This happens to everyone, at some point in their lives.

Or at least, I think it does. It's happened to me. It's happened to everyone I know. Maybe I'm hanging out with the wrong crowd. But at some point I realized that what I was doing, what I wanted to be doing was to live my life - and some of that involved refusing some of the rules set down, following a bad example, doing wrong things to see what happens.

This isn't some "I'm so bad, look at me" idea. It's just that it seems that I never made a conscious choice to live the life I'm living exactly the way I'm living it. I just did what seemed natural. And as a result, some of the things I do are not quite as straight-arrow as possible.

That's just the way it goes.

This is also the title of a song by Jimmy Buffett, from One Particular Harbour (1983). I would imagine he realized this fact at some point in his life, too.

Background Vocals: Rita Coolidge, David Lasley, Arnold McCuller

Dedicated to Ed Polock, whoever he is.

I was supposed to have been a Jesuit priest or a Naval Academy grad.
That was the way that my parents perceived me.
Those were the plans that they had,
But I couldn't fit the part, too dumb or too smart.
Ain't it funny how we all turned out?
I guess we are the people our parents warned us about.

You know I coulda worked the rigs when the money was big,
Or hopped a freighter south to Trinidad.
And when they tried to draft me, I earned a college degree.
Buyin' time 'til things were not so bad.
But then I got a guitar, found a job in a bar.
Playin' acid rock 'til I was numb.
Tell me, where are the flashbacks they all warned us would come?

We are the people they couldn't figure out.
We are the people our parents warned us about.

Hey hey, Gardner McKay,
Take us on the Leaky Tiki with you.
Clear skies bound for Shanghai.
Sailing 'cross the ocean blue (do do do dooo)
So blue. (do do do dooo oooh)
(do do do dooo)
(do do do dooo OOOH)

Now I got quarters in my loafers, tryin' to fight inflation.
When it only used to take a cent.
Sometimes I wish I was back in my crashpad days,
'Fore I knew what cash flow meant.

Seems everybody's joggin' or heavy into health shit.
Don't tell me that I ought to get rolfed,
'Cause I love cajun martinis and playin' afternoon golf.

We are the people, there isn't any doubt.
We are the people they still can't figure out.
We are the people who love to sing "Twist and Shout"
Shake it up, baby!

We are the people our parents warned us about. (do do do dooo)
Id'n' any doubt. (do do do dooo oooh)
Hey, hey, hey, (do do do dooo)
Gardner McKay, (do do do dooo, Gardner McKay)
(do do do dooo)
I wanna sail away today. (do do do dooo oooh)
Isn't any doubt, (do do do dooo)
They warned us about. (do do do dooo oooh)
Hey, hey, hey. (do do do dooo)
C'mon now, Gardner McKay, (do do do dooo oooh)
I wanna sail away today.