The Sign -- Writer's Poke #157

For Writers:

I've listened to Ace of Base's "The Sign" for 15 years, and apparently I've never heard one of the lines correctly.

The actual line is: "How could a person like me care for you?" But as I've always heard it, Jenny sings: "How could a person like me trip on you?" Quite honestly, I like my version better. Because I think there's a lot of room to explore the notion of tripping on others. Not literally, of course, but figuratively.

Yes, other people can cause us to trip. Maybe it's the kid in grade school that dared us to smoke our first cigarette. Maybe it's the boyfriend we were sure loved us, even if he had a funny way of showing it (and never used the "l" word).

Whatever the case, wouldn't it be nice to have someone around to hold up a sign to alert you before you fall?

Who have you tripped over? Or, who have you caused to stumble?

"He got his hands on me and I tripped." -- Brett Ross

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