"What About Me?"

"WHAT ABOUT ME?"
(Lyrics From The Group Moving Pictures)

Well there's a little boy waiting
at the counter of the corner shop
He's been waiting down there,
waiting half the day,
They never ever see him from the top
He gets pushed around, knocked to the ground,
He gets to his feet and he says...

*(chorus)
What about me? It isn't fair
I've had enough, now I want my share
Can't you see, I wanna live
But you just take more than you give

Well, there's a pretty girl
serving at the counter of the corner shop
She's been waiting back there,
waiting for a dream,
Her dreams walk in and out,
they never stop
Well, she's not too proud,
to cry out loud
She runs to the street and she screams...

Chorus

More than you give...

Take a step back and see the little people
They might be young,
but they're the ones that make the big people big
So listen as they whisper:
"What about me?"

And now I'm standing on the corner,
all the world's gone home
Nobody's changed, nobody's been saved
And I'm feeling cold and alone
I guess I'm lucky, I smile a lot
But sometimes I wish for more than I've got...

Chorus

What about me?
What about me?
What about....me?

         Anybody inclined to listen to music and discern a meaning from the lyrics tends to habitually apply that meaning to reality. Certain lyrics bring back certain memories and for some of us a cry of "That's my Song," can be heard when a certain song comes on.

         "What About Me," by The Moving Pictures is my song. Way back in 1981 I threw a party. During this party we passed along a slam book for everyone to fill out. One page in the slam book instructed the reader to write their best friends name and dedicate a song to him or her and this song, for me, is what my best friend wrote. I didn't know the song but I made it a point to learn it.

         The title can be self explanatory and even seem a bit selfish. What wouldn't seem selfish when a person just seems to want to know about himself? However, that's not how I view the song. In the other extreme it can seem a person is always ignored or pushed around and wants to know when their turn is.

         I read a little further into it. To me this song is about someone with a life that isn't so bad but just doesn't seem to have enough. A person who feels he or she is giving much more than they are getting and it's sad to say that's how I usually feel about my life. It appears that I'm patting myself on the back but I'm not. Yes, I feel like a giver, and yes I tend to feel overlooked and want my own share of life's fortunes but I don't feel selfish in the least and I never regret giving.

         I do keep looking but I've never found a song that sums up my life and feelings as well as this one.