Songs for The Loyalist

We're going to look at Type 6's in our Enneagram Series this week. The usual disclaimer: educating myself about the enneagram and reading about my personality type has genuinely helped me be more conscious about making healthier choices as well as paying closer attention to how I interact with other people based off their type as well if I happen to know it. The enneagram is not how I dictate every single moment of my life, but it is a handy and interesting tool to use.

Enneagram Sixes are often referred to as Loyalists or Skeptics. Some key personality traits that they share include being committed, security-oriented, engaging, responsible, anxious, and suspicious. A Six's basic fear is that of finding themself without support or guidance, and their basic desire is that of having security and support. A happy, healthy Six can be seen as a self-reliant, courageous champion of the others around them, while a miserable, unhealthy Six can be hysterical and self-destructive to the possible point of suicidal if they feel they have no other "escape" from punishment. They're motivated by being secure in all aspects of their life and having certitude and reassurance from their ever important support system. They're usually very hard-working and reliable. Sixes can occasionally become defensive and anxious, becoming that person who runs on stress while complaining about how stressed out they are which, according to the Enneagram Institute, can cause issues with self-doubt and suspicion. A Six with a Five wing, or 6w5, is usually referred to as a Defender or a Guardian and maintains the core feelings of a Six while leaning on Five traits like being skeptical of the world and its ability to help them the way they need. A Six with a Seven wing, or 6w7, is usually referred to as a Buddy or a Confidant and maintains that core Sixness while leaning on Seven traits like expressing self-depreciating humor to lighten a mood while simultaneously receiving encouragement from their friends or family. A healthy Six can exhibit traits of a Type Nine due to their Growth Path causing them to act more optimistic and relaxed, while a super stressed Six can exhibit traits of a Type Three due to their Stress Path causing them to act more arrogant and competitive.

Here are some more pop culture examples of Type Six that I've "typed" over the last year. DISCLAIMER #2: I obviously don't own/didn't create any of these characters and secondly, it's again impossible to truly type another person, especially when they aren't real, but this its a lot of fun and I've enjoyed doing it. These are just my personal opinion, so please don't @ me.

-Sergeant Amy Santiago (6w5) from Brooklyn Nine-Nine

-Princess Anna (6w7) from Frozen

-Asterin Blackbeak (6w7) & Kaltain Rompier (6w5) from Throne of Glass

-Ben Hargreeves/Number 6/The Horror from The Umbrella Academy

-Caitlyn Kiramman from Arcane League of Legends

-Chandler Bing from Friends

-Charlie Bradbury (6w7), Dean Winchester (6w5), & John Winchester (6w5) from Supernatural

-Chewbacca, Finn, Luke Skywalker, & Padmé Amidala from Star Wars

-Chris Traeger from Parks & Recreation

-Damian from Mean Girls

-Daphne Bridgerton & Phillip Crane from Bridgerton

-Erin Hannon & Jim Halpert from The Office

-Feyre Archeron from A Court of Thorns and Roses

-Frank Reynolds from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

-Fringilla Vigo (6w5) from The Witcher

-Harry Potter (6w5) & Neville Longbottom (6w7) from Harry Potter

-Jocelyn Schitt (6w7) & Stevie Budd (6w5) from Schitt's Creek

-Fa Mulan (6w5) from Mulan

-Natasha Romanov/Black Widow & Peter Parker/Spider-Man from the Marvel Cinematic Universe

-Penny from The Big Bang Theory

-Peridot (6w7) from Steven Universe

-Roald from Letterkenny

-Suki from Avatar: The Last Airbender

The following is a small sample of my Loyalist playlist - as always, the full playlist can be found by following me on Apple Music @audioaesthetics. Let's get to it!

I'll Be Waiting by Adele (written by A. Adkins, P. Epworth)

Featured on Adele's 2011 album 21, these lyrics express Six ideals like commitment and responsibility. You can feel how loyal the narrator is to the subject of the song, willing to give the other person space so that they can come back together stronger than ever.

Hold me closer one more time/Say that you love me in your last goodbye/Please forgive me for my sins/Yes, I swam dirty waters but you pushed me in/I’ve seen your face under every sky/Over every border and on every line/You know my heart more than I do/We were the greatest, me and you/But we had time against us and miles between us/The heavens cried, I know I left you speechless/But now the sky has cleared and it’s blue/And I see my future in you/I’ll be waiting for you when you’re ready to love me again/I’ll put my hands up, I’ll do everything different, I’ll be better to you/I’ll be waiting for you when you’re ready to love me again/I’ll put my hands up, I’ll be somebody different, I’ll be better to you

Lost Cause by Billie Eilish (written by B. O'Connell, F. O'Connell)

Featured on Eilish's 2021 album Happier Than Ever, this song is a good example of a Six who has just about reached their limit with someone's disrespect. The narrator expresses their commitment to the subject up to that point as well as their (likely correct) suspicions that their relationship needs to end.

Something’s in the air right now, like I’m losing track of time/Like I really don’t care right now, but maybe that’s fine/You weren’t even there that day, I was waiting on you/I wondered if you’re aware that day was the last straw for me and I know/I sent you flowers, did you even care/You ran the shower and left them by the stairs/Thought you had your shit together, but damn, I was wrong/You ain’t nothing but a lost cause and this ain’t nothing like it once was/I know you think you’re such an outlaw, but you go no job/You ain’t nothing but a lost cause and this ain’t nothing like it once was/I know you think you’re such an outlaw, but you got no job

Faithful by Elevation Worship (written by S. Furtick)

Featured on Elevation's 2018 live album Hallelujah Here Below with vocals from worship leader Jenna Barrientes, this song ties in perfectly with a Six's dominant Fruit of the Spirit: faithfulness (for an excellent graphic pairing up Fruits and Enneagrams, check out @mirabellecreations on Instagram). Trust and faith are two sides of the same coin, and they are things that Loyalists cling to when times gets hard.

When I felt like the burden was more than I could hold/When the whispers of worry overwhelmed my soul/You never left me alone/You were there all along/You are faithful/Why should my heart be afraid/You are faithful/I know You’re not gonna change/You are faithful, faithful

II Timothy 2:13 NLT If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.

Time for Me to Fly by Jonas Brothers (written by K. Jonas, J. Jonas)

Featured on their 2006 album It's About Time, the JoBros tell a story here about breaking free of worry to go forth and live their best lives. As we learned above, Sixes can struggle with suspicion and anxiety, so being able to work through those things and be the healthiest version of themselves is something to celebrate.

I’ve been wasting my time/I’ve been losing my mind/I’ve been running races/Still don't know what I've been chasing/But my eyes that can see/Bluer skies that wait for me/And I'm on my way/Time for me to fly/Time for me to soar/Time for me to open up my heart/And knock on Heaven's door/Time for me to live/It's time for me to sing/Time for me to lay down all my worries/And I'll spread my wings/Time for me to fly

Late To the Party by Kacey Musgraves (written by B. Clark, J. Osborne, K. Musgraves)

Featured on Musgraves' 2015 album Pageant Material, this song shows the importance that a Six puts on crucial relationships. The narrator feels completely secure in her committed relationship to the subject of the song, and that safety is one of the things she values most.

They’re blowing up our phones asking where we are/Just say we’re almost there, we ain’t even in the car/You’re rolling one for two and I’m still picking out my shoes/I’m never late to the party if I’m late to the party with you/By the time we get there, everybody will be drunk/The chairs will be on tables and the band’ll be unplugged/We’re gonna look real good, but we’re gonna look real rude/I’m sorry I’m not sorry that I’m late to the party with you/Oh, who needs confetti, we’re already falling into the groove/And who needs a crowd when you’re happy at a party for two/The world can wait ‘cause I’m never late to the party when I’m late to the party with you

Do You Want to Build a Snowman by Kristen Bell, Agatha Lee Monn, & Katie Lopez (written by K. Anderson-Lopez, R. Lopez)

The overwhelming majority of the Enneagram community shares the opinion that Anna (voiced by the lovely Kristen Bell) is a Type 2, and she does admittedly share quite a few Helper qualities with our other Two Princesses Snow White. However, I think there's a strong case for her Sixness: obviously her loyalty, commitment, and feeling of responsibility both to her family and her kingdom, her outgoing and engaging personality, and her anxiety over being left alone along with that self-depreciating sense of humor that comes from her Seven wing.

Do you want to build a snowman/Come on, let’s go and play/I never see you anymore, come out the door/It’s like you’ve gone away/We used to be best buddies, but now we’re not/I wish you would tell me why/Do you want to build a snowman, it doesn’t have to be a snowman/Go away, Anna/Ok, bye

Reflection by Lea Salonga (written by D. Zippel, M. Wilder)

While my typing of Anna may be a little "controversial," I believe my typing of Mulan (voiced by two absolute icons Ming-Na Wen and Lea Salonga) is as spot on as you can get. The definition of a self-reliant, courageous champion whose support system is her entire life, she also frequently taps into her Five wing by taking matters into her own hands in an attempt to fix a situation instead of relying on others to take care of it.

Look at me, I will never pass for a perfect bride or a perfect daughter/Can it be I’m not meant to play this part/Now I see that if I were truly to be myself/I would break my family’s heart/Who is that girl I see, staring straight back at me/Why is my reflection someone I don’t know/Somehow I cannot hide who I am, though I’ve tried/When will my reflection show who I am inside/When will my reflection show who I am inside

The Man with the Axe by Lorde (written by E. Yelich-O'Connor)

Featured on Lorde's 2021 album Solar Power, these lyrics show a loyalty to the narrator's partner similar to that shown in both the Kacey Musgraves and Billie Eilish entries on this post. She cares about this relationship deeply, but she's not sure she's getting what she needs out of it anymore which causes her worry.

If I had to break it down, I’d say it’s the way you love to dance/Moving the furniture when my back is turned/A flick of the lights and the world falls away/And your office job and your silver hair/But our shapes in the dark are the reason I’ve stayed for all these years/I thought I was a genius, but now I’m 22/And it’s starting to feel like all I know how to do is/Put on a suit and take it away with my fistful of tunes that it’s painful to play/Fingernail worlds, like favorite seashells, they fill up my nights and then they float away

deja vu by Olivia Rodrigo (written by O. Rodrigo, D. Nigro)

Featured on Rodrigo's 2021 album SOUR, these lyrics show a heartbroken Six having to watch someone she relied on essentially replace her with someone new. That lack of support is a brutal blow to a Six, and the lyrics show that resentment for making her feel that way after everything they'd been through together.

Car rides to Malibu/Strawberry ice cream, one spoon for two/And trading jackets/Laughing ‘bout how small it looks on you/Watching reruns of Glee/Being annoying, singing in harmony/I bet she’s bragging/To all her friends saying you’re so unique/So when you gonna tell her that we did that, too/She thinks it’s special, but it’s all reused/That was our place, I found it first/I made the jokes you tell to her when she’s with you/Do you get deja vu when she’s with you/Do you get deja vu, ah/Do you get deja vu, huh

Six by Sleeping At Last (written by R. O'Neal)

Featured on Sleeping At Last's 2019 album Atlas: Enneagram, O'Neal's depiction of a Six is strikingly beautiful. He captures that sense of constant anxiety perfectly and really makes you feel for a person who feels that way 24/7.

I had the most vivid dream, my feet had left the ground/I was floating to heaven, but I could only look down/My mind was heavy, running ragged with worst case scenarios/Emergency exits and the distance below/I woke up so worried that the angels let go/Oh God, I’m so tired/Of being afraid

Don't Blame Me by Taylor Swift (written by T. Swift, M. Martin, K. Schuster)

Featured on Swift's 2017 album reputation, these lyrics show a commitment to a person that is akin to addiction or obsession. Becoming that dependent on another definitely leads to suspicion and anxiety, something Sixes need to be very, very careful about.

Don’t blame me, love made me crazy/If it doesn’t, you ain’t doing it right/Lord, save me, my drug is my baby/I’d be using for the rest of my life/I’ve been breaking hearts a long time and toying with them older guys/Just play things for me to use/Something happened for the first time in the darkest little paradise/Shaking, pacing, I just need you/For you, I would cross the line, I would waste my time/I would lose my mind, they say she’s gone too far this time

Peace and Love on the Planet Earth - Zach Callison, Shelby Rabara, Michaela Dietz, DeeDee Magno Hall, and Estelle (written by A. Tran, J. Liu, R. Sugar, S. Velema)

Peridot, my husband's favorite Steven Universe character (voiced by the talented Shelby Rabara), was one of the easiest fictional characters I have ever typed. This gem wants nothing more than appreciation for her unwavering loyalty, and it takes a lot to get her to walk away from a relationship that isn't good for her, but when she does she becomes one of the fiercest friends that Steven has throughout the show.

I guess we're already here/I guess we already know/We've all got something to fear/We've all got nowhere to go/I think you're all insane/But I guess I am, too/Anybody would be if they were stuck on Earth with you/Life and death and love and birth and/Life and death and love and birth and/Life and death and love and birth and/Peace and war on the planet Earth/Is there anything that's worth more/Is there anything that's worth more/Is there anything that's worth more/Than peace and love on the planet Earth

Whether you know your Enneagram Type (Six or otherwise) or have no idea what tI've been talking about this whole time, I hope you found some great music to enjoy here. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!