Wise men (and women) say…

Don’t ask me why, but for nearly twenty of the forty years I’ve kept a daily calendar, on the last day of each month, I filled the empty day boxes with a song lyric that I thought best summarized what happened in the world - or in my world, or both - during that month.

When I pulled those old calendars out recently, I noticed that many of the lyrics I’d chosen were either inspirational, motivational, proverbial or could have made excellent fortune cookie fortunes. So, out of context, some might find these song lyrics may serve as “words to live (or not to live) by.”

I’m guessing it’s better not knowing the songs from which these came, but you’re smart folk, so you’ll probably figure all of them out (but in case you don’t and you’re interested, they’re identified in small print at the bottom).

Here, then, an A to Z of monthly messages to myself, in chronological order by song. Maybe you’ll be inspired to come up with a few of your own.

a. “There isn’t an ocean too deep.” (1963)

b. “They say that all good things must end someday.” (1964)

c. “You don’t learn everything there is to know at school.” (1965)

d. “It’s a hard world to get a break in.” (1965)

e. “A taste of honey’s worse than none at all.” (1967)

f. “Every road has got to end somewhere.” (1968)

g. “It’s you that decides.” (1970)

h. “Being lost is worth the coming home.” (1971)

i. “Yesterday today was tomorrow, and tomorrow today will be yesterday.” (1975)

j. “Love so distant and obscure remains the cure.” (1976)

k. “If dreams came true, oh, wouldn’t that be nice?” (1978)

l. “It’s up to you – it surely can be done.” (1978)

m. “As soon as you get it, you want something new.” (1979)

n. “You’ve been working too hard and that’s a fact.” (1980)

o. “Nobody owes you nothing.” (1980)

p. “Talk is cheap when the story is good.” (1981)

q. “This ain’t no never-never land.” (1981)

r. “If everybody wants you, why isn’t anybody calling?” (1982)

s. “Why don’t they do what they say, say what they mean?” (1983)

t. “You could fly if you’d only cut loose.” (1984)

u. “It’s time we all reached out for something new.” (1984)

v. “Hummala bebhuhla zeebuhla boobuhla hummala bebhuhla zeebuhla bop!“ (1985)

w. “With just a little perseverence you can get things done.” (1985)

x. “So much has happened, but nothing has changed.” (1985)

y. “What’s it gonna take to make a dream survive?” (1985)

z. “You can listen as well as you hear.” (1989)




a. “I Will Follow Him,” Little Peggy March; b. “A Summer Song,” Chad & Jeremy; c. “Laugh Laugh,” The Beau Brummels; d. “It’s My Life,” The Animals; e. “I Second That Emotion,” Smokey Robinson & the Miracles; f. “End of Our Road,” Gladys Knight & the Pips; g. “Run of the Mill,” George Harrison; h. “Stones,” Neil Diamond; i. “Ding Dong Ding Dong,” George Harrison; j. “All By Myself,” Eric Carmen; k. “Prove It All Night,” Bruce Springsteen; l. “Le Freak,” Chic; m. “It’s All I Can Do,” The Cars; n. “Take Your Time (Do It Right,” The S.O.S. Band; o. “Boulevard,” Jackson Browne; p. “Take It on the Run,” REO Speedwagon; q. “Centerfold,” The J. Geils Band; r. “Gloria,” Laura Branigan; s. “One Thing Leads to Another,” The Fixx; t. “Footloose,” Kenny Loggins; u. “Purple Rain,” Prince; v. “Just a Gigolo/I Ain’t Got Nobody,” David Lee Roth; w. “Never Surrender,” Corey Hart; x. “You Belong to the City,” Glenn Frey; y. “Alive and Kicking,” Simple Minds; z. “The Living Years,” Mike & the Mechanics.

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