All the folks expressing that they were "too late" to appreciate the advice given in this song. Most of these folks comment they are in their 30's, I'm here to tell you you are NOT OLD. one day you will be. You aren't yet, you are just grown. Its ok, there is still time to take control of your life. There is always time while we are here on this earth to appreciate the blessing it is to experience life. None of us make it out in the end, but what you decide to do with that time in between is up to you. Keep your chin up, we got this
I'm 33. Feels like the start of something big :) If I choose for it to be so. First 33 years I learned who I am, now to take a little control over who I want to be.
This is going to be hard to write, even though its to complete strangers on the internet. I hears a few seconds of this on the radio at work, and remembered it from high school, I'm 32 years old now. On the drive home I decided to look it up and listen to the entire song again. I was not prepared for it whatsoever. It struck something in me that I wasn't aware existed, it devastated me. I cried like I never have in my entire life, with the exception of the birth of my daughter. I thought I knew what he meant about enjoying your youth. While at the time I may have understood it better than some kids my age, but I found out how little that actually was today. I sobbed like a baby for over 30 minutes as I attempted numerous times to listen to it again, never making it more than a few sentences in before breaking down. This has affected me like nothing I could ever have imagined. I know there are probably hundreds of channels this is on, but this happens to be the one I clicked on. So thank you very much for posting this. While it hurt very badly, it was the kind of hurt that was needed. I needed to feel that in order to wake me the fuck up out of the nightmare where I think that its too late to do the things I once dreamed of. I didn't even realize how unhappy with myself I was. Now that I do at least it gives me the opportunity to do something about it.
***** Dan, hello from a fellow 32 year old who also remembered this speech from his youth and randomly happened upon this iteration of it on youtube. I had a reaction almost identical to yours, and then happened upon your comment... gave me goosebumps. I hope you're doing well. :)
***** The race is long, and in the end, its only with yourself. I get your reaction Dan, I'm 35 and I'm still travelling, moving from City to City, landing stable jobs and missing out on being with my family and friends in Chicago. My race has been a journey and adventure, but I feel I'm missing out on getting to know my family better. Yup, this is an eye opener and tears flowed as this video was ending. I think it is time to fill in the gaps. So, whatever it is you haven't accomplish do it and enjoy every second, minute, hour, day, week, month and year you do it. :)
I am 32 too, and I believe listening to this song on the radio when I was solving algebra equations. I had big dreams for myself, but I also had lots of insecurities and self-doubt. Achieved most of what I aimed for, had many failures too. Still have sown insecurities and self-doubt. This song is timeless, I love it. I dug for it a year ago, through I struggled with remembering the name, and I listen to it every now and then.
Even moreso when you’re older. In my mid 40s and so grateful for my bff of 35 years. We remind each other of things we forget and enjoy reliving our fun memories together. Nothing like those friends when we were young.
Same. 28 here, I think we're on that age gap where everyone went on and set up their own lives (myself included), so losing touch is only natural. But your head doesn't change all that much anymore, and losing touch means that now those connections that you had in your head lead to nowhere. I'm so very grateful for the friends I've kept.
+Pitsa Puma take this advice, It's the best. I am 39 and I had just graduated and now, I look back. "Dance, even if you have no where to do it". Trust, the sunscreen.
My son just passed. And I thought of this. I heard years ago. I am 66 and it gives me thought and peace A life to short. His mother made him wear sunscreen.
From one hurting mother to another hurting mother that lost my son too 💔 I send you a great big hug ! God give you peace and strength that surpasses all understanding! ❤🙏
I loved this when I was a teenager. I am amazed that I absorbed a lot of this. I sing, I dance, I wear sunscreen, I take care of my knees, I don’t dye my hair. I’ve lived in both New York and California (both for short periods of time) and I feel like I’m a mix of hard & soft: I still have no idea what to do with my life. I’m still unmarried. I love my body. I’m not even that old but, damn, life has been intense! The older I get, the more impressed I am by people who make it to 40, 50, or 75 with their lives & sanity intact. Keep going everyone!
I'm 15, just started high school and on this fine Saturday morning my mom told me to look this up telling me "Keep it in mind, it would help you in the future" and well she was right. I'm the type of person who worrys for the future and wants to always be prepared in any type of way. But as I was listening to this I was thinking, maybe sometimes it's good to take a break and just be in the moment, I'm so glad my mom showed me this. I hope everyone's day goes amazing!!
Your mom is a great mom for having you listen to this ❤ I heard it when I was 10 in 1997 and I have made life decisions based on some of this advice. It's served me well.
I'm 43 I was 23 when this came out. 20 yrs where'd time to, and this song is so profound. Enjoy your 20s because in the blink of an eye they become a distant memory.
"Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, don't put up with people who are reckless with yours." I wish I'd remembered that one a couple years ago.
When I heard this song in 1997 I was 19 years old. The world at my feet. However, I realized then already the impact of this song and that one day, when I'm much older, I would hear this song again and I would be faced with the truth in the lyrics. One day you're 19, you wake up again and you are 39. Do I make ANY sense at all...?
A V 30 now, feels like it’s only been 7 day since I was 16. High school and college still the most fun filled memories I own. Now I see kids reaching high school and college, and reality hits home that it’s an end of an era for me.
Heard this few years ago, listening to it again on my 27th birthday and marking 1:40 as one of the best lines I listened for this season of my life and be reminded everytime someone likes this comment.
Young people, I am 60yrs old so I know about life. When you listen to the lyrics to this song, I wan't you to realize that everything he says is a total fact. Learn while you are young so that when your old like me, you won't have any regrets. I know that young people think we don't know a damn thing, but seriously why do you think tribal people and Indians make the oldest person the leader or the chief. Enjoy every moment because in the blink of an eye, you to will be old. Life can be hard, but know the day you were born your fate for the rest of your life is already decided. Good Luck :)
it's comforting to see people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s all coming to this comment section to tell their stories. i'm turning 19 in october and have been worrying about my future for the last 3 years. i've always felt like my time is running out. i've never had a real job, never had a serious relationship, never graduated high school. i have no idea what i want to do with my life and i certainly do not wear enough sunscreen maybe i'll come back to this video in a few years and laugh at how silly my worries are. at least i hope i will
We were played this song 7 years ago when we left college by our form tutor who happened to be an English Teacher. I'd like to believe it touched each of us, and like you, I play it a few times a year just to give life a bit of context again.
Leave a comment because when a person like my comment I got a chance to listen this masterpiece 👌👌 I am not good in English language but this song touch my heart
I took the sunscreen advice to heart. Using 100 SPF sunblock with near perfect consistency since my early 20’s. I’m 38 and my skin looks 10 years younger.
End of my sophomore year, my chemistry teacher played this cuz we had some seniors in our class who were graduating, and she played this. The other kids were giggling and I was just sitting there like "damn, this hits deep."
You know you will never fully understand this song until you're older, married or not, and an adult. No insult intended, but it's something that you can never what he's saying, or understand, until you go through it.
This was always the song that my mother and I just found ourselves listening to in the car. I still remember her voice singing to the lyrics and where we were. How grey the sky looked and how bright she glowed. She would always tell me to follow the advice even if it was hard.. She passed away not too long ago and I just stumbled upon this song again.
Rather than mourning why don't you embrace the new you? There's much more you can do now which you couldn't have even dreamt of while you were younger. There's more possibilities ahead than any of that you left behind or were forced to leave behind. Best wishes.
I'm the same. It's awful. Apart from the obvious things like looks and opportunities, all the people being nice to you for no reason, just because you're young. For a while, you're too young to enter the clubs - then before you know it, too old. And a point comes where you have to make an effort just to look 'okay'.
@@Jimmy911ism LOL, used to love going to clubs in my teens and 20s. Fortunately I have younger siblings and looked young for a while, so much so I was able to hang out with them and our friends and get into clubs into my mid 30s. But it was different. When I was in my teens/20s, I was definitely looking for a hookup (which was hit or miss) and dressed "young"--the music and experience was magical too and the cheap drinks and beers flowed all night. In my 30s, we attended the more "sophisticated" clubs which meant dressing up the nines and sipping on fancy cocktails or craft beers at an expensive Vegas venue, or enjoying a view on a high rise rooftop or enjoying a live indy band play in an intimate venue, a speakeasy, etc. Now at almost 40, going to a club sounds awful in so many ways (Covid restrictions aside, there's so much else to see and do--and I get tired sooner :). Plus we are all getting busier as people have started getting married and having kids, and buying houses and moving away. Glad I enjoyed it though. Good times. Agree on the trying to look ok part 👌 as we age. It's harder to do especially the keeping the weight off, lol. Also people are mean no matter the age. I used to think people were meaner as I got older, but hey I was bullied in school too, sooo... Some things change only by a few degrees. Now the bullies are the bosses or co-workers depending on where one works.
Get to know your parents, you never know when they will be gone for good...... that line just gets me right in the heart. My mum who is 74 has been so ill this last 12 months and has to live in a nursing home now, my dad who is 79 can't cope on his own and is also not well. Trust me and listen to what he says about getting to know your parents. Life's hard watching them become so ill and I wish I had given them more of my attention when they were younger instead of just taking it for granted that they were there to visit once a week or so. I spend as much time as I can with them now and feel that I've reconnected but there's a lot of wasted years that we can't get back. Phone ur parents now and tell them that u love them. u never know how many times that you will get that opportunity!!
such nice words jonny you couldn't be more right I lost my granddad a few days ago and even though we spent time together recently I cant help but regret the times I have missed in the past :(,.... best wishes to you and you parents I wish them the best of health and yourself X
Trust me: that part of the song has far more resonance (and eye-watering capacity) when your parents have "gone".Sad to hear about your mother although if it helps she has lived over 6 years longer than my mother.
Jonny that's a good speech Johnny. Only had you done it any sooner would you have known the good spirit in you, you see how hard it is to fathom this fact now? I mean I wish to all to ring them start a new lease of relations with them , they will find it that they were never the problem to their children , just letting them know that would mean more than the world! Trust me it's never too late ,make contact people
My Mum died on Christmas Day, still coming to terms with her not being around any more. I loved my mum, she made it to my wedding in October of last year. she said she could die happy after that and she slipped away at 12.02am on Christmas morning. God bless you Mum and may you rest in peace. love you 😘 xx
I listened to this song on repeat when my grandpa died and for years I couldn't stomach even listening to the first few bars. Watching again now and of course I'm crying. I knew then the song was talking about how short life was and to associate that with the end of my grandpa's life just gave it that additional profound meaning. RIP Ken Brunton.
I was a graduate of the class of '97. Sixteen years later this "advise" is truer than I ever imagined. Mary Schmich is a hero of mine, so thank you to her and the tribune for printing this advise column!
Approaching my 60th birthday and feeling blessed to live the life I have lived. I listen to this song daily as a reminder of what is important in life and to keep perspective.
I was 34 when I looked at your comment and going on to 35. Probably sit down and listen to this every year and understand the lessons more and more as time goes by.
Same here!! I created a note on my phone with this one as song for my funeral and I hope this will inipre the people the same way it did for me and I'm glad to see not just me ♡♡♡
i listen to this song at least once a week, ive lost a lot over the last 5 yrs, lost my little brother to suicide and a marriage/relationship of 13 yrs with the ability to be around my 3 kids 24/7, i know my problems are nothing compared to others.
It's all so true... I remember when I was twenty something, days would last forever, little things would bother me, argued, and frowned... then all of sudden at 40 something all those little things seem so meaningless, time flies, and all I want to do is live, love, and laugh... while still can... You know, this beautiful piece by the late great Baz Luhrmann may not have much meaning if you're young (and that's perfectly fine), but once you hit 40-50, lost some loved ones, life has given you melons, it sure rings true full of emotions, and even might shed some tears. But it's all good, that's life... "Maybe you marry maybe you wont, maybe you'll have schhildren maybe you wont, maybe you'll divorce at fourty maybe you won't..."
Just randomly heard this on Spotify for the first time and smiled the whole way through. Solid advice from start to finish! Imagine what things would be like if every song was so uplifting and sincere.
Found this gem just a few days ago. I was born in 87. Im 36 now. And by god...these are some solid advice. Have no parents left, have no friends. But I have my beautiful wife and an adorable 2 year old. Listen to song from time to time...its a reality check.
I'm 24 and still don't know what's the purpose of my life. One of my friend recommended me this song and I can relate to every bit of it. The comments section is a great mood lifter apart from the song. As 2020 is about to end and we'll be in 2021 in 2 days, I wish we all enter 2021 with new zeal and enthusiasm and don't take life for granted because you never know when it's gone. Respect your family because they're the ones who'll stick with you in your hard times. Do not waste your youth because it will not come back. LIVE, because you get only one Life - make it a good story. :')
It came out the year I was born, I heard it on the radio at work today, on a quiet Sunday afternoon. It was something I really needed to hear, it made me smile, it's crazy how 20 years on this is still so relevant
This! Enjoy your body...Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it, or what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own!
I First heard this after my life seemed to be in the darkest place imaginable! This very short tribute to everyone's life helped me to understand, that like it or not we are all in this together! I made copies for each of my children, at the time they thought I had truely lost it, today they share it . They get it. life is so short , don't be angry at your neighbor.
My physics teacher played this video for us in our final lesson, you don't know how much you enjoy something until it's gone. Take a moment just to enjoy the people you got a finite amount of time with
I've been listening to this for years. I even send it to my best friends when we all are having problems in life and can't chat for some reason. It means that we're all thinking of each other. And don't forget the sunscreen❤
The first time I heard this I was 21. I’m now 31. And oh my. The lyrics strike me more and more every year. This has more truth than you’ll ever know. In all ways.
graduated high school today...let's just say i have a cool dad that thankfully showed me this song ever since I was little and reminded me to listen to this on the day of
Find yourself, i mean the real you, not the mind most of us identify ourselves with. Find yourself and you will go through the most significant thing that can happen to us, enlightenment. You wont "want" anything once you do. :)
This was released on the radio with class of 97 changed to class of 99 when I was graduating high school. So much great advice. Now I am grown and wish I would have taken at least half of it.
Listening to this song 20+ years later, you realize how true these words are and what great advice this is. I made my 18 yr old listen to this and told her it was probably some of the best advice she'll ever get.
This song takes me bk to when my sons were in middle schools and I was having such a hard time with teachers trying to medicate my son. This is the truth of life! We never get what we thought we’d worked hard to get. We get lessons to open doors to learn what it is each has to grow into or OUT of. Be kind to yourself, make time to be alone with you bc most times people cannot soothe you’re soul when you’re hurting. Be patient with yourself when you make mistakes. Own them and learn from each and every one. They’re yours for a specific reason. Learn grow move on don’t stagnate when someone takes your heart with them. Some only come into your life for a little way. Very few stay forever. Think of how many opportunities you’ll have to learn form someone. Don’t give your heart and body to just anyone.
I'm planning on dancing the funky chicken on my anniversary only because I was older when this came out. (And I convinced my husband that it was the Hungarian dance of love...seriously.) We danced it at our wedding 14 years ago.
I was 12 in 1997 I’m listening to it now I’m 34. Damn when he says in 20 years you will look back and realise the power and beauty of your youth and how much possibility really lay before you. So true looking back 20 years!!!!
For the first time I listened this song about ten years ago and I love it. Recently, in 2020, I found this song again and wow. This advice is getting true; and much more deeper..
My dad used to play this for me. (He’s still around don’t worry.) Now I’m turning 24, stuck in my home because of quarantine, and about to cry my heart out. I know so much of this but I did need to hear it again.
