Day 131: A song that has a lyric, that if you were one of those people that tattooed song lyrics on themselves, you would seriously consider.
“I Should Be Allowed To Think” – They Might Be Giants
I’m not sure I understand the purpose of today’s challenge. (My current consumption of DayQuil could be hindering that understanding, but I doubt it.) Because, if you were the type of person that tattooed song lyrics on themselves, you’d have probably already done it. And if you’re not, you probably haven’t considered it at all.
Since I have never really understood the draw of tattoos, I definitely fall into the latter category. I have no problem with people getting them, I just don’t get why you would want to.
If I wanted to be snarky, I could say something like “The Brazilian” or “Feels So Good.” (They’re instrumentals.) But that wouldn’t really fulfill the challenge, now, would it?
Not familiar with a song I’ve mentioned?
Click 
above to hear samples
and purchase songs.
My original thought was to choose the chorus lyrics from “She’s An Angel” by They Might Be Giants, simply because I like them.
Does it mean you have to throw your body off a building?
Somewhere they’re meeting on a pinhead
Calling you an angel, calling you the nicest things
I heard they had a space program
When they sing you can’t hear, there’s no air
Sometimes I think I kind of like that and
Other times I think I’m already there
The catch being that they would be printed on a tattoo the size of a pinhead. (It’s the whole angel thing.)
Again, not really meeting the requirement.
So I started going through lyrics that I find quotable. And I came upon a set from “I Should Be Allowed To Think”:
If, by random whim, one occurs to me.
I remember writing this on my whiteboard at work many years ago, because they struck a chord with me. My boss came in and had no idea what to make of it.
At the time, I was still relatively young, and you always had people who didn’t want to listen to you, and plenty more who wouldn’t take you seriously even if they did. So they seemed sort of fitting then. Almost like a mini protest.
But as I think more about it, there really is something there. It’s not about saying something stupid (although it could mean that). It’s about being able to speak freely. Ideas should be shared; people shouldn’t be afraid to speak up; creativity shouldn’t be stifled. This is especially important in the workplace. Too often, that is the case (thankfully, though, not in mine). It could even be taken as an argument for First Amendment rights. Because it’s important in a democracy, too.
So is that why I chose it?
No.
I chose it more because it still strikes me as funny in a way. And I also find the concept of your tattoo (which could be seen as a sounding board in and of itself) stating you should be allowed to say what you want amusing. Kind of ironic and redundant all at the same time.
But that could just be the DayQuil talking.