Category: Listen

I’m A Vegetarian Now – Video from 1990

Found an old video tape that I recorded in my Antioch College dorm room sometime around winter 1990 (willet 236 I think, the end of the hall on the left). Digitized it and put it on Youtube, why not? This is my ‘hit’, performed at Antioch College coffee houses and part of the ‘Pel Show’ on Star Island, Isles Of Shoals, NH. It’s semi-autobiographical, or really actually pretty much auto-biographical and I’ve been a vegetarian for 17 years now and I still cook Mac & Cheese 🙂

I’m A Vegetarian Now
Now I was raised an all-american kid, I enjoyed all four food groups
an after school snack was a raw hotdog and Chunky Sirloin Burger soup
Ham and cheese sandwich for lunch, steak and potatoes at night
scrambled eggs and sausage and bacon, pepperoni on my pizza slice
and Burger King was a big night out, and steak was the meal of the week
I don’t think there was a day of my youth that went by without eating meat

But then it was off to college, just fresh out of high school
and I was surprised to find out that eating meat wasn’t cool
When people saw meat on my plate, well they just stared and walked away
and no one else ate chicken noodle soup, not even on the rainy days
and no matter what I offered my friends they’d always state out loud..
“I’m sorry Matt, but I can’t eat that, ’cause I’m vegetarian now!”

and I will have no part of, a pig or a chicken or cow
Sorry Matt but I can’t eat that ’cause I’m a vegetarian now!

So I became a vegetarian, and my friends thought that was neat
how hard could it possibly be just to avoid eating meat?
So I starting avoiding meat in the college caf, and it really wasn’t that hard
until someone quietly told me, that they cooked everything with lard
but I went home a meatless son and I was really quite proud
I walked into our meat filled kitchen and said ‘Mom, I’m a vegetarian now’

and I will have no part of, a pig or a chicken or cow
Sorry mom I can’t eat your food, cause I’m a vegetarian now

Well I don’t think my mom was ready for her son would change his diet
“How do you know you don’t like it, if you haven’t tried it?”
I said mom it’s not the taste of your food, I eat for a higher cause
and can you honestly tell me, did you know where that cow was?
it was probably in a small uncomfortable pen, life’s hard for a factory farmed cow
and she said ‘stop right there I don’t think I want to know why you’re a vegetarian now’

and you will have no part of, a pig or a chicken or a cow
your ethics won’t let me eat my food cause you’re a vegetarian now

Well now dad was another story “Now son, you’re eating wrong”
“A man needs lots of good red meat to grow up healthy and strong”
I said “Dad, now what’s your problems? I mean you know this isn’t a joke
and I don’t think you’d be half as upset if I had started to smoke.
I think that liberal arts college of yours has led you astray somehow
keep it a secret in today’s business world if you’re going to be a vegetarian now

“Cause America was built on, eating pigs and chickens and cows
keep it a secret if you’re going to stay one of those vegetarian types now”

Now there is no moral to this story, it’s just my tale for you,
and I’m not trying to tell you what you should or you shouldn’t do
I’ve been a vegetarian for a whole year now and it’s a feat not accomplished with ease
and one of these days I’m going to learn to cook more than Kraft Macaroni & cheese
and I come back to Antioch College with all my friends and pals
and three vegetarian meals each day, cause I’m a vegetarian now
and I will have no part of, a pig or a chicken or a cow
forget all about that kind of food cause I’m a vegetarian now

David Wilcox – Burgundy Heart Shaped Medallion & Four Lane Dance

Over 15 years ago I first heard of David Wilcox and bought 2 of his CDs. Many of his songs ‘spoke’ to me at that time and have since, something about his lyrics and way of thinking meshes with mine. As it turns out he even attended Antioch College in 1976, but I’ve talked about this in an earlier post.

The purpose of this entry is to highlight the lyrics to one short song he wrote and another poem (Which I believe is unreleased) that I have found useful to quote & send these to friends over the years. We all battle with self-image and over-self-analysis and criticism, but it drives me nuts when friends start insulting themselves or undersell their amazing abilities. It also drives me nuts to see people ‘tread water’, where they aren’t moving forward they are just staying in one place in life, not challenging themselves, just ‘floating’… waiting for a sign or something. Well.. to quote the comedy routine of the 90’s, “HERE’S YOUR SIGN!” 🙂

I’ve already sent these to many friends who I felt ‘needed’ them, but this is a pre-emptive strike for the rest of you; “You rock! I and many others are in sheer awe of your amazing self, so drop the self pity, shake the dust off your shoulders, stand tall and go make a difference. You CAN do it! What are you waiting for? GO GO GO!”

Burgundy Heart Shaped Medallion

    If I had a spell of magic
    I would make this enchantment for you
    A burgundy heart-shaped medallion
    With a window that you could look through
    So that when all the mirrors are angry
    With your faults and all you must do
    You could peek through that heart-shaped medallion
    And see you from my point of view

– © David Wilcox on his ‘How Did You Find Me Here?’ album

Four Lane Dance

    The driver right in front of me is making a mistake
    He’s stopping on the entrace ramp, waiting for his break
    The more he hits his break, the bigger break he’s going to need
    When a little break is plenty if he’d just been up to speed

    So I say move and you’ll have your place
    Don’t sit waiting on the human race
    Just go, you got your chance
    You can’t be timid in the four-lane dance

    Oh and now he’s got it parked there and he’s looking back behind
    Pleading out the window, hoping someone might be kind enough
    To stop and wait and hold the traffic flow
    And still he’s not quite confident there’s room for him to go

    So I say move and you’ll have your place
    Don’t sit waiting on the human race
    Just go, you got your chance
    You can’t be timid in the four-lane dance

    The freeway’s just a lesson in the way you drive your dream
    If you think you’ll never make it, well than that’s the way it seems
    But if you thought that it’d be easy, well then easy it wouldbe
    Why just a foot between the bumpers has been room enough for me

    So I say move and you’ll have your place
    Don’t sit waiting on the human race
    Just go, you got your chance
    You can’t be timid in the four-lane dance

– © David Wilcox, unreleased.