You just take more than you give

This song is nearly 30 years old and is as Australian as the wombat. But the message in this song is perhaps more relevant to Malaysia today than it would be in its own homeland.

When it was first released in 1982, Australia was in deep recession. Unemployment was rife. Many lost their homes due to bottoming of the real estate. In general, Australians suffered quite a bit during this era. The lucky country - as Australia is dubbed, never seems quite the way it was supposed to be. The air of doom permeated the country then.

I guess it is within this context this Moving Picture's classic was released. It captures well the feeling of frustration that ran deep in the society then. (Never mind that the writer wrote it while he was working with autistic children.) In other words, the timing was perfect.

Well there's a little boy waiting at the corner shop

He's been waiting down there, waiting half the day

They never ever seen him from the top

He gets pushed around, knocked to the ground

He gets to his feet and he says..

You can feel it in the chorus:

What about me? It isn't fair

I've had enough, now I want my share

Can't you see, I wanna live

But you just take more than you give

If you listen further down the line, you would read:

Take a step and see the little people

They might be young

But they are the ones that make the big people big

Equate the word the young to the poor and the under-privilege and you would see the message.

So listen as they whisper, "What about me?"

Don't you think this message is very clearly meant for Malaysia and her politicians?

EPILOGUE

Actually I love the metaphor of this song. The little kids, we seldom if ever see them from the (counter) top. He gets pushed around, knocked to the ground, and he gets to his feet and he says:

What about me?

I think this is definitely true for many Malaysians. We have been pushed around for far too long and it is about time that we will all get back to our feet and demand that the establishment has taken more than they give, when they should have taken nothing.

Until when should we take all the beating and be fed crumbs, when everything else has been swept clean by the cronies?

What About Me? - Moving Pictures

Well there's a little boy waiting at the counter of the corner shop


He's been waiting down there, waiting half the day,


They never ever see him from the top


He gets pushed around, knocked to the ground,


He gets to his feet and he says...

CHORUS:


What about me? It isn't fair


I've had enough, now I want my share


Can't you see, I wanna live 


But you just take more than you give

Well, there's a pretty girl serving at the counter of the corner shop


She's been waiting back there, waiting for a dream,


Her dreams walk in and out, they never stop


Well, she's not too proud, to cry out loud


She runs to the street and she screams...

CHORUS
What about me? It isn't fair


I've had enough, now I want my share


Can't you see, I wanna live 


But you just take more than you give

More than you give...

Take a step back and see the little people


They might be young, but they're the ones that make the big people big


So listen as they whisper:
"What about me?"

And now I'm standing on the corner, all the world's gone home


Nobody's changed, nobody's been saved


And I'm feeling cold and alone


I guess I'm lucky, I smile a lot


But sometimes I wish for more than I've got...

CHORUS

What about me? It isn't fair


I've had enough, now I want my share


Can't you see, I wanna live 


But you just take more than you give