Story Behind The Song

This is what comes of endeavoring to write and upbeat, uptempo song about the ways that life can knock us off our feet.

Song Description

The complexity of modern life makes it almost inevitable that, all too frequently, our plans are going to be dealt setbacks. Taking it all too seriously can be devastating. This song offers a comic opportunity to face the inevitable adversity with a smile. Relentless optimism, as we might call it, could be the key to a happier life.

Lyrics

PUT ON A SMILE

The Dow Jones Industrial Average took off,
But my stocks went into the tank.
My broker passed out as the shares hit bottom.
My smart-growth, market-beater, platinum account Titanically sank.
Not a thing I could do--I stood there stupefied.
Then I went out to the garage and kissed my Lexus goodbye.

But then I put on a smile for no reason why.
Went looking for rainbows in a clear blue sky.
I was struggling to cope, but I gave it a try.
I put on a smile, and I felt better by and by.

I climbed the corporate ladder in seven years flat,
But the job nearly drove me berserk.
They told me "Take up yoga," but I slid off the mat.
My doubledown doggie lotus dharma duck pose, just never quite worked.
I've tried the yin and the yang, and there's one thing I've learned:
When you end up on your face, you probably took a wrong turn.

But you can put on a smile for no reason why.
Go looking for rainbows in a clear blue sky.
You might be struggling to cope, but you can give it a try.
Put on a smile, and you'll feel better by and by.

They say to exercise daily, so I bought a machine,
But it's the strangest contraption that you've ever seen.
When I hopped on that treadmill, it nearly ran me to death.
That was two weeks ago, and I'm still out of breath.

But I still put on a smile for no reason why.
Go looking for rainbows in a clear blue sky.
I've been struggling to cope, but I give it a try.
I put on a smile, and I feel better by and by.

You say your valves are sticking and your windshield's cracked.
And Dame Fortune honked and passed you by.
And now your timing chain's clicking and your pedal's gone slack;
Your hot-rod, super-sport, candy-apple Chevy is stalled on the train tracks of life.
You look to me for advice at your peril, I'm sure.
But with that train bearing down, I beg to offer this cure.

Yes, you can put on a smile for no reason why.
Go looking for rainbows in a clear blue sky.
You might be struggling to cope, but you can gave it a try.
Put on a smile, and you'll feel better, better, better, by and by.

Copyright © 2019 by Daniel V. Gribbin