Oh, the Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss book cover
My favorite graduation speech is not actually a speech at all. It is a delightful book written by Dr. Seuss when he was 87. It’s entitled: Oh, the Places You Will Go.
Although I’m not yet 87, and I am never going to be as wise as Dr. Seuss, I’d like to share a few lines I’ve written as advice for graduates.
Oy, The People You Will Meet
Congratulations, today is your graduation day, Over the next few years you’ll meet some fascinating people along the way.
Happy or sad you can choose to be,
It’s the quality of your relationships that will set you free,
Some people will be interesting,
Some will be nice,
Some will treat you cold as ice.
Some people you’ll meet will love to compete,
Don’t be afraid
It’s them you may defeat.
Some will become friends
You can learn to get along great
Nothing better than to collaborate.
Some will have so many ideas
They will drive you nuts.
Others will cherish the rules
And refuse to accept any
“Ifs, ands, or buts.”
So get out there and meet every type!
But beware of the ones with too much hype
Or blame you for their lousy state,
Or want to get high with you on the very first date.
Or dare you to do things, cause “you’ll never get caught”
Or shame you and make feel like toxic waste…
You get the point, the ones who leave you with a bitter taste.
So next time you’re in a coffee shop or bar,
Put your damn phone down and look around.
Say “Hello!” with a smile.
Your future bestest might have just walked in from afar.
The Music Remembers
I love creating playlists on my Spotify. One of the best features is that they suggest new songs that would possibly be good additions to the list. As I click these, the memories flood back. My mind works so that music can take me back right to the moment when I first heard the song or to a moment when the song really spoke to me. Here are a few examples:
When Doves Cry by Prince: My son Dan is taking me as a birthday present to hear Prince in Pontiac. I’m about 60 at the time and probably one of the oldest people in the arena. Prince is parading on a stage high above the seats. I didn’t know him all that well, but I was transfixed by his performance.
Super Fly by Curtis Mayfield: I actually knew the real actor who played Super Fly in the movies. His name was Ron O’Neill, and I met him through my involvement with American theater groups in the 60s. Ron was not a badass, but he played one extremely well in the movies.
I Want You Back by The Jackson 5 (or almost all of their early songs): I am back at PS145 in Harlem where I’m teaching. I can’t remember why but my friend Harvey Silver and I decided to put on a play called, Faces in Black. We worked with at least 30 elementary school kids to put on this massive production of singing and dancing. Of course, Harvey and I knew very little about what we were doing, but we had a great time. The Jackson 5 was constantly playing in the background, and the kids continually sang it throughout the rehearsals and in the play.
Fingertips by Stevie Wonder: It’s 1964 and I’m in high school in Ferndale, Michigan, just across 8-mile road from Detroit. A bunch of us have gone to The Motown Review where we see almost every Motown act including The Supremes, The Temptations, and The Marvelettes for a song or two. Little Stevie Wonder came out singing Fingertips and a few other songs. When it was time to leave, he kept running back to sing another song finally, they had to get his manager out there and a few other people to pull them off so they could go on to the next act.
Mainstreet by Bob Seger: We’re at Cobo Hall in Detroit around 1977. It’s the beginning of the concert and we got to get up to cheer the song Mainstreet. I feel a wish of cold coming down my back and turn around to realize that the man behind me had spilled his 16-ounce beer down my back. A few years later, I’m in my office on Ann Street near Main Street. Someone comes in to inform us that our office used to be the Clint Club, a raunchy bar in downtown Ann Arbor. He tells us that this was the bar that Bob Seger was describing in the song. Originally the song was going to be titled Ann Street until the record company insisted it be changed to Mainstreet. We actually found a sign in the basement for the Clint Club. My friend, Jeff McDonald, who was a little raunchy himself, loved to take me to the Clint Club. I don’t ever recall seeing Bob Seger there. But who knows?
What memories does music bring up for you? I would like to include them in a future post, please share them with me by emailing me at rob@robpasick.com