Lyrics

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
Oh nevermind
You will not understand
The power and beauty of your youth
Until they have faded.
But trust me, in 20 years
You’ll look back at photos of yourself
And recall in a way you can’t grasp now
How much possibility lay before you
And how fabulous you really looked.
You’re not as fat as you imagine.

Don’t 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 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing everyday that scares you

Sing
Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts
Don’t put up with people
Who are reckless with yours

Floss

Don’t waste your time on jealousy;
sometimes you’re ahead,
sometimes you’re behind
the race is long, and in the end,
it’s 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

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know
What you want to do with your life
The most interesting people I know
Didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do
With their lives,
Some of the most interesting 40 year olds
I know still don’t

Get plenty of calcium.
Be kind to your knees,
you’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t,
Maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t
Maybe you’ll divorce at 40,
Maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken
On your 75th wedding anniversary
What ever you do,
Don’t congratulate yourself too much
Or berate yourself either
Your choices are half chance,
So are everybody else’s.
Enjoy your body, use it every way you can
Don’t be afraid of it,
Or what other people think of it,
It’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own

Dance,
Even if you have nowhere to do it
But in your own living room

Read the directions,
Even if you don’t follow them.

Do NOT read beauty magazines,
They will only make you feel ugly

Get to know your parents,
You never know when they’ll be gone for good

Be nice to your siblings;
They are the 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 bridge the gaps
In geography in 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 you’ll fantasize
That when you were young prices were reasonable
Politicians were noble
And children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don’t 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

Don’t 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 it’s worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen
Legend

Meaning

.

Vocabulary

For good

Permanently
Marta thought her mother was gone for good

reckless

actions: without care
Pam's reckless drinking was a worry to her family