna be, I guess you gotta see it to believe”
“Oh I’ve been a fool but its cool thats what human beings do, keep your eyes to the sky never glued to your shoes, guess there was a time when my mind was consumed, but the sun is coming out now, cloud starts to move”
"9 times out of 10, I get it wrong, that's why I wrote this song, tell myself to hold on"
"Win or lose, win or lose, I don’t keep count, ain’t nobody checking"
2009:
Bonus fact - In an interview, Producer Eric G said Mac paced around for a bit and did the first whole half of the song in a pitch black booth with no phone or anything, “it just came off the top of his head like that. He does the whole first half, and he goes, ‘Oh, that was tight.’ Then he did the rest a little later, but he didn’t write anything down, or anything. It was really crazy to watch.”
"I don’t have it all, but that’s alright to me"
"Sometimes I wish I took a simpler route instead of having demons as big as my house"
"Isn’t it funny, we can make a lot of money, buy a lot of things, just to feel a lot of ugly?"
"Nowadays, all I do is shine, take a breath and ease my mind"
"Life ain't a life till you live it"
"With these arms, I can carry you home, I'm right here when you're scared and alone"
"And I'm pro when it comes to my job, but really, I'm just trying to start believing in God"
"When it gets hard, I don't panic. I don't sound the alarm"
Come Back to Earth
“And I was drownin', but now I'm swimmin', through stressful waters to relief”
For the Now
Circles:
"Don't you put any more stress on yourself, it's one day at a time"Ladders:
"I wouldn’t wait forever, just shoot your shot, we don’t need no more, no extras, we all we got"Programs:
“Yeah, I'm only keepin' good company. I am not talkin' to you if you don't have love for me”
Small Worlds:
“We don’t need nothing but today”
Mindset & Resilience
Blue World:
"Fuck the bullshit, I'm here to make it all better with a little music for you."
"Think I lost my mind, reality is so hard to find when the devil's trying to call your life"
"Shit, I always shine, even when the light dims. No, I ain't God, but I'm feeling just like him"
Ladders:
"All I wanna do is free your mind, we don't see no lines, we don’t color inside”
"I don't trip, flip or lose my grip"
"Before you know me, better know yourself"
Objects in the Mirror:
“Don't even say you about to end it all. Your life precious ain't a need to go and kill yourself”
“It seems perfection really is unattainable”
“I wish you caught me on a different day, when it was easier to be happy”
“I wish the truth would just reveal itself”
What’s the Use?:
“You can love it, you can leave it, they say you're nothing without it, don't let them keep you down”
Come Back to Earth
“Don't you know that sunshine don't feel right when you inside all day?” (aka, get outside!)
Additional Resources
Mac Miller Fund, established in 2018, supports young musicians with resources to help realize their full potential through exploration, expression and community.
SAMHSA substance abuse helpline, 1-800-662-HELP
Supporting a loved one through recovery, with Mayim Bialik on Bialik Breakdown podcast
Notable Quotes and Clips from Mac
“As long as I’m being honest, I don’t have anything to trip about, because I know the type of human being my parents raised, I trust in who I am as a person.”
“You know what doesn’t feel good, is not taking any risks. The more you do the things you’re afraid of, the more you see the things that you are afraid of and all bullshit in your head.”
“Smile at someone today, make somebody happy, you have more power than you think you do.”
“If you have a creative mind, you’re gonna doubt a lot of things about the world, and that’s all completely normal. Insecurity is all completely normal, especially with your own work, you gotta start being cool with letting people get to know you on a deeper level.”
Studio11tv on the life of Mac Miller and the lasting impact he had on millions of people
Watching the NPR video.. what a band!!😃
What a lovely tribute to Mac!