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You're a Thinker

You're not what I'd expected at all
I thought you'd be laid back sort of breezy
Kicking life back, having a ball
Rolling through punches, taking it easy

It's clear you're made of a richer, deeper hue
Full of serious is what you've grown to be
Since I've come to know the depths of you
In your innocent eyes now I can see

CHORUS
You're a thinker I suppose
A child of philosophy, theology and prose
Like the one Auguste Rodin once had in mind
When he cast that great bronze of a man
Who sits pondering the fate of humankind

BRIDGE
Though as Juliet said of her rose Romeo
By any other name you'd smell as sweet
Like that, I love you so, sweet Romeo

When you reveal those brilliant reflections
You send my imagination on the run
Unleashing my strongest affections
Lighting my way as you rotate our sun

CHORUS
You're a thinker I suppose
A child of philosophy, theology and prose
Like the one Rodin had in mind
When he cast that great bronze of a man
Who sits pondering the fate of humankind

BRIDGE
Though as Paulsen writes of the wise Eskimo
We each should live our very own song
Like that, I love you so, sweet Eskimo

(c) 2011 Lisa Gundling

hey i'm "thinkin'" i like this one Lisa.First verse isn't as strong as the others but a very nice lyric!

Thanks, Michael! I'll give that first verse some extra thought to see about strengthening it. Thanks for the input!

Lisa

I really like this one so much, Lisa! Nice writing!

--Jen

Thanks so much, Jen! I'm so glad that you like it!

Lisa

HiDee Mz Lisa!

Nice & Different & Sweet, M'LadyChum!

I'll sug "In your innocent eyes, now I can see" as More-Conversational/Less Poesie.

And "Who SITS ponderING the fate of humankind"...

"Paulson" is a Bit Obscure for us folks who don't read as-much ss you obviously like to do.

Overall, Very Nice Write/The Love Shines Through for the Lucky Guy! Congrats!

Good Luck with it..Best Wishes..& Big Pre-Weekend Hugs,
Stan

If only the rest of society could understand thinkers on the level that you've captured.

Lisa, I can see the thinker in you even as you write about your favorite thinker, this is a beautiful piece of work, and I look forward to the music as well..Nicely done.~~~MFB III

Hello Lisa.

Just wanted to chime in and say that I really enjoyed this lyric. You painted and capttured the "singer" beautifully and never once left me wanting more.

Thanks for sharing.

Douglas

Hi Stan,

Your suggestions are great and I've used them already -- thank you!! I like how you added the sitting -- it gives a good mental picture of The Thinker statue.

Regarding the obscureness of Gary Paulsen....yes, it is a gamble to include him but I felt compelled to because I think that he should be known as a great thinker. Including him here is sort of my salute to him for helping me, through his writings, to bring some clarity and understanding to some important issues in my life. He has written over 100 books, mostly in the "young adult" genre (though I'm not sure why - they're perfect for any age) and he is absolutely my favorite author.

Thanks for your kind words and visit!

Lisa

Hi Meg,

I think you're right that thinkers are often misunderstood! (But maybe they're a little defiant and like being misunderstood...)

Thanks for letting me know that it resonates with you!

Lisa

Hi MFB,

Your comments made me feel great -- thank you!

(Regarding music....I happen to know for a fact that no amount of thinking brings music about, and have thus decided, after much further thinking, that the ability to create music definitely comes from somewhere other than the brain! Must come from the soul....)

Lisa

Hi Douglas,

That's an interesting thing you said about not wanting more because as I wrote this I kept struggling with being too vague and so I kept working to add more depth. So, I feel rather elated that you think that I brought enough! Thank you for sharing your valuable insights!

Lisa

Hi Lisa, Never thought I'd see this guy's name in a lyric (Auguste Rodin)He didn't get the fame he deserved until he passed on. Hope you get it much sooner.
Like it a lot.
Regards
Travis

Thanks Mz Lisa!

I'll add I grew up in the Cleveland Area, where a nicely-cast "The Thinker" sits in front of the local Art Museum...remember seeing it when I was 6.

Fave Rodin Sculpture: "The Kiss"..which raised LOTS of eyebrows during his era...but is both Beautiful & Timeless..(&..heh..Does make ya think!) I've owned several Art Nouveau Bronzes by a French Sculptor, same era as his...Emmanuel Villanis..managed to hang onto "La Reve". (He was better at Heads than at full-figures.) Obviously, a bit of a Thinker..heh-heh!

Best Wishes & 'nuther Big Hug,
Stan

LISA--

MY TAKE ON THIS ONE--I LIKE IT--JMHO IN CAPS--USE OR LOSE--


You're a Thinker
(c) 2011 Lisa Gundling

You're not what I expected at all
YOU’RE MORE LAID BACK AND CAREFREE
ACCEPTIN’ LIFE WHERE THE CHIPS FALL
Rolling through punches LIKE A STIFF BREEZE.

YOUR RICH COLORS WAVE LIKE A BANNER
BEING DRAWN INTO MY WORLD WITH EASE
BEGGIN’ ME TO OPEN BOTH EYES WIDER
SEEIN’ INNOCENCE MAKIN’ ME BELIEVE.

CHORUS
You're a thinker I’M PROUD TO KNOW
INTO philosophy, theology and prose
Like Auguste Rodin once had in mind
When he cast that great bronze of a man
Who sits pondering the fate of humankind

BRIDGE
Though as Juliet said of her rose Romeo
By any other name you'd smell as sweet
Like that, I love you so, IN OUR CAMEO

AT OTHER TIMES I SEE brilliant reflections
You STIR my imagination WITH EACH ONE
Unleashing my strongest affections
Lighting my way as you ORBIT THE sun


CHORUS
You're a thinker I’M GLAD TO KNOW
INTO philosophy, theology and prose
Like Auguste Rodin once had in mind
When he cast that great bronze of a man
Who sits pondering the fate of humankind

BRIDGE
Though as Paulsen writes of the wise Eskimo
We each HAVE TO live our very own song
Like that, I love you so, sweet Eskimo

Mackie

Hi Travis,

I kept rotating between using his first and last name or just his last name! In the end, I simply became fond of the flourish of a name like "Auguste" and used it!

Thanks for the well wishes and for letting me know that you liked this!

Lisa

Hi Stan,

You must have one fascinating clock shop! I just looked up Emmanuel Villanis -- I can see why you collect his work! I couldn't find a photo of "La Reve," (guess I must dig deeper), but I did find a full-figure one called "Au Revoir" that I especially like.

I saw "The Kiss" at the Rodin Museum in Paris many years ago. Although we're bombarded everywhere with much more graphic images....I think that there is something very eyebrow raising about that sculpture even today! "Intimate" is the word that best describes it, I think!

Thanks again for the nice visit!

Lisa

Hi Mackie,

Wow! You've made a lot of very nice changes and additions! I really appreciate it and want to take the time to go through all of your work carefully. This weekend, though, is absolutely packed with out-of-town guests and I don't have the time to give it the detailed attention I want to give it. I got four hours of sleep last night and am falling asleep as I type now! This lyric is about a very real and special person, and I am looking forward to reflecting upon and studying each of your suggestions and returning on Monday with fresh eyes and thoughts!

Thanks so much!
Lisa

Hi Mackie,

I've been reviewing your suggestions and editing!

First, I should say that this was written about my son, which is why I'm laboring over it. I wasn't going to mention that it was my son because if he reads it one day, I wouldn't want him to be embarrassed. But then I thought -- what's a mother for if she can't embarrass her son?! ho ho!

I love what you did with most of verse 1, except I was trying to say that I thought that he was going to be carefree, but he's definitely not at all. Thus, I used most of your changes with changes of my own there.

In verse 2 -- I see how you've made it so much stronger, but I want every word to be exactly what I'd say, so I still have to ponder how to make it stronger and get the wording to feel right to me.

For the chorus, I see how your change made it stronger, but again I want it to be something I'd say to him, so I made a big change to it, using your "into" to replace "a child of."

I'm going to keep your "cameo" change, all of your changes in verse 3 and your change in the eskimo bridge. I especially love the cameo change because calling him my Romeo was bothering me a bit. It's fine because he's young and I can think of him affectionately as a little romeo, but once he's older -- "cameo" is perfect. I also like "cameo" because there are a lot of mother/child cameo scenes.

Again, thank you very much for your help with this! Below is the new version with the changes.

Thanks!!
Lisa

You're a Thinker (REVISED)

You're not what I expected at all
Thought you'd be laid back and carefree
Accepting life where the chips may fall
Rolling through punches, letting it be

(need to revise still)
It's clear you're made of a richer, deeper hue
Full of serious is what you've grown to be
Since I've come to know the depths of you
In your innocent eyes I now can see

CHORUS
You're a thinker
Into philosophy, theology and prose
Each day I'm awed
By how your wisdom grows

You're a thinker
Like the one Auguste Rodin once had in mind
When he cast that great bronze of a man
Who still ponders the fate of humankind

BRIDGE
Though as Juliet said of her rose Romeo
By any other name you'd smell as sweet
Like that, I love you so, in our cameo

At other times I see brilliant reflections
You send my imagination with each one
Unleashing my strongest affections
Lighting my way as you orbit the sun

CHORUS
You're a thinker
Into philosophy, theology and prose
Each day I'm awed
By how your wisdom grows

You're a thinker
Like the one Rodin had in mind
When he cast that great bronze of a man
Who still ponders the fate of humankind

BRIDGE
Though as Paulsen writes of the wise Eskimo
We each have to live our very own song
Like that, I love you so, sweet Eskimo

(c) 2011 Lisa Gundling