I just wanted to eat today,
so I wrote this song about happiness.
I just wanted to change the world,
so I wrote a letter to my congressman.
Don’t believe he was in;
I think I’ve got a file
in the office of the man
representing the state of denial.
I just wanted some criticism,
so I asked you about your happiness.
I just wanted to change your mind,
so I asked I question that I shouldn’t have, I suppose.
Don’t believe I said that;
wow, that was unexpected
in the middle of a thought
from a mind that had been neglected.
What do you want me to be?
What do you want to believe?
No matter what is the matter, you see;
you can be like everyone else,
or you can be happy.
I just wanted to smile today,
so I read a book about happiness.
I just wanted to understand
so I had to look myself up in the dictionary.
Don’t believe what I found:
I guess I’ve got a definition
in the middle of the page,
right between satisfied and sedition.
I just wanted to laugh today,
so I bought a book about happiness.
I just wanted to comprehend,
so I bought a subscription to a magazine.
Don’t believe what I read!
It says you take your chances
in the middle of the night,
when the stars shine upon your dances.
What do you want me to be?
What do you want to believe?
“No matter what” is the matter, you see;
you can be like everyone else,
or you can be happy.
1993
