I had nothing to do on this hot afternoon But to settle down and write you a line I've been meaning to phone you, but from Minnesota Hell, it's been a very long time You wear it well A little old-fashioned but that's all right Well, I suppose you're thinking, "I bet he's sinking Or he wouldn't get in touch with me" Oh, I ain't begging or losing my head I sure do want you to know That you wear it well There ain't a lady in the land so fine, oh my Remember them basement parties, your brother's karate The all-day rock and roll shows Them homesick blues and radical views Haven't left a mark on you But you wear it well A little out of time but I don't mind But I ain't forgetting that you were once mine But I blew it without even tryin' Now I'm eatin' my heart out Tryin' to get a letter through Oh, since you've been gone it's hard to carry on Gonna write about the birthday gown that I bought in town You sat down and cried on the stairs You know it cost the earth, but for what it's worth You made me feel a millionaire And you wear it well Ooh, Madame Onassis got nothing on you Anyway, my coffee's cold and I'm getting told I gotta get back to work So when the sun goes down, and you're home all alone Think of me and try not to laugh And you wear it well I don't object if you call collect 'Cause I ain't forgetting that you were once mine But I blew it without even tryin' Now I'm eatin' my heart out Tryin' to get back to you Oh, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you Said, after all this, I hope it's the same address Said, since you've been gone it's hard to carry on

Don't push me cause I'll fall in love With whatever you just said Don't push me cause I'll fall in love With the way you wear your head Out in the corner You're glowing white Out in the corner You're glowing white I want to want you I need to need you I'd love to love you I want to want you I need to need you I'm begging to beg you Out in the corner You're glowing white Out in the corner You're glowing white I'd like to say goodbye To a complicated mind But when I walk and wave I'm stalked all day By california lives And things I didn't try Ways you were unkind And the strangest colored eyes Out in the corner You're glowing white Out in the corner You're glowing white

Wear sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now. Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine. Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p. M. On some idle Tuesday. Do one thing every day that scares you. Sing. Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours. Floss Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how. Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements. Stretch. Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't. Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone. Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's. Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own. Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room. Read the directions, even if you don't follow them. Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly. Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future. Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel. Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders. Respect your elders. Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out. Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85. Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth. But trust me on the sunscreen

I was 23 years old Nothing but the clothes on my back to call my own Was making $20 a day But that was $10 too much We headed south with the birds Made our nest in Fort Worth, Texas We were feeling like kings that day Pennies to our name We're feeling good And the best is yet to come Like it should Yeah, just like it should We're feeling good And the best is yet to come The best is yet to come I boarded a red eye flight In the beautiful blue sky late afternoon Was making $40 a day But that was $30 too much We left the frozen True North strong and free And landed in Australian summer We were feeling like kings that day Pennies to our name We're feeling good And the best is yet to come Like it should Yeah, just like it should We're feeling good And the best is yet to come The best is yet to come I was 23 years old Nothing but the clothes on my back to call my own Was making $20 a day! We're feeling good And the best is yet to come Like it should Yeah, just like it should We're feeling good And the best is yet to come The best is yet to come We're feeling good And the best is yet to come Like it should Yeah, just like it should We're feeling good And the best is yet to come The best is yet to come

If I spoke in words you didn't understand Wouldn't that make me a better man Elocution class to lend a hand Get me a self-improvement plan I don't know, it seems to me Things I do best come easily I don't feel the need to say to you I'm better 'cause it isn't true Exquisite verse to higher the tone Performed in phrases not my own To hide the truth to I'll tell a lie With pictures from another's eye I don't know, it seems to me Things I do best come easily I don't feel the need to say to you I'm better 'cause it isn't true If I sport the latest cut of cloth Would you all assume I'd got some style And wear my hair just long enough To turn the fashion heads for a while A sports car sexy, slimline, fast Quick enough to hide my past Rich enough to open doors I never could unlock before I don't know, it seems to me Things I do best come easily I don't feel the need to say to you I'm better 'cause it isn't true If I sport the latest cut of cloth Would you all assume I'd got some style And wear my hair just long enough To turn the fashion heads for a while A sports car sexy, slimline, fast Quick enough to hide my past Rich enough to open doors I never could unlock before I don't know, it seems to me Things I do best come easily I don't feel the need to say to you I'm better 'cause it isn't true 'Cause it isn't true 'Cause it isn't true 'Cause it isn't true