This song actually is a story. (See the lyrics.) It's not based on real events or people, though I'm aware of similar stories. Some people really have fooled hospitals into thinking they were doctors and performed surgery. Actually, I think I was thinking of movies that I've heard about where people act as social chameleons, changing their mannerisms at the drop of a hat to match their environment.

Obviously, the sort of people who are clever enough to pull this off are few and far between. They would have to be as resourceful as the protagonist of a Heinlein novel.

It was not supposed to be allegory, but there's this twinge at the back of my head that says it's not just fiction. You see, I've often been overwhelmed at the number of choices I have in life. I believe I could have been a lawyer if I wanted to. Or some kind of scientist. (I think I'm smart and hat's not just vanity; my IQ was determined to be 120.) I didn't pursue those things because I wasn't sure I'd enjoy the work.

I have so many leisure activities that they compete. Lately, I've been focused on music and computers, but I've also been a writer (I wrote a book that was never published) and an actor. (See "The Fishmonger Song".)I took Journalism at Carleton.

I've always felt there were many choices for me, and I've had trouble choosing one and sticking with it. I felt pulled in all directions. So you can call this unconscious allegory, if you like; I only realised it later.

Like most songs, I started from the chorus on this one. The chorus actually came before the story. I started with a chord I stole from Suede, now "The London Suede", in their song "The Drowners" (.wav | .aiff | RealAudio). So I came up with "You and I, we can fly, but we'll never touch the sky" before I even knew what the song was about!

The interesting thing about the verses is that they're double verses. You could sing it with six choruses, but even I think that's excessive. The other person I copped a move from is Cat Stevens. I sing it in two octaves, like he does in "Father and Son" (RealAudio). Of course, in this case, the upper one is meant to be a woman, 'cause I write about heterosexual relationships, 'cause that's what I know.

Questions, comments or suggestions about this web site? Email me at aaron.bentley@utoronto.ca