Minnesota  Hat  

Do not sit your hands, get up onto your feet

Start living a little – don’t admit defeat.

Do not look in the mirror, don’t stare at the rain

Or count hairs on your hands – you will go insane.

Get up off the floor and start engaging with life,

It isn’t a practice, it won’t happen twice.

Wake up – it’s the morning, get yourself out of bed

Leave the dreaming till your older or you’re lying half dead.

Throw out the spiders brush the webs away

And savour the appeal of each new day.

Get up and start living and try not to care

If the ordinary mortals simply stop and stare.

You have even started laughing now you’re up and about.

Just live in the moment and then stop and shout.

Shout at the blue sky and shout at the rain

For shouting helps to heal you – you forget the pain

That is lurking inside you like a leopard that leaps

When you let down your defenses when you’re half asleep.

Tread easy when the beast of despair treads there

For he’ll tear you apart if you don’t take care

He will shred all your happiness, take all that joy

You would otherwise notice in a Minnesota boy

He will banish the colour from a new spring day

And turn your world a depressing grey.

But once you are through your introspective phase

It’s time to make the most of the gifts we gave

The gifts of laughter light and love

The sun, the moon and, yes, the stars above.

You’ll end your days like those Minnesota girls

Berry-brown with your golden curls

And you’ll tuck them inside, you will hide them in the brim

Of that Minnesota hat that you’ll be wearing

And it won’t be long before you banish all the blues

And then I tell you sweetheart there will be no excuse

For forgetting your headwear in your downtown flat

For omitting to wear your Minnesota hat,

Your Minnesota hat,

Yes, your Minnesota hat,

Your Minnesota hat,

Minnesota hat.

Mark Langlais

Mark Langlais &The Gastric Band