Learning Curve - Behind the Song
Here’s a chance to feel what you are made of. Try to keep your nerve; it’s a learning curve.
This song is really a mash-up of two separate experiences.
Firstly, for much of my teens to early adulthood I disguised my avoidance of the things I feared as virtuous choices. Much of it was the fear of losing control and it's hard to remember how much I managed to convince myself otherwise.
And secondly, as a teenager, I had the usual unrealistic view of what "old age" really meant. I vividly recall realising that I would be 38 in the year 2000 and feeling disappointed that I would probably be too "old" to really make the most of the moment; I was spectacularly wrong.
This song is a mix of both of these concepts. A reflection on finding myself in situations I had never expected; and in some cases had actively avoided in the past. And of course, it turned out that there was nothing to be afraid of after all.
Lyrics
From the life he lived, so conservative, the fear of flying
To experiences and the differences he used to hide from
He thought by Y2K, he’d just be old and grey
A life so limited by constructs in his head
But now he’s here today, he’s got new games to play
Welcome to the world you were avoiding
Welcome to the side you tried ignoring
Welcome to the life you were afraid of
Here’s a chance to feel what you are made of
Try to keep your nerve
It’s a learning curve
Now the shoe is put on the other foot
And he’s still walking
Like he knew the words from the things he heard
But now he’s talking
He thought by 38 that it would be too late
He would have seen the best and what was left was less
But now he’s here today, he’s got new games to play
Welcome…