Craig Carnelia & Alma Cuervo Follow

There’s a kid inside, and I have him with me always.
There’s a kid inside, walking down old high school hallways.
There’s a kid inside, at a desk, at a dance, in the halls, in the showers.
There’s a kid inside, to this very day.

And he makes a try for that high pop fly that I fumbled one September.
And she makes a fuss over some A plus that I shouldn’t still remember
And he goes along getting hurt, getting mad, fighting fights that are over;
And unless I’m strong all my senses are carried away.

I can feel John’s hand (my trembling hand) on my old angora sweater.
I can hear my band (that awful band), only now it sounds much better
I can see the kid—the kid I use to be: on the stage, on the field, on the lunch line.
I can feel him tugging at me; I can hear him say:

Always remember, never forget; always remember, never forget.
Always remember: choosing sides.
Never forget: dancing in the gym.
Always remember: saying something dumb.
Never forget: being cheered by the crowd.
Always remember: the faces, the names.
Never forget: who was popular and who was not.
Remember the dates, and the loves and the hates, and the games!
And when I think I forgot:

There’s a kid inside, keeping track, keeping score, like it’s all still important.
There’s a kid inside, every time I think I don’t care I blink
And he’s there again, he’s there again: Fighting ancient wrongs,
Humming old hit songs in my head;
Singing come along, come along, come along for the ride
To a time and place I could not forget if I tried.

And I never know when the breeze’ll blow with a rush of old sensations.
Why the kid should wake and my heart should ache every time I smell carnations.
Something rings a bell (anything at all) all it takes is a slam of a locker
Or the switch from summer to fall — a change in season seems barely reason
But there he goes again, hummin’ his songs
There again, she’s there again
Fighting ancient wrongs, humming old hit songs in my head
Singing come along, come along, come along for the ride
To a time and place I could not forget if I tried.
There he goes again, hummin’ his songs
He’s there again, there again
There’s a kid inside.