Lyrics to Live By
By Mr. Koppinger
Here we are at the end of another school year, and at the “anniversary” of this column. I hope that the tips and advice have been useful to everyone and that they have generated some good talking points as the year has gone on.
When I starting putting these together, I had something of an unofficial goal in my mind. I wasn’t trying to avoid popular shows, as evidenced by my pulling from Hamilton (on two occasions) and Dear Evan Hansen. I did, however, want to avoid quoting from any shows by the greatest writing duo of the 20th century, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. The reason why is simply that their lyrics are among some of the most quoted lyrics of any Broadway musical. As the class of 2021 gets ready to leave Center-Stanton behind, however, May’s “lyrics to live by” should be, at the very least, inspirational. And some of Hammerstein’s last lyrics certainly qualify:
“Climb ev’ry mountain, search high and low,
follow every byway, every path you know.
Climb ev’ry mountain, ford every stream,
follow every rainbow ‘til you find your dream—
a dream that will need all the love you can give
every day of your life for as long as you live.”
--“Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” The Sound of Music, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
When I graduated high school, I felt like I had reached the summit of a mountain in a chain of mountains. As I looked ahead, I could see the next challenge…the next goal…the next peak. Much like how mountain paths have their obstacles (ravines, icefalls, areas prone to landslides), life has its obstacles. The Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music knows this fact, and she also knows that it doesn’t just apply to one aspect of life. It’s a significant challenge to life a religious life cloistered in the abbey. It’s also a significant challenge to live a married life with your significant other. In essence, the Mother Abbess is telling Maria to, as a common meme on social media says, “choose your hard.”
In some ways, this is very similar to an old Sawyer Brown hit from the 90’s called “The Dirt Road.” The band uses different imagery—contrasting the “easy street” and the “fast lane” with a dirt road—to express the same idea. Trying to run from your problems is only going to cause you more troubles. So, to the class to 2021 and all of our students I say: tackle your problems! Face your fears! Don’t take the easy way out! Climb that mountain that’s in your way!
Hat’s off to the class of 2021. Best of luck to all of you.