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Musical Bushido

You know how ancient samurais lived by a strict code of discipline (e.g., bushido)? Everything they did was governed by this set of beliefs, and it governed how they acted in every situation. Well, I'm not samurai, but I've got a version of that for myself. The catch is that I'm not nearly clever enough to come up with anything original, so my "bushido" is cobbled together from things I've heard over the years that have struck a chord.

Where it gets amusing, though, is that it's almost always set to music (if you've read any of my past entries, this should come as no surprise). Sure, there are some quotes here and there that resonated with me (Bruce Lee's "if I tell you I'm good, you might think I'm boasting. If I tell you I'm no good, you'll know that I'm lying" comes to mind), but for the most part, I have a soundtrack by which I live my life. And, of course, more than a few of them have some amusing tidbits that go along with them:
  • For anything related to work, I keep the chorus of Fort Minor's "Remember the Name" in mind:
    This is 10% luck, 20% skill,
    15% concentrated power of will,
    5% pleasure, 50% pain,
    And 100% reason to remember the name

    What really struck a chord was the notion that you have to concentrate and will yourself forward, while dealing with what always seems like an oversized amount of nonsense. I have forced myself to complete unpleasant tasks on more than one occasion by simply repeating this in my head. Heck, maybe I'll even make a name for myself one day.

    It also doesn't hurt that that song includes the line, "he'll get you buzzing quicker than a shot of vodka with juice," which has been known to draw a laugh from me on occasion.
  • When it comes to jealousy in relationships, I have long held to a verse from Talib Kweli's "Never Been in Love:"
    Leave her be for five minutes, dude's try to dive in it
    first they want to spit on my name, and tarnish my image
    I tell 'em, do you, I don't care who she's speaking with
    cuz I already know she made it clear who she's leaving with

    Yeah, pretty much. I've never been the jealous type, but when I have felt that creeping in, I just remember this song. She can talk to, or hang out with, whomever she wants, it's not going to change things between us. The really fun part, though, is that this can actually double as a witty comeback to someone trying to run their mouth. Trust me, it's fun to say out loud.
  • Of course, some relationships come to an end, and some of them end rather poorly. For those occasions, I turn once again to Fort Minor. The entire song "Believe Me" pretty much sums up how I feel about the whole thing, since it pretty much says, "sorry, but you're not my problem anymore." The other song of theirs that comes to mind is "High Road," as in, "I'm taking the high road, I'm going above you. This is the last time that I'm going to trust you." Sadly, there have been times when this has been entirely apropos.

    What makes this particularly amusing is that both songs include a heavy dose of creative lyrics. One of my favorites includes, "you're like a high school drop out, no class." I have laughed heartily on more than one occasion upon hearing that.
  • When it comes to following your passions or cultivating hobbies, I'm always reminded of 50 Cent's "21 Questions." I'll readily admit that it's not exactly musical genius, but that's part of what makes it that much more amusing. There is, however, one line that always stands out:
    I love you like a fat kid loves cake

    Sure, sure, the song is about romance. But c'mon, he's talking about enjoying something as much as a fat kid likes eating cake. Thing about the pure relish that is involved in that scenario. Yeah, exactly. Follow your passions like a fat kid loves cake, and you will be on your way to living a good life.

    What's more, I know of no way to keep a straight face after hearing that line. I'm not joking; I have actually been in a mood foul enough that post-exercise endorphins did not calm me down, but that one line was enough to draw fits of giggling. I felt better instantly, because some fat kid loves cake.
  • You know how your teenage years can be awkward because you're still trying to figure out who you are and what you're about? There has been more than one song that basically says, "just be yourself." My personal favorite, though, happens to be DMX's "Do You." Maybe the timing was the important part, since I probably heard this sometime during my teenage years. Or maybe I like the fact that DMX is basically barking at you telling you to not bother trying to copy other people, with some creative language thrown in for good measure.

    Though I will also admit that the uber-nerd in me was also highly amused by Pink's "Raise Your Glass." It has the same rough message, only it includes the line, "if you're too school for cool." Guilty as charged.
Anyhow, all of this is to say that I happen to have an amusing way of laying out a personal code of conduct. Maybe all those samurais just needed some headphones to make things easy for them.
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