Meyer & McGuire
Songwriter Notes
Song
of the Month #19 - “Don’t Sit on the Sidelines”
(Track #10 on the Home
Town CD)
Lyrics: If your web browser does not support the Flash Player* included with the Lyrics, or you are uncomfortable
allowing/downloading the plug-in/add-on, you can still listen to this song
while you read. Just go to our Downloads
Page and click on the
link, “Buy Home Town Songs from Napster”. Then, click on
"Don’t Sit on the Sidelines." You can listen to it for
free (not available outside the USA).
*Not being a
techie, I use the term “Flash Player” loosely.
During
my many years of teaching, I observed an endless number of diverse
personalities in my classroom. Since it
would be nearly impossible to describe them all, and of course unnecessary, I
am going to narrow my focus to two general groups of students. First, there were those kids who were
connected. High school was fun for
them. They enjoyed being around their
teachers and peers, participated in a wide variety of school activities, and
succeeded both in and out of the classroom.
In contrast, there were those students who were somewhat
disconnected. They engaged very little
with anyone on campus, often went home or to work after the school day was
over, and did what they had to do in order to fulfill their high school
requirements. While I enjoyed all of my
students, I developed more of an attraction for the latter group largely
because they sought after me. I believe
this happened merely because I often worked in my room after school, and I was
a good listener.
In
the late 1980s, I met an awesome kid in one of my classes. He was rather quiet and shy, a great artist,
not much into the high school social scene, and not much into English. Ah, the ideal student profile! Anyway, for some reason, he began dropping by
my classroom after school, usually when I was alone. We talked about his art, my music, and just
about everything else under the sun. I
soon noticed this kid, who barely grunted a syllable during class, was becoming
quite the motor mouth after school, and I loved it.
As
the year wore on, he fell in love with a girl who sat next to him in my English
class, and of course, she became the topic of many of our conversations. Through his casual chats with her in class,
he learned all about her family, friends, activities, likes and dislikes, etc. Every time he talked about her, I could feel
the excitement in his voice, and I knew he was dying to take this friendship
beyond the brief chitchat sessions that occurred between them. So, since I thought this young lady was
pretty cool myself, I asked him when he was going to ask her to get together
and do something outside of school.
Well, you would have thought I had asked him when he was going to turn
in his twenty page term paper. He went
through a long list of several lame excuses before he finally got around to
telling me he was simply too afraid she would say no. Since fear of rejection was one of the
dominating themes of my own adolescent years, I decided to share with him my
one big conclusion regarding this topic.
When
fear keeps you from learning the truth, you leave yourself wondering what might
have been. If you overcome your fear and
pursue reality, it may be elating or painful, but regardless of the outcome, at
least you can move on with your life without having any doubts. Putting it simply, the truth always sets you
free. When I conveyed this little
thought to my young friend, I made it clear to him I did not come to this
conclusion over night. I let him know I
had been in his shoes several times throughout my teenage and young adult life,
and several times I let fear keep me from pursuing some potential
relationships. I also let him know that
to this very day, I occasionally still wonder what might have been.
Well,
I wish I could tell you my little pep talk brought about great results, but
unfortunately, it went nowhere. My friend
never pursued that sweet little girl who sat next to him in class. He had an opportunity to ask her to the soph
hop, but he let it pass. Later in the
school year, she started dating an upper classman, and eventually, she
disappeared from our list of conversation topics. Although their relationship never got off the
ground, their story remains welded in “Don’t Sit on the Sidelines.”
One afternoon at the end of the school day, I sat by
the window in my classroom wondering about the relationship that never
happened. I thought about the little pep
talk I had with my friend, and in the midst of my thinking, the words “pain”
and “gain” appeared in my mind. They
became the first two end rhymes in the bridge of “Don’t Sit on the
Sidelines.” When I finished the bridge
of the song, the theme, losing is better than not trying at all, was ready for
a story to support it. (For those of you
who are unfamiliar with songwriting, the bridge of a song is the part that
differs from the pattern set up in the verses and chorus. It is used for many reasons; in this song, it
is used to present the theme. Usually
the bridge of a song is written after the verses and chorus have been created, but
that did not happen in this case.)
Anyway, with the bridge written, I composed a story of details
reflecting the idea presented in the bridge.
The story is pure fiction, but I’ll bet the ranch the thoughts of the
characters in the song come real close to the thoughts of my friend and the
girl who sat next to him in my English class.
“Don’t Sit on the Sidelines” is pure Americana. It is a sensitive folk ballad that has the
potential to evoke two contrasting emotions.
First, it sadly reminds the listener of the many chances that he or she
has not taken. Conversely, in an uplifting
manner, it encourages the listener to take chances because risk-taking
inevitably leads to the truth. The
sensitivity of this song is enhanced with just the simplicity of my voice,
guitar, and Joe Dady’s violin. The
verses, containing only my voice and guitar, are augmented when Joe deftly
brings his violin into the choruses and bridge.
He plays the violin on three tracks, having them in harmony with each
other. It sounds like an orchestra! It’s awesome!
You owe it to yourself to give it a listen! Hope you have time to check it out! I like it, and I hope you do, too.
I dedicated this song to all those
students who made me their confidant.
For me, there were many rewarding aspects of teaching, but nothing ever topped
the opportunity to be able to sit with a kid in the late afternoon and talk
about things that really mattered. Over
the years, in phone calls, letters, and one-on-one conversations, many students
have thanked me for spending time with them after school. When I in turn thanked them, they were often
confused. They did not realize how
grateful I was to have those moments with them.
You see, those moments verified my purpose in life. So often, people struggle to find meaning and
purpose for their existence, and when it comes right down to it, the moments we
spend with others is really the answer.
Well, my English teaching career is
over, but my music career still continues, and it creates a lot of
opportunities for me to spend time with people.
For me, whether the setting is a coffee shop or a tavern, having a long
conversation about the things that matter, still ranks number one on my list of
things to do. If I haven’t already
hooked up with you somewhere, I hope we get the chance to chat sometime!
I recorded this song in 1993 at The Garage, a little
studio in Rochester, New York. The
Garage, as I have told you before, is owned and operated by John and Joe Dady,
two quintessential musicians. When you
record with them, you can always count on great coffee, good stories, and an
aching stomach from laughing. I highly
recommend John and Joe if you are interested in recording. Also, The Dady Brothers, John and Joe’s
group, have many recordings of their own, and they tour the United States and
Ireland. Check them out on the web at www.dadybros.com.
Well,
there you have it. I’ll have another
song of the month for you next month. If
you have any comments or suggestions, please pass them on to me. This is a work in progress, and I am always
looking for new ways to improve it.
(E-Mailed 10/18/08)
E-mail us at McRiley@Frontiernet.net