OK, I Did It

I got a vanity plate. It arrived today. Don't be shocked... I warned you I might. What I didn't expect was the epiphany that led to its purchase.

The plate as you can see says "Ackee123.' Some of you know exactly what that is, and some of you are thinking "well, that's just stupid." It's an English Beat song... one of my favorites. It has been my anthem for the past year, ever since we decided that we would make the move to North Carolina happen. We were taking control of our future. (The lyrics are below.)

I was reading online about how to get my driver's license, and happened upon the section about vanity plates. The site has a tool that allows you to enter the plate you'd like, see what it actually looks like and see if it's available. That's when I discovered that NC allows for 8 figures (CA only allows 7). And, sweetening the deal, plates are only $30 per year here. Hmmm... So, Cris and I played with it a little bit, and  the song 'Ackee 123' popped into my head. OMG! It's exactly 8 figures. In CA, I would have had to put 'Akee123'. I would hate that. S0, I saw it as kismet... that because we took control and are now in the land of 8-figure plates, I finally thought of one that I would pay for. I don't care that most people will have no idea what it means, because it makes me smile when I look at it. It reminds me of how we grabbed the reins.

Ackee 123

By Dave Wakeling

Cross your fingers, say you're on high
Pretend you're in den and see what life brings.

But always taking things as they come
Tends to make you forget to put anything in.

The longer you dwell, the more it's like hell
You sit by the well just making a wish.

It would be a shame to take too much blame
Look we're all the same
It's only a game.

Ackee 1 2 3
Ackee 1 2 1 2 3
Did I just catch you laughing?
Ackee 1 2 3
Ackee 1 2 1 2 3

Forward where the knocks are hardest
Some to failure some to fame.

Never mind the cheers or hooting
Keep your head and play the game

Try to keep your feet on the ground
Without getting them stuck in the mud.

You will soon be over the moon or twice as hot as the sun!

Ackee 1 2 3
Ackee 1 2 1 2 3

So cross your fingers, say you're on high
Pretend you're in den and see what life brings.

But always taking things as they come
Tends to make you forget to put anything in.

The longer you dwell the more it's like hell
You sit by the well just making a wish.

To make it plain, I'll say it again
We're all the same
It's only a game.

Ackee 1 2 3
Ackee 1 2 1 2 3
Did I just catch you laughing?
Ackee 1 2 3
Ackee 1 2 1 2 3

Someone just smiled for no special reason,
It looks like the smile's come back into season.

It's so easy.

It doesn't have to be a nice day,
Just the only one you've got
And it's coming ready or not!

Ackee 1 2 3
Ackee 1 2 1 2 3

 

Oh ya, wonder what ackee is? Click here.

So, what's your anthem?

Comments

[Joyd]

Could you possibly confirm whether Dave Wakeling:-

a) Borrowed the chorus to ackee 123 from the K.E.S. Birmingham school song? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Edward's_School,_Birmingham)

b) Whether he attended this school himself at any point?

I was a big Beat fan in the early 80s, am still so now; and I played ackee 123 almost daily whilst living in North Birmingham from 1976 until 1983! It goes without saying that I love your numberplate!

[Sharon]

Oh--that was always on of my favorite song of their. I used a quote for a project in speech in college--I remember that not too many people knew what it was at the time. "try to keep you feet on the ground...."

That song also reminds me of parties at your apartment in Santa Maria when you and Liz lived together. I remember dancing in your living room.

Great lisence plate!!