Lessons from Scatman John

Do you remember this delightful song, Scatman's World by Scatman John? As a kid, I used to be enthralled by its first line, "Everybody's talking / something very shocking / just to keep on blocking what they're feeling inside". So true, isn't it?

But today as I listen to this song, I find these lines from the 2nd verse very meaningful: "[01:38] Everybody's born to compete as he chooses / But how can someone win, if winning means that someone loses?"* Think about it!

"I wanna be a human being, not a human doing. I couldn't keep that pace up if I tried. [01:57]"



On a sadder note, I've found out from YouTube commentators, that this was Scatman's last song before he succumbed to lung cancer (in 1999) from secondhand smoke. With this knowledge, the black and white images, and especially his sudden absence at [02:17] are especially haunting...

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* This quote replaces the Ashlee Simpson one on top-right of the page. That quote is reproduced here for memory's sake: "So what? I'm mixed up. Ya you want me so you're messed up too!" - Ashlee Simpson in Love Me For Me (watch)