So, is this it? Is this all we get?
For all your life, you try and try, and try and fail, and run and hide. A penny saved. A penny lost. A lesson learned - at any cost. We've all been bitten much more than twice; we'll shy away - away from life. We'll finish our work at the end of the night, and go home, to life - in a shambles. Hey.
For all the lies we swallowed whole, let's just metabolize them all. We'll burn them up, a burst of speed. Flush out those empty calories. We've all bought into the wrong idea - let's sell our shares, get out of here! We'll finish our work at the end of the year, and we'll go out all night and get scrambled.
But - let's be unrealistic for once. Let's be unrealistic for once. Let's be unrealistic, for once. You don't know you won't get what you want.
For all the risks we took for free, to compensate, we'll charge a fee to all the ones who laughed us down when they come 'round to see us now. We've all got something to tell ourselves: we'll go to jail; we'll go to hell. We'll go to lengths, and heights and depths, and we'll be unrealistic! Just say yes,
Oh yes, be unrealistic for once. Let's be unrealistic for once! Let's be unrealistic, for once - you don't know you won't get what you want!
You don't know.
No, you don't! No, you don't now.
For all you know, this is all you get. But don't get all distracted yet
We're all in love, in life, in pain - for all you know...it's just in your brain?
We've all got something to hope for, eh? For all we know, it's all in vain. We'll finish our work at the end of the day, and go out
bang
just like candles
***
13 comments:
Did you create that? Whoa. I really like it. I'm going to send my mom a link to this. So...do you think this is all we get?
Thank you, Jill! I did write that. It's a song, called "Unrealistic."
Wow, though. The question is not so easy. Do I think this all we get? I will say: whatever else we may get, we definitely do get this. We should make the most of it, because while this can be awful at times, this also can be more beautiful and awe-inspiring and inspirational than...anything I can imagine. Just some of the beauty on earth that I've seen has made every picture I've ever had painted for me of heaven seem...pretty faint.
I do believe in God. But the world we've got here is a tremendous gift, whether or not there is in fact a giver.
And we don't know. Really. Even those of us who are sure.
That's five stars!
Okay, back to lurking.
Sort of.
Very easily identifiable as a song, because of the rhyme-iness. I'm going to shock you (perhaps) and say I don't really like this one. It's one of those that superficially seems like it's got a message, but then isn't really saying much of anything at all, at least to me. Just smoke and wordplay. Not my thing. But I don't think everyone finds it unappealing. I know how much you like Shel Silverstein, and I get that sometimes from some of his work as well.(I like him too, just not those pieces of his writing.) I did like the start (before "Hey") and the "go out /bang /just like candles," although when I consider it, that doesn't really make sense. Still like it.
Suddenly I wonder if this is the first and only time anyone's been critical of something you wrote on here. I hope not! I mean. . . not for you, but because I hope I'm not coming off unreasonably mean. But I usually say I love everything, so I'm just giving fair attention to the "not so much" reaction here. :) And look, you already have someone who loves it!
@limom - thank you sir! Even three stars is praise, but five? I'm honored.
@blue - I'm pleased to take criticism in all its forms! Especially where songs are concerned. In general I've only small sensitivity over a song once it's been played a few times and "confirmed as good" - so criticism doesn't threaten, and it gives a welcome window into the song. Into areas I can't see. Songs are probably the thing I do where I most welcome critique, but for THIS song, perhaps I'm most in need of all! Because brace yourself for a shocker - I think this is the best song I've ever written.
I admit, at this point that title could be a technicality. Instantly after writing it and for month or so after, I just kept getting more and more into it, and at one point I said with no doubts in mind that it was the best song I ever wrote. Fact is, I'm not given to such rash statements, so it's not surprising it's never been officially unseated. But off-hand, I can't think of one to put up against it.
I can think of a few that would beat it out for "Favorite Song." Because that involves a lot more sentimental considerations! ;-)
Yeah, but I do love this one. It's one of my old ones that never goes away.
Note: the post title, and the top line (in italics) are not part of the song, proper.
I've seen and heard much better songs from you. But I may be alone in that opinion, given the reaction you're getting here. I have sentimental favorites also, but even apart from those, I definitely would say---well, like I said, I don't really like this one, so of course I'd say you have better. But I'd say you easily have at least 50 better, probably 200 better.
Maybe I need to hear this one (although I think I have), or maybe I need some sort of shake to understand it better, but I don't think so. I just don't like a lot of the word choices and it incorporates a handful of my pet peeve: random grunty words like "hey" and "eh." Hey! Opa! And the whole repeating of the same phrase three times just to say it with different inflection.
But, like, what does this mean: "For all the risks we took for free, to compensate, we'll charge a fee"? To compensate for something that was free? I just don't get it.
Like I said, I like the beginning. Up to the Hey. The rest starts going somewhere I don't understand---sounds positive, ends up in a bar, then pleads to be unrealistic when it already suggested that then ended up in a bar. . . commiserates, then assigns soul to body chemistry, and ends up saying it's all just going to stay the same and whatever happens happens. That just sounds like a crap way to see it all, if you ask me, so I don't like the song. The beginning sounds like the rest of it is going to be different, and the end sounds like it belongs on a song less happily apathetic and more committed to hopelessness. And although moody sad hopeless music isn't really my first choice, I prefer a commitment to hopelessness over blindly, cheerfully "who cares, just trundle on!"
Gee whiz, I hope you meant it when you said you were okay with the criticism! I didn't mean to come out with that much of it. But I really tried to analyze if I was being fair to the song, and that's what came.
I also think you are totally given to such rash statements! I know you've said you think at least two other songs were the best song you ever wrote, or that you thought it at the time/for a while. (Know you said two, but I actually think you said that about 4 or more.) And only one of those could be sentimentally weighted, iirc.
Btw, I believe I made a similar Shel Silverstein statement when you first shared this song with me, but then I think I cleverly avoided saying much more about it, even though you pretty clearly wanted my reaction to it. Over two years of not actually criticizing it! The dam had to break! ;P
Your readers are totally saying to themselves: "so this is why he didn't want to activate comments on his poetry blog!"
Of course, each critic is going to come to a different opinion than mine, on any appraisals they do! I'm grateful for the additional viewpoint. :-)
To tell you the truth, Shel Silverstein's kind of coming out of nowhere for me on this one. I thought Shel came up in reference to a different song, or maybe even a poem - but I didn't think on this song? I could be wrong! To me, this one doesn't seem like quite his bag.
Have you heard this song? Maybe you have heard it, I thought you hadn't. Anyhow, the refrain repeats there times with pretty much identical inflection in the song (at least, melody and delivery). The change comes on the "You don't know..." line. In my songs, refrains tend to be pretty simple and repetitive. Sometimes there will be subordinate lines that change in and out, but the main "hook" is usually a static one, repeating.
For songs, I guess don't mind so much saying how "I see it" (although again, my take doesn't rule - if I didn't succeed putting it in, then it ain't in! Once the song's written the writer is just another set of ears and opinions about a finished text!). But OK. So what I get out of it is (just verse-by-verse, without a real detailed phrase-for-phrase):
It starts with all the lessons you take in, and then you realize you're not really equipped to live like that. You're bitten again and again and after awhile it seems like life itself is doing the biting.
You begin to burn through the sorts of stock life lessons and advice and the picture of the world you were given that you see don't work for you, you push back, disinvest, go out and "rebel" and party and zonk your mind a bit.
Somewhere in the rush of all that you start to think maybe you can get your dreams.
You start to feel cocky about it, even, picturing all the people who disregarded you coming round suitably humbled. You run through a list of the risks and threats that the world and ourselves throw at us to get us to choose "no", and instead you say "yes."
In the rush of optimism, unrealistic starts to seem like a good bet.
(The last verse is here in prose form, all broken up - in the song, it's structurally the same as every other verse)
The last verse shifts from learning to love life and risk yourself for it, to wondering less what you can get and more what it all means. Are you - YOU, the unique thing that thinks all these things, this thing that people love, this thing that almost understands itself, that works so hard to matter - are you just a blip? Is your mind just a pattern built up from billions of electric connections firing away?
When life ends, will all of that simply "go out", like a candle flame?
And then those who choose, can click on the asterisk. :-)
blue said...
Your readers are totally saying to themselves: "so this is why he didn't want to activate comments on his poetry blog!"
Exactly! A poem couldn't take it. Two words from me about any of my poems would just suffocate, crush the poor thing. Poems are delicate. Songs can take all the pushing and pulling and prodding anyone cares to throw at them! They're not just defenseless on the page. A song can sing.
@blue - Also, the synopsis is in the second person because the song is. I'm guessing that none of it would actually apply to "you"-you. More to me, and to anyone else who's felt that kind of thing - it's clearly not as universal as I'd have thought.
To answer your specific question about what this means -
"For all the risks we took for free, to compensate, we'll charge a fee to all the ones who laughed us down when they come 'round to see us now." - I would restate that as: "for all the thankless tasks we did for others, who rather than appreciating us, laughed down our worth, well, WE'LL SHOW 'EM!! :-D and they'll line up to buy tickets!"
But of course, that's the ludicrously optimistic "yeah, we can do anything!" portion of the song.
The fact that it requires explanation shows me that it has to some degree not been made apparent in the song. It's a failure of writing, but it can also be partly that the sentiments expressed don't resonate.
You don't like the song, and that's cool - any explanation I give will stiffen your resistance to it. I have no particular need for anyone to like anything I love! I'm not after a conversion, but I do want to answer the questions you asked.
This is all we get? That idea did not occur to me yet -I am still in the process of discovering, journeying, not bored or skeptical or disappointed yet - about some people, yes, but not about life:)
Oh yeah! Me too.
But that's "this"!
I'm greedy. There's no getting around it, I definitely am!
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