“Gotta get-get,” my nephew would chime as we all played the card game Uno. “Gotta get-get,” I’d reply. We’d keep this up for a bit before shifting to our own butchered version of the remaining lyrics to “Boom Boom Pow”: “I like that boom boom pow. Them chickens jackin’ my style. They try to copy my swagger … I’m so three thousand and eight. You so two thousand and late … I be rockin’ them beats.” Then with our best bass voices we’d turn to each other and croak: “Let the beat rock!”

 We’d be quiet for a while before one of us would start again with “Gotta get-get.” Finally, my brother grumbled, “I’d be happy if I never heard that song again.”

Yes, I was surprised earlier in my visit when my nephew asked me to check out the video to the song, which he and his buddy were about to watch online. “No!” I shouted, lunging for the monitor. Though I like the infectious hit by the Black-Eyed Peas, I was imagining the boys listening to some of the inappropriate lyrics while watching the group’s often scantily clad female singer, Fergie. Then I discovered the only version they could access was the SpongeBob rendition. Thank you, SpongeBob!

We had a lot of fun with the song that weekend. And while “Boom Boom Pow” isn’t exactly profound, it’s a reminder of how much music has to offer when it comes to lifting our spirits. If you’re struggling to overcome a challenge, here are some inspirational words from other songs:

“Yeah, I might feel defeated, I might hang my head, I might be barely breathing—but I’m not dead. Tomorrow’s another day. And I’m thirsty anyway. So bring on the rain.”

—From “Bring On The Rain,” by Billy Montana and Helen Darling

“Walk on through the wind, walk on through the rain, tho’ your dreams be tossed and blown. Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart, and you’ll never walk alone. You’ll never walk alone.”

—From “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” by Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II

“And when the broken-hearted people living in the world agree, there will be an answer. Let it be. For though they may be parted, there is still a chance that they will see, there will be an answer. Let it be.”

—From “Let It Be,” by John Lennon and Paul McCartney

“Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road. Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go. So make the best of this test and don’t ask why. It’s not a question but a lesson learned in time. It’s something unpredictable, but in the end it’s right. I hope you had the time of your life.”

—From “Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life),” by Billie Joe Armstrong

“Hey, look me over, lend me an ear. Fresh out of clover, mortgaged up to here. Don’t pass the plate, folks, don’t pass the cup. I figure whenever you’re down and out, the only way is up.”

—From “Hey, Look Me Over!” by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh

“I’m starting with the man in the mirror. I’m asking him to change his ways. No message could have been any clearer. If you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself, then make the change. ”

—From “Man In The Mirror,” by Siedah Garrett and Glen Ballard

“There’s always gonna be another mountain. I’m always gonna wanna make it move. Always gonna be an uphill battle. Sometimes I’m gonna have to lose. Ain’t about how fast I get there. Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side. It’s the climb.”

—From “The Climb,” by Jessi Alexander and Jon Mabe

—From “Walk On,” by U2/Bono