I Don't Think You Know Me

Genre: Rock

Artist: The Monkees

Album: The Monkees (what an original title!)

"If you think I want the life you choose to live,

I don't think I want the love you've got to give.

If you think my goals could be so trivial and small

Then I don't think you know me at all."

I have loved this song ever since I first heard it. I was probably thirteen at the time. It appealed to me, even though there wasn't a girl that matched the description of the one in the song who was "born between the covers of [her] fashion books" and thought she "could make it . . . on just her looks." What appealed to me was the idea of nobody knowing who I was. At that age, I really felt like nobody understood me, nor did they understand my motives for my actions. I would often sing this song while riding my bike on my paper route.

At that age, my favorite "alone spot" was underneath the stairs in my house. I remember being there one time and writing the lyrics to this song. I've never felt that my goals were trivial. I've always dreamt big. But so many times throughout my life, even at that young age, I have been criticized for my dreams. Those who want me to settle for less do not know me. And yet, for some reason I often try to please these people. "I've chased what I was running from." But if I try too hard to please everybody, I end up not even knowing myself anymore.