Have you ever listened to a song and thought that you knew what it was about based on a couple of the seemingly blatant lines that stand out only to look at all the lyrics and find that you missed the mark completely?
Take, for example (I always have an example!), “Second Best” by Barenaked Ladies.
"Second Best"
Everything's a lie
We're all gonna die
Before we say goodbye, let's attack
I admit it's bleak
But I give it a week
Until our friends the meek give it back
Is it true? Well it's true enough I guess
Join the chorus of the second best
Second best [several times]
What's left of you that's real
A mutated ideal
With limited appeal, I suggest
If hitting is an art
Then it's drawn us apart
When you erased your heart and beat your chest
Is it you? Well it's you enough I guess
You're an angel in a see-through dress
Is it true, yes it's true enough I guess
Second best [Several times]
Perhaps it's just as well
That I still look like hell
At least the world can tell us apart
Is it true? Yes it's true enough I guess
Come join the chorus of the unimpressed
Is it true, yes it's true enough I guess
Sometimes it's better to be second best
Second best [several times]
It’s obvious that this song is about someone being someone else’s 2nd choice and I, by osmosis, know all the lyrics, but I haven’t really thought of them.
It’s not a lament for being the 2nd in line; it’s a celebration of it. - OR – maybe it’s just what I am reading into it today? Like the Picasso in Daly plaza. Some days it’s the baboon and some days its the mother & child.
I have found myself singing this song to myself every now and again. Yes, even those with plenty positive self esteem have bouts of self pity now and again. The good thing is that when you do have descent self esteem and have these bouts, you realize that it’s silly to feel 2nd best.
It’s amazing how the world opens up when you start to pay attention to it.
And don't get me started on "Tonight's the Night" or "Blister in the Sun"...big hands...I know you're the one!
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