Happy With Me

©Lydia Lord
(Each performer has his/her own verse; the chorus is the same for all)

Alan:
I always wanted to dance
Gene Kelly was my guy
For I was stardom bound
To Broadway I would fly
But a girl she stole my heart
Had children and a wife
We needed some security
So teaching became my life

Chorus:
Now I’m happy with me and the life I’ve lived
Though I did not reach that dream
My life’s gone down some other roads
It’s harder than it seems
Happy with me and the life I’ve lived
But it’s not too late to try
Who knows, we might all find our wings
And then you’ll see us fly

Carol:
When I was young my dream was clear
To be a caring vet
And heal all the animals
From the barnyard to the pet
But girls were not allowed
To study in that school
So I became a teacher
But I still think wildlife’s cool

Sandra:
I grew up an army brat
During World War Two
I always sang and danced a lot
It was what I loved to do
I had that dream of Hollywood
But then I met my mate
We settled down in Springfield
But it might not be too late

Chorus

Ross:
I always meant to lead a choir
With my melodious voice
But my hormones were running wild
And so I made a choice
I chased the girls, I chased the cash
I let my music go
My life’s been good, and I still sing
But sometimes I don’t know

Wayland:
I grew up in Arkansas
And things were tough all right
The Great Depression ruled our life
So college was out of sight
I always wanted to teach
It wasn’t meant to be
But here I am in your fine school
You might learn stuff from me

Chorus

Claudia:
A singer in a velvet gown
That was my dream, I guess
To melt the hearts of millions
It’s still there, I confess
But no one said to me
"We’ll help you reach that goal"
So I say "You can do it, girl
It’s time to play that role"

(The above verse leads into Claudia’s Blues)

Norman:
Reality was boring
As far as I could tell
But movies showed me fantasies
Where everything was swell
(Born Free music interlude)
I’ve been on stages round the world
To act and dance and sing
And looking back I’d have to say
I wouldn’t change a thing

Lois:
Like gorgeous Ginger Rodgers
I longed to sing and dance
I went to all my lessons,
But I didn’t have a chance
You have to think you’re good enough
To give your dream a try
So finally now I’m here on stage
To dance before I die

Linda:
The lessons I grew up with
Were just a bit extreme
There are no happy endings
It’s dangerous to dream
Some good things happened to me
But looking where I’ve been
I think I’d dream a little more
If I were doing it again

Chorus

Emil:
The airforce wouldn't let me fly
They said my eyes were bad
And so I turned to languages
To see what skill I had
In German and in Russian
I speak and read and teach
And fly to other cultures
On soaring wings of speech

Mort:
Nobody ever asked me
What I would like to do
My mom said I was stupid
I figured that was true
But then I went to college
And learned that I was smart
And finally I learned to love
The person in my heart

Chorus

Marian:
In order to be popular
I practiced being nice
Gave up some things I wanted
You have to pay a price
I'm making smarter choices now
And I can tell you this
There's no way popularity
Is worth the things you miss

Chorus

Karen:
I used to dream of painting
Creating works of art
I never found the time to learn
But I kept it in my heart
And now it seems I've found a way
To make my dreams come true
Creating pictures with my words
I paint my life for you

Chorus

Diane
I played all sports and won awards
When I was just a kid
And in those days, athletics
Were not what women did
My work as a psychologist
Was interesting and fun
But if'd had the choice back then
Who knows what I'd have done?

Chorus

Nikki
I used to wish I was a boy Cause they had all the fun
But what I really wanted was To be my father's son
I worked at pleasing everyone
With what I did and said
But nowadays I'm working
On pleasing me instead

Chorus

John
I wouldn't speak to anyone
Because I was so shy
But then one day I talked in class
And found I didn't die
I worked to overcome my fear
It took some getting through
But now I've gotten brave enough
To share my life with you

Chorus

Betsy
I dreamed of singing opera
I always loved to sing
I sang in school and sang in church
Cause music was my thing
It lets me touch my heart to yours
It makes my spirit strong
I never reached the opera
But I held on to my song

Chorus

Romni
To be a famous actress
Was what I had in mind
I then became a mother
And left that dream behind
I reaised my kids and loved my life
But after they were grown
I found my way back to the stage
For something of my own

Chorus