The Meaning of I Wasn't Born to Follow

I have learned that to make an effective blog, you must have a sharp focus. Obviously my blog is violating this sacred principle. But I am not going to correct that error, because I believe that I am covering in this blog the only two things that are worth learning. How to ride a motorcycle, and how to think for yourself. So this blog is basically the School of Life, because it combines motorcycling with propaganda.

You might think that I am shutting out the large number of Internet users who are hopelessly brainwashed. But no, this school welcomes conservatives and evangelicals as well as atheists and liberals. The comments are open to anyone, and I am willing to listen to reason. Nobody, left or right ever sets out in life with the aim of being a mindless follower, and there are followers on both sides.

So now the meaning of my banner: The Lost Motorcyclist, or I wasn't Born to Follow. When you ride a motorcycle, being lost also happens to be a natural consequence of not following. "I wasn't born to follow" is a song by the Byrds on the soundtrack of Easy Rider, written by by Carol King and Gerry Goffin in 1968.

"I Wasn't Born to Follow"

Oh I'd rather go and journey where the diamond crescent's glowing and
Run across the valley Beneath the sacred mountain
And wander through the forest
Where the trees have leaves of prisms, and break the light in colors
That no-one knows the names of.

And when it's time I'll go and wait beside a legendary fountain
Till I see your form reflected in its clear and jewelled waters
And if you think I'm ready
You may lead me to the chasm where the rivers of our vision
Flow into one another

I will watch her dive beneath the white cascading waters.
She may beg, she may plead, she may argue with her logic,
And mention all the things I'll lose that really have no value.

In the end she will surely know I wasn't born to follow.


The lyrics I found on the Internet vary, so hopefully this version is at least meaningful. In Carole King's version there was another line just before the last:

"Though I doubt that she will ever come to understand my meaning"

Now what does this song mean? No it does not mean get wasted and look for chicks. Read it again. Especially the line "And if you think I'm ready, you may lead me to the chasm where the rivers of our vision flow into one another." Seemingly contrary to the theme of the song, to say "you may lead me", but it's more like you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. So at first it seems like nothing more than a song about a guy who is not able to make a commitment to a girl. But in a broader sense, it's about not wanting to surrender yourself to any other point of view. Which may be good or bad. If you can't or won't follow, you can not only get lost, but you can get lonely. But some people are just born that way.

So another reason I do not have a sharp focus to this blog is because "I wasn't born to follow".