Jim Flannery - Wisdom

Tell me your story, if it's not rude to ask
You seem like you'd know from all the years passed
What questions should I ask to learn what will be missed
Like what do you regret most doing and how how'd you handle raising kids?
I feel like there's an absence, of value to our people
The older they get, the more that they're cared for
But are they cared about? It's their wisdom I'm after
Hearing their stories, and connecting with laughter
After so many years spent being productive
It feels like our elders are dismissed, separated, and shut in
The obvious procedure, for aging and growing
Is to pass on knowledge and graciously accepting
How is it reasonable to think I know more
Than anyone who arrived to this planet before
I'd like to think I'm smart from what I've read and experienced
Yet I source from accumulated knowledge and have an unfulfilled yearning
To know and see everything, from standing on the shoulders of giants I trust
If we don't engage with our elders, their central nervous system will rust
I know the imagery may be dreary
So why do the halls of nursing homes feel like machinery
A system of systems that shuffle humans around
Ignoring their humanity till they're put in the ground
Are we all destined to be data blips, getting our food on a conveyor
When it appears that our ancestors, knew a way better
I've seen a sadness and despair in our health care facilities
That doesn't belong at the finish line of the living
I may just be cynical, from seeing our elders get trapped without love
But if we truly value people, we wouldn't treat them like junk
Can they not participate, have we forgotten they're citizens?
My grandma could barely walk but still she babysitted
And she crushed crosswords and Jeopardy
With a calmness and ease
Why didn't I ask more questions
Or help her to escape
How do we learn where we come from
And understand our paths
When families keep secrets
And those who reveal them are branded outcasts
The truth is hard to find when it's contained in our heads
And sadly this knowledge is buried with the dead
When I think of those I've learned from, I have to admit
It's from those who I admire, like Martin, Malcolm, Judi, and David
I can't neglect my parents, uncles, aunts, sister, and brothers
What I've learn from observations from all those who're older
Plus Feynman, Newton, and don't forget Einstein
Why didn't Sandler include him in his songs, is it cause his name doesn't rhyme?
These people are like heroes, why would they lose their ability
To continue to contribute, like age is a disability
While we're on the topic of excluding humans
Don't neglect those labelled disabled who are forcibly shut in
Many healthy people who are locked in these facilities
Are being forcibly drugged against their own wishes
I hear phrases like quality of care replace quality of life
I can't imagine my quality of love if I was told I'm too old to live with my wife
I'd rather live in the community than be cast out of my home
I've never seen animals force other animals to be alone
And who would I be to control someone whose lived twice or three times as long
When I can hardly pick the best words that they make like in a song
How could I dictate where they should live
When they may enjoy their neighbors or prefer to sit and read their pages
To what extent are we exchanging safety and security
For a life of hidden misery, that we never have to see
Like a retirement home is a haunted house on an island off the Cape
Where you're tortured with boredom, isolation, and pain
And if you've got a symptom they can give you something
So who the fuck owns my grandma when these decisions get made
It all seems disturbing, if we cannot trust
The ocean of people who came before us
Who can still play the drums well beyond the time
When their dance is done, they can still pound without needing to rhyme
So why dye your hair, to hide that you're aging
Grey is a celebration of wisdom, not something that's faded
Though don't take my advice, if you prefer the way you made it
And if you've got none left, then fuck it, sorry to sound jaded
I'm exhausted is all, I'm sorry if you can relate it
Feels unfair being a person admitting he hates that
I'm constantly needing to prove myself worthy
To make my own decisions and be considered a person

Written by:
Jim Flannery

Publisher:
Lyrics © O/B/O DistroKid, Songtrust Ave

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