One day it was there where it wasn’t before
A random thought, like a spot on the floor
It was just an idea Don had never had
He didn’t think it was good, he didn’t think was bad
It was just a thought, it was fleeting and fast
Don hardly even noticed the thought as it passed
It was there for an instant but gone in a wink
Like one of those towns you miss if you blink
Don thought it was gone, but after a bit
It returned and Don got familiar with it
Then other thoughts came and most of them went
There were even some thoughts he didn’t know what they meant
Don lost it again and he thought it was gone
But there was this feeling like something was wrong
He tried to find the idea, but it was no use
So he just let it go, and made some excuse
Then out of the blue, there it was again
This time Don wrote it down with a pen
He looked at his words, and wasn’t sure what to do
The words he had written were, “You need a tattoo.”
Not having a tattoo had never felt like a lack
But maybe a small one, somewhere on my back
A sword or a star in a modest grey tone
But definitely not a skull with any cross bones
Then Don hesitated, I don’t need one of these
So he told the idea, just go away please
But one day in a meeting he was doodling a doodle
And the thought popped up, “That could be a tatoodle.”
Don told himself, it can’t do any harm
Now Don has tattoos, all over both arms
His back is all covered with flowers and ships
And he’s run out of space on both of his hips
When he looks in the mirror, Don says of his ink
I should be more careful of the thoughts that I think
Thoughts sneak in your head and you don’t have a say
On whether they go or whether they stay
Some thoughts seem to have a mind of their own
They start out small, but they grow till they’re grown
And when ideas get going and they get on a roll
You might have to wonder, who’s in control
Is this idea mine or am I just a tool
Can ideas really take advantage of fools
What’s really going on with this process of thought
It may not be what we think we’ve been taught
No one really knows where ideas are from
And ideas have power when their time has come
So here’s an idea you may want to discuss
Do we have ideas or do ideas have us
