Get the Balance Right!

For me, I immediately heard it as realistic advice a parent would give their child nowadays. You know—life is not all honey and roses. Understand the views of others, compromise, don’t compromise yourself, and sometimes lying is preferable or even necessary. Help others, but don’t give more than you can afford to. If you reach the top, don’t get a big head, because what goes up must come down, etc., etc., etc. Very much growing up and learning a healthy balance of optimism and cynicism, and so on. (And I think the video, particularly the beginning, really emphasizes this).

There does seem to be a streak of social conformity as well (and it isn’t VERY different, but I hear it as “don’t tend this way, don’t tend that way”).

On a side note, I absolutely love the samplings in this song. It’s like a surprise every time I listen—this time around I heard a squeezy toy, and I have no shame in admitting that it completely made my day.

corporate america ideals? molding people into uni-form? (("always remain ultimately selfish" as advice screams cynicism towards people's hidden attitudes))

Understand, learn to demand, Compromise, sometimes lie

Get the Balance right, get the balance right

Be responsible, respectable, Stable but gullible Concerned and caring, help the helpless But always remain ultimately selfish

This song has been my unwind at the end of a freak-out I'm losing it day for a long time.. I don't know if I got the balance right, but it helps..

I think it's about fitting on some kind of role on society... "There's more besides joyrides"

Excellent song. Of all their songs, this has to be one of their best. I can't believe there are so few comments.

Corporate America - GAH!! This hasn't anything to do with that. It is about life shaping you as you grow - Getting the balance right so you don't become a greedy right-winger or a liberal nut-job.

'always remain ultimately selfish' is a comment on how at our core human beings are selfish. Self preservation is a strong instinctual drive - but we can learn to be compassionate, concerned and caring.

Be Responsible, respectable but leave your self a little gullibility so you can still keep an open mind.

It is kind of almost like a speech someone would give at a commencement and I agree it is one of DM best

The whole song is written as someone of moral character is giving someone else advice on how to be and this person has had alot of problems fitting into this model citizen.

The whole song is written as someone of moral character is giving someone else advice on how to be and this person has had alot of problems fitting into this model citizen.

I say this to my employees....trying to balance life and work

Context is everything. On one level this song seems to be about advice giving, as an adult would to a child. But my suspicion is that this song is about an older wiser gay person advising a younger gay person about how to negotiate being in or out of the closet in the early 1980's. The hardest part of this negotiation is whether to be out or closeted. There are cautions and hazards on either side: staying in the closet means being untrue to yourself. Outing yourself might mean you have to sacrifice your carefully negotiated life, as mainstream society might not let you have it both ways.