Sometimes you hear a song from a movie and you never forget it, even if the movie isn’t that great. That’s the case with “The World Ain’t Slowing Down” by Paul Ellis which was used in a key scene in “Me, Myself and Irene” starring Jim Carrey. While the movie isn’t that great, it did have its moments such as the scene with this amazing song. It’s become a trademark for the Farrelly brothers and their movies (Checkout “Shallow Hal“).
The music, the lyrics and whole message of the song reached out and grabbed me by the heart and moved me in a memorable way. I still listen to it every once in a while just to remind myself of its poignant reminders about how fast time flies and how we need to make the most of our time. Weren’t we all that kid who just climbed that merry-go-round? All the more powerful to me as I bring my three kids to the Merry-ground.
Here’s my favorite part of the song… such beautiful lyrics, like poetry.
You gotta get gone, you gotta get going
Hey, the world ain’t slowing down for no one
It’s a carnival callin out to you
It sounds like a song,
Hits you like scripture
You paint the picture
With colors squeezed from your hand
Weren’t you the kid
Who just climbed on the merry-go-round
Hey look, the world ain’t slowing down
Here’s a sweet video someone compiled for the song. They did a nice job.
The World Ain’t Slowing Down
I found you sitting on a suitcase crying
Beneath my feet,
I feel the rumble of a subway train
I laugh out loud,
’cause it’s the one thing I hadn’t been trying
The train came in breathless,
The passanger’s restless
You say, “Baby, you’ll never change”
You gotta get gone, you gotta get going
Hey, the world ain’t slowing down for no one
It’s a carnival callin out to you
It sounds like a song,
Hits you like scripture
You paint the picture
With colors squeezed from your hand
Weren’t you the kid
Who just climbed on the merry-go-round
Hey look, the world ain’t slowing down
Hey, hey, the world ain’t slowing down
Hey, hey…
Out on the sidewalk,
Pigeon’s do the moonwalk
I’ll be dancing like Fred Astaire
The lamppost’s are rockin,
The whole town’s talkin
Like a fool in a barber’s chair
And I get the sensation,
The joy and fustration
Like being caught by a tropical rain
Freedom can numb you,
When there’s no place to run to
It feels just like Novocane
You gotta get gone, you gotta get going
Hey the world ain’t slowin down for no one
It’s a carnival callin out to you
(it’s callin out to you)
It sounds like a song,
Hits you like scripture
You paint the picture
With colors squeezed from your hand
Weren’t you the kid
Who just climbed on the merry-go-round
Hey look, the world ain’t slowin down
Hey, hey, the world ain’t slowing down
Hey, hey…
You packed up all your handbags,
Throwing off the sandbags
I let go and you stepped free
I didn’t want to loose you
You said, “You didn’t choose to,
It’s just how your karma came.”
But thanks for the vision,
And the twenty-twenty wisdom
It hit me like a south-bound train
You gotta get gone, you gotta get going
Hey the world ain’t slowin down for no one
It’s a carnival callin out to you
(it’s callin out to you)
It sounds like a song,
Hits you like scripture
You paint the picture
With colors squeezed from your hand
Weren’t you the kid
Who just climbed on the merry-go–
Weren’t you the kid
Who just climbed on the merry-go–
Weren’t you the kid
Who just climbed on the merry-go-round
Hey look, the world ain’t slowin down
Hey, hey, the world ain’t slowin down
Hey, hey, it’s a big, blue world
It’s a big, blue world
Ridin’ on a big, blue world
