Would you like to tell someone that it's time to accept the situation, or to reason with the consequences of something that they have done or said? The phrase 'face the music' is a popular term that can be used to tell people this, and it's a popular phrase you will see everywhere from social media to movies. This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this saying.
Meaning
The phrase 'to face the music' is used as a figurative phrase that is meant to tell someone that it's time [for them] to face the consequences of their actions or situation with realism.
If you tell someone that they should 'face the music' then it means that someone should deal with the consequences of their actions or something that they have said.
Someone can say the expression 'face the music' to someone as a direct reference, but it might also be used as a reference when talking about someone.
The phrase carries accusatory undertones, especially when it is said to someone.
The phrase does not have a literal meaning, but is almost always said as a figurative expression.
The phrase can be used in the past tense to say that someone has 'faced the music', and the term can be used in the future tense to say that someone 'will face the music' .
As an alternative, it can also be said that someone 'should have faced the music' with the same meaning.
The phrase can also be used in the denial form to say that someone 'does not face the music' or 'cannot face the music' to mean that they cannot own up to consequences or responsibility.
The issue represented by the 'music' being faced is most often either said directly in the rest of the sentence or implied by its meaning.
Example Usage
“I heard somewhere that my father has been hiding from the law for the past ten years. It's time for him to face the music if there's any truth to it.”
“He was accused of this way back in the eighties already, and he skipped to Mexico so he could avoid prosecution in the states. He just couldn't face the music.”
“If he doesn't face the music, then he's going to end up getting a harsh jail sentence because of what he's done.”
“Someone at the state department should face the music, but nobody is even there to pick up the phones.”
Origin
According to most online language resource websites, the origin of the common expression 'to face the music' comes from New England in the United States. While the exact first use of the term is hard to track down, sources agree that the term dates from the 1830s.
The town of New England was founded in the 1600s, and there is no common source that agrees on exactly what event gave rise to the term 'face the music'.
The phrase is given as American in origin via most resources, and one possible origin for the phrase 'to face the music' would be to face a crowd as a performer: thus, being courageous.
The phrase 'face the music' is figurative, and outside of a performance context there is no need to use the literal meaning of the phrase.
Phrases Similar to To Face the Music
- Own up [to something]
Phrases Opposite to To Face the Music
- N/a
What is the Correct Saying?
- Face the music
- [to] face the music
- facing the music
Ways People May Say To Face the Music Incorrectly
There are several ways in which someone can use the phrase 'to face the music' in the wrong way, or understand the term when it is being used.
The phrase does not always translate well to languages where there is no equivalent phrase.
Acceptable Ways to Phrase To Face the Music
The correct way to use the expression 'to face the music' is to use it as an expression that tells someone to face the consequences of their words or actions.