Don’t you worry about me—sing this song your way

Video yourself singing this song your way and win some poetry books: read on!

Don’t you worry about me

(a song without music—yet)

Don’t you worry about me
don’t you worry worry worry worry
worry worry worry about me

Yes I’m getting old
not as if I wasn’t told
yes I’m getting sore
to be honest more and more

But don’t you worry about me
‘cos I’ve had a life you see

I’ve got all I need
as long as I’ve got love
from you and you and you
and a little bit of love from you

So don’t you worry about me
but let me worry about you
let me worry worry worry worry
worry worry worry about you
and let me help you too

You’ve got stuff to do
very very very important stuff 
more than enough
and I’ve got my stuff too

I like it when you help me
but I can help you too

So don’t you worry about me
don’t you worry about me
cos I’ve got a life you see 

— Rachel McAlpine 2021 CC BY 2.0

About this song without music

I’ve just been at a songwriters retreat (awesome) at Tahora in Taranaki (perfect) led by Charlotte Yates (sublime singer-songwriter and guru).

I don’t write songs, though I do write lyrics. After I learned the basics of song structure my tentative melody crashed and burned, but that’s OK. I learned a phenomenal amount and am so grateful for being welcomed into this group of extraordinary singer-songwriter-musician-performers.

So I’m sharing the words of my half-baked song with you. I can’t write the music so why don’t you sing this song your way? It tells you how we old people feel, or perhaps how we kind of want to be.

Prizes for singing this song your way

The first person to send me a video of themselves singing this song gets three random poetry books by me including my latest, How To Be Old. The second person gets two books. The third just gets How To Be Old. Maybe there will be other prizes too. We’ll see.

Sing this song your way —is it joyful, defiant, loving, martyred, poignant or tragic? What does it mean to you? I’m really really interested!

Email me at rachel [symbol for “at”] writing [dot] co [dot] nz

If you’d like to encourage me, here’s a way

OK, I’ll never be a singer-songwriter. But I’m working on something really exciting and very difficult. I hope you’ll like it very much, when I’m done. (To see the “I give–you give” cartoon and link you need to be on my website. Sorry! I will figure out how to make it appear in WordPress Reader soon…)