This is the story of a man who found out early in life that he’s confused and unsure of what he wanted to do. As a kid in school, he regularly breaks the rules, but found to his surprise that he was not alone.
Ever since I was a kid at school
I messed around with all the rules
Apologized then realized
I’m not different after all
Growing up, he saw himself as fairly attractive along with the other boys. Thus, he came to break not a few hearts while learnng at the same time that booze is a good excuse for wasting his life.
Me and the boys thought we had it sussed
Valentinos all of us
My dad said we look ridiculous
But boy, we broke some hearts
Promises made in the heat of the night
Creeping home before it got too light
I wasted all that precious time
And blamed it on the wine
When it was time to find work, the man hardly stayed in one job but jumped from one to the next because he wanted to be free. In between, he joined various groups espousing worthy causes even as the change that he asked for was not clear to him and to those who watched him from afar.
In and out of jobs, running free
Waging war with society
Dumb blank faces stare back at me
But nothing ever changed
Eventually, the man found his calling in music. Yet, being a musician only caused him to break more unsuspecting hearts even as he came to realize that without compromises, his dream of becoming famous is not as easy as he had thought.
Never found a compromise
Collected lovers like butterflies
Illusions of that grand first prize
Are slowly wearing thin
Fickle-minded as he is, the man still found one girl who showered him with unconditional love.Sadly, this was not what he longed for and another poor girl ended up in tears.
Susie baby you were good to me
Giving love unselfishly
But you took it all too seriously
I guess it had to end
Ultimately, the man discovered himself. Through all the things that he has experienced, it dawned on him that he can give anyone just about anything, except love. With that realization, it was more convenient for him to live his life all alone.
I try to give you all you want
But giving love is not my strongest point
If that’s the case, it’s pointless going on
I’d rather be alone
The man then comes around to admit that he treated life as a joke because he was scared. Given that, he knew that he was a fool and a foolish man can never win.
I was only joking my dear
Looking for a way to hide my fear
What kind of fool was I
I could never win
The man went on to write all of these down in a song even as he doubted that it was the right thing to do. But he wanted to tell the whole world the kind of man that he is, hoping that, in the end, he will be accepted. Sadly, after playing his song, his audience still failed to understand him.
Coz what I’m doing must be wrong
Pouring my heart out in a song
Owning up for posterity
For the whole damn world to see
Quietly now while I turn the page
Act One is over without costume change
The principal would like to leave the stage
The crowd don’t understand
If you’re still at a lost as to where your life is headed to (like me?), you’ll easily relate to this Rod Stewart classic. Please click here:
Singer-songwriter Rod Stewart co-wrote “I Was Only Joking” with Gary Grainger in 1977. The song is one of the tracks featured in his album Foot Loose & Fancy Free released in the same year.
“I Was Only Joking” ranked fifth n the UK music charts and was at 22nd spot in the US. It’s considered as among the well-loved songs of Rod as it looks at the travails of young life marked by sorrows and regrets.
AKA Music 