Is that all there is?

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I remember when I was a very little girl, our house caught on fire.
I'll never forget the look on my father's face as he gathered me up
in his arms and raced through the burning building out to the pavement.
I stood there shivering in my pajamas and watched the whole world go up in flames.
And when it was all over I said to myself, "Is that all there is to a fire?"

SUNG:
Is that all there is, is that all there is
If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing
Let's break out the booze and have a ball
If that's all there is

SPOKEN:
And when I was 12 years old, my father took me to a circus, the greatest show on earth.
There were clowns and elephants and dancing bears.
And a beautiful lady in pink tights flew high above our heads.
And so I sat there watching the marvelous spectacle.
I had the feeling that something was missing.
I don't know what, but when it was over,
I said to myself, "is that all there is to a circus?

SUNG:
Is that all there is, is that all there is
If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing
Let's break out the booze and have a ball
If that's all there is

SPOKEN:
Then I fell in love, head over heels in love, with the most wonderful boy in the world.
We would take long walks by the river or just sit for hours gazing into each other's eyes.
We were so very much in love.
Then one day he went away and I thought I'd die, but I didn't,
and when I didn't I said to myself, "is that all there is to love?"

SUNG:
Is that all there is, is that all there is
If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing

SPOKEN:
I know what you must be saying to yourselves,
if that's the way she feels about it why doesn't she just end it all?
Oh, no, not me. I'm in no hurry for that final disappointment,
for I know just as well as I'm standing here talking to you,
when that final moment comes and I'm breathing my last breath, I'll be saying to myself

SUNG:
Is that all there is, is that all there is
If that's all there is my friends, then let's keep dancing
Let's break out the booze and have a ball
If that's all there is


Do you think the writer of this song had AS symptoms?
Something I have wondered about since I have known about AS and remembered this song from the past.

Merle

That was a beautiful post. As to the writer of the lyrics, I have no idea. I think both Aspies & NTs have times when they feel that way.

it has always struck a chord with me.

i just looked it up and it's written by the hit factory of Leiber and Stoller, which seems strange because they do a lot of happy/clappy songs, but it was inspired by a Thomas Mann novel (starts to make sense?) called Disillusionment.

i spent most of my childhood just shrugging my shoulders at whatever incident or thing i was expected to find exciting. i still mentally shrug my shoulders a lot.

well, now that is what I thought! I get to the gist of stuff pretty quickly, and it has a unwavering habit of fizzling out just when I think I am supposed to really start feeling it. I always thought I just had a high threshold for stress, and what would satisfy others barely touched me.

just now, I am t hinking that it wasn't my 'tolerance' or my strength, particularly. . .but my simple inability to perceive the emotional/physical pay off, the 'feeling', if you will.



Merle

Irony. If they cant get excited over a house fire, why should I get excited over their poem?

But it was good.

well, Fuzzy, I think the point is that they CAN'T get excited over the house fire. That they are wired differently and one's emotions just 'flattens out' and what others feel in satisfaction about love and circuses and house fires is just lost in translation to some of us. Even the idea of reciprocity of you getting excited over their poem about a house fire they can't get excited over is short circuited.

my Asperger's Syndrome 'mentor' that I talk to once a week will actually STOP me from quoting a poem or a lyric of a song, just saying "that stuff, just leaves me cold - I don't get it, not into it, just tell me in other words." So I was just wondering.

Merle

It's like when Princess Di was killed in that car wreck. I just said 'well, that's a bit tragic'. Back to work, and on with life. (Not a big fan of the royals.) But some people went into a state of shock, grieving for several days, unable to do anything but stare at the news on the telly. I asked TM if I was being 'unfeeling', and she said 'Di was a bit of a slut, not the sort I'd get upset over.' It's just a sort of momentary sadness, but not a big deal.

Oh I know. I was just pointing out the irony. Last thing that stunned me was a psychologist telling me I have AS. Its its not internal to me, it largely leaves me unaffected.

I couldn't understand that either. WE still get Princess Di pictures on womens magazines .

IMHO, she was a slut and it just goes to show you shouldn't get into a car with a drunk driver.

Is that all there is? - good song

I would like to say more.

But that's all there is

good one sinsboldly

"just don't let anything get you plumb down"......Woody Guthrie

Well, those lyrics definately resonate with me. I feel that way about pretty much everything.

Is that all there is?

Well in a few weeks I will have known about AS for 1 whole year, and including my earlier incarnation at WP as blackduck, I will have been here nearly as long.

I have seen members come and go. I see the same topics posted over and over. Is that all there is?

I think it has to be time to move on. I'm not saying I'm leaving WP right away, its a hard habit to break. But don't be surprised if I am around much less. I will still get notification of PMs and I have set up an email address at bazza_wilson_mckenzie@yahoo.com.au or some of you know my ian@*****.net.au email address.

ahayes - get a dog

apatura - hope your operation and new job goes well

aylissa - get out of the house more

bizarre - keep smiling

canyonwind - how is the prospecting

captain_brown - I liked you first. don't benchpress too much

cockneyrebel - me old china

cyberludite - keep safe

deccajay - hope your boyfriend comes home safe to you

dirtdawg - where did you go?

hale_bopp - if only I was 20 yrs younger -lol

headphase - I will find a sierra nevada and think of you

krex - stay cool

lightning88 - nice house

litigious - gone to I2

manalitwist -

nightcry - give your mum a hug

one winged angel - don't forget the parabolic

postpaleo - only getting to know you

prof_pretorious - look after Starr

quatermass -

richardbenson - keep your hat on

rjaye - only just getting to know you too

scrapheap - another one at I2

sedaka - you never told me what happened to your car

sinsboldly a.k.a. merle - wow - opposites attract - lol

spacecase - chill out

squatterandtheant - no more pub brawls

starbuline - eat something

starr - in my dreams - lol

themachine1 - the guru - say hello to a girl walking her dog

tequila - will find a Theakston Old Peculiar

ticker - still digging?

werbert - thanks

Another one at I2.

So you're off then BazzaMcKenzie? It's nice to get away from this place sometimes, it must be said.

Oh...

I can relate to those lyrics..

Princess Di's death was one of those moments for me as well. I'll never forget where I was & how I found out. I was in Jackson, WY with my mom (on vacation) and they announced it over a radio station that was playing in one of the stores. Everyone was weeping, and I said, "How sad!" and attempted to continue on with the conversation I was having with my mom. She shushed me because she wanted to hear the whole radio report. Then for the rest of the vacation she kept going on and on about it.