4 Non Blondes - What's Up

What's Up - 4 Non Blondes

While listening to the radio this morning, I heard this song and it brought some powerful memories for a woman who as an almost middle-age student took a theatre and had to do a lip-sync.  Most of the class was made of traditional age students and this made her more  anxious.  She just new they were all wondering and not in a positive way what she would do.  They didn't know much about her and the lip-sync was at the end of the semester so she was really surprised that they were surprised at her song choice.

Before the actual lip-sync day she wore headphones and listened to the song over and over.  She lip-synced the song over and over.  

On the day of the performance she was confident.  She knew that she was ready.  She tried to be the first performer because she wanted to get it done and over with but she ended up being second.  She knew she would get a good grade in the class so she wasn't concerned about that but she was curious about what the young students would say.  

After her performance, a young male student who she partnered with for several assignments said with a smile to her as she walked past him, "Where did that come from?" She smiled and said, "I told you that I was with-it."  He told her that she must have watched the video a million times because she nailed it.  She told him that she only watched it twice and then she sweetly added, "I'm from that generation so it's all natural."

And, here she is today feeling that the song lyrics still fit her and she is still trying to get up that great big hill of hope.  She is a bit wiser now and she knows that life will always trying to get up that great big hill of hope and that is okay with her.

Lyrics to Whats UP? by 4 Non Blondes

25 years and my life is still
Trying to get up that great big hill of hope
For a destination

I realized quickly when I knew I should
That the world was made up of this brotherhood of man
For whatever that means

And so I cry sometimes when I'm lying in bed
Just to get it all out, what's in my head
And I, I am feeling a little peculiar

And so I wake in the morning and I step outside
And I take deep breath and I get real high
And I scream from the top of my lungs
What's goin' on?

And I say hey, hey
I said hey, what's goin' on?
And I say hey, hey
I said hey, what's goin' on?

And I try, oh my God do I try
I try all the time
In this institution

And I pray, oh my God do I pray
I pray every single day
For a revolution

And so I cry sometimes when I'm lying in my bed
Just to get it all out, what's in my head
And I, I am feeling a little peculiar

And so I wake in the morning and I step outside
And I take a deep breath and I get real high
And I scream from the top of my lungs
What's goin' on?

And I say hey, hey
I said hey, what's goin' on?
And I say hey, hey
I said hey, what's goin' on?

And I say hey, hey
I said hey, what's goin' on?
And I say hey, hey
I said hey, what's goin' on?

25 years and my life is still
Trying to get up that great big hill of hope
For a destination

Songwriters
Linda Perry

Published by
SONY/ATV HARMONY;STUCK IN THE THROAT