It's hard to believe I waited until Part III to get to a John Mellencamp song. It will not be the only mention he gets - he has too many good song lyrics.
In fact, I'm going to reference two of them right now. First, these lyrics from the song The Real Life were the ones I actually used when I wrote some friends to tell them I was changing careers a few years ago:
Jackson Jackson [William Streff] was a good kid
He had four years of college and a bachelor's degree
Started workin' when he was 21
Got fed up and quit when he was 43
He said, "My whole life I've done what I'm supposed to do
Now I'd like to maybe do something for myself
And just as soon I figure out what that is
You can bet your life I'm gonna give it hell!"
He says
I want to live the real life
I want to life my life close to the bone
Just because I'm middle-aged that don't mean
I want to sit around my house and watch TV
I want the real life
I want to live the real life
I still don't understand why Mellencamp left that song off of his greatest hits CD years ago. Anyway, the next one is from an anthem for the ages, Check It Out. Similar to The Real Life, it's about letting time slip away, but in this case also regretting not doing something about it:
A million young poets, screamin' out their words
To a world full of people just livin' to be heard
Future generations, ridin' on the highways that we built
I hope they have better understanding
Check it out
Goin' to work on Monday
Got yourself a family
All utility bills have been paid
Can't tell your best buddy that you love him
Check it out
Where does our time go
Got a brand new house in escrow
Sleepin' with your back to your loved one
This is all that we've learned about happiness
Check it out
Get too drunk on Saturdays
Play football with the kids on Sundays
Soarin' with the eagles all week long
And this is all that we've learned about living
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