The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of Peter Pan and the lost boys is eternal youth. The story is a beautiful fairytale about youth, but as one ages, the expectation and innate desire to mature is inevitable. If a grown man is said to live in Never Land, that man still behaves like a boy. Of course he’s physically aged, but mentally he hasn’t aged a day. The inhabitants aren’t called lost boys because of their knowledge of current events and adulthood. The negative connotation is a logical statement, but we’ve forgotten about the beauty of youth. The notion of eternal childhood is quite farfetched, but what an amazing dream to have. The consequence of growing up is the distance it creates between us and Peter Pan, and therefore decreases our chance at our lasting childhood.

“Lost Boy” a song on Ruth B’s debut EP The Intro, is a story told from the point of view of a lost boy about his introduction to Peter Pan, and life in Never Land. The song is a reminder of the beauty of that fairy tale in which they are forever young, and life held no real responsibilities. Ruth’s low, serene alto significantly increases the maturity of the childhood story, but the story in the lyrics itself is so timeless that no amount of vocal bass can downplay the youth in it. Our favorite characters, like Tinker Bell, Captain Hook, Wendy, and of course Peter Pan, are referenced in this condensed eternity of a lost boy.

Coincidently the story of a lost boy is told by a girl, but fortunately the beauty of the song is enough to ignore the narrative conflict. It takes real artistry to create a story from another perspective in a song, so props to Ruth.