I tried once, in the hazy after effects of an artificially induced state of altered conscienceness to remember what had been so clear and easy to understand while under the influence. It was a question that had been nagging at me. What was the meaning of life? That's a big subject. One which has been bantered about endlessly for centuries. I'm afraid that what I had scrawled while trying free my mind made little sense to me once I had sobered up. Folk music is just one of many art forms that have been used by cultures to record countless aspects of life on the planet. How well does any given point of view about the meaning of life effectively fullfill your expectations? That depends on where you grew up. A good friend wrote a song called "Song About Life".

She's a rough one. First it's there and then it's gone.
It's a tough one but you've got to keep on keepin' on.
Life's a treat if you don't weaken and let the bastards beat you down.
She's a rough one, but she's the only one around.

I've got a secret. I'm gonna share it here with you.
Have no regrets. Just keep on doin' what you do.
If you're doin' what you want to, when they finally lower you down,
it might've been a rough one, but it's the only one around.

Life is short. It's seldom sweet and it sometimes makes you mad.
But when it's gone you're gonna realize it was the only chance you had.
So just enjoy it, and hope that the others like theirs too.
Don't destroy it. 'Cause nothing's gained by feelin' blue.
If you're laughin' and giglin', about the way that the world went 'round.
And if you're doin' what you want to, when they finally lower you down.
And if you grin while all those bastards try their best to beat you down.
It might've been a rough one, but it's only game in town.

Submitted for your approval. Please forgive the typos.