I gave my speech today and here it is.
Dear Paul,
"Looking through the backyard of my life", your music has been its' soundtrack. I was born 4 months premature and had a 1-3% chance of surviving. I was "At The Mercy" and had two choices. "I could "die in this god foresaken place" or "hold on". I held on and was known as El Paso's Miracle Baby. "That Was Me" in the newspaper and on tv, "That Was Me." "The same me that stands here now."
As I went from a "Young Boy" to a teenager, my parents divorced. You taught me to not to "feel bad but take a sad song and make it better." A couple of years ago, I was in a relationship with a girl and she would become my first love. It was exciting and I was "very sure this has never happened to me before. Now I see this is the way it's supposed to be." The relationship didn't last and I had a hard time dealing with it's sudden ending. With your "words of wisdom" you taught me, " Smile when your heart is filled with pain" and "Don't live in the past, don't hold on to something that's changing fast."
When I was 13, I became interested in The Beatles. Right from the start you were (and still are) my favorite Fab for obvious reasons. The two main reasons are that we have the same first name and we are both left handed. As my passion for The Beatles and your solo work grew I thought "That Would Be Something" if I could see you perform live in concert. As of June 2008, I have seen you twice. Your concerts took me on a three hour "Magical Mystery Tour" from your "Ever Present Past" to now.
The most random and memorable thing you have taught me throughout my life was the meaning of a word, preadventure. When I saw you during your 2005 US tour in Des Moines, before you went into "English Tea" off your Chaos and Creation in the Backyard record, you mentioned that you thought the word preadventure was an interesting word yet you didn't know what it meant so you looked it in the dictionary. Preadventure means maybe or possibly and well...I'll let you explain just how proud you are of fitting the word into the song. (Play video of Paul saying how proud he was of putting Preadventure in the song)
I recently shot a homemade film to "She's Giving Up Talking" from your Driving Rain album. The song's lyrics intrigued me because I am a quiet person and at school my teachers would tell me that there were times that I was so quiet that they didn't know that I was in class. I would like to share with you the finished product. In "The End" your music has and will continue to "lift up my spirits, shine on my soul and guide me through any situation." Thank you.
Song lyrics and titles extracted from the following Paul McCartney/Beatle songs.
* Represents Beatle songs ** Represents Solo McCartney
Looking through the backyard of my life (Promise To You Girl)**
At The Mercy (At The Mercy)**
Die in this god foresaken place, hold on (Only Mama Knows)**
That Was Me, The same me that stands here now (That Was Me)**
Young Boy (Young Boy)**
Feel bad, Take a sad song and make it better (Hey Jude)*
Very sure this has never happened to me before. Now I see this is the way it's supposed to be (This Never Happened Before)**
Words of Wisdom (Let It Be)*
Smile when your heart is filled with pain (Too Much Rain)**
Don't live in the past, don't hold on to something that's changing fast (Vintage Clothes)**
That Would Be Something (That Would Be Something)**
Magical Mystery Tour (Magical Mystery Tour)*
Ever Present Past (Ever Present Past)**
English Tea (English Tea)**
She's Giving Up Talking (She's Giving Up Talking)**
In The End (In The End)*
Lift up my spirts, shine on my soul, guide me through any situation (Follow Me)**
I got an A by the way
