Music: Everyone's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)

Musician: Baz Luhrmann
Song: Everyone's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)
Voice: Australian voice actor Lee Perry
Written by Chicago Tribune columnist, Mary Schmich, published on June 1, 1997.
The song was released in 1999 by Baz Luhrmann.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of '97. Wear sunscreen.
If I could offer you 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've 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 are 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 toubles in 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 your's.

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 compliments you receive.
Forget the insults.
If you suceed 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.

Whatever 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.

Brother and sister together we'll make it through.
Someday your spirit 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 they
might be gone for good.
Be nice to your siblings;
they're 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 bridge 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, 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'll 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.

Everybody's free. Everybody's free

I heard this song again a few months back but never really caught the title and I only managed to find time to google it today. It is so true - the lyrics. Pretty applicable to life.

So love yourself and enjoy your life. You have but one life to live it to the fullest, and to be true to yourself. Walking to your own drum beat and not to the constraints of society. Dance. Be free.