spoken lee perry
ladies and gentlemen of the class of 97
wear sunscreen if i could offer you only one tip for the future sunscreen would be it the long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience i will dispense this advice now
enjoy the power and beauty of your youth or never mind you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded but trust me in 0 years youll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you cant grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked you are not as fat as you imagine
dont worry about the future or worry but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing
bubblegum the real troubles in your life are apt to be things that
never crossed your worried mind the kind that blindside you at 4 pm on some idle tuesday
do one thing every day that scares you
sing
dont be reckless with other peoples hearts dont put up with people who are reckless with yours
floss
dont waste your time on jealousy sometimes youre ahead sometimes youre behind the race is long and in the end its only with yourself
remember the compliments you receive forget the insults if you succeed in doing this tell me how
keep your old love letters throw away your old bank statements
stretch
dont feel guilty if you dont know what you want to do with your
life the most interesting people i know didnt know at what they wanted to do with their lives some of the most interesting 40yearolds i know still dont
get plenty of calcium
be kind to your knees youll miss them when theyre gone
maybe youll marry maybe you wont
maybe youll have children maybe you wont
maybe youll divorce at 40
maybe youll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary
whatever you do dont congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either your choices are half chance so are everybody elses
enjoy your body use it every way you can dont be afraid of it or what other people think of it its the greatest instrument youll ever own
dance even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room
read the directions even if you dont follow them
do not read beauty magazines they will only make you feel ugly
hook
brother and sister
together we’ll make it through
someday our spirits
will take you and guide you there
i know you’ve been hurting
but i’ve been waiting to be there for you
and i’ll be there just helping you out
whenever i can
get to know your parents you never know when theyll be gone for good
be nice to your siblings they are your best link to your past and the
people most likely to stick with you in the future
understand that friends come and go but for the precious few you
should hold on
work hard to the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get the more you need the people you knew when you were young
live in new york city once but leave before it makes you hard
live in northern california once but leave before it makes you soft
travel
accept certain inalienable truths prices will rise politicians will philander you too will get old and when you do youll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable politicians were noble and children respected their elders
respect your elders
dont expect anyone else to support you
maybe you have a trust fund maybe you have a wealthy spouse but you never know when either one might run out
dont mess too much with your hair or by the time you’re 40 it will look 85
be careful whose advice you buy but be patient with those who supply it
advice is a form of nostalgia dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal wiping it off painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than its worth
but trust me on the sunscreen
hook
brother and sister
together we’ll make it through
someday our spirits
will take you and guide you there
i know you’ve been hurting
but i’ve been waiting to be there for you
and i’ll be there just helping you out
whenever i can
everybody’s free
everybody’s free
oh yeah
don’t you fear
Artist: Baz Luhrmann
Year: 1999
Decade: 90s
Language: en
Word Count: 382