These two songs of mine are about doing too much for others at the expense of one’s self. The songs are written decades apart and the first one is written in the first person and the second song is written in the third person.

“I Don’t Want To Wear A Hat” grew out of a conversation I had with a close friend who naively asked me “How’s it going?” on a day when I was overwhelmed. I told him I was so tired, I didn’t know how long I could keep going. I said something like”I wake up and put on my daddy hat, I put on my driver’s cap for the commute to work where I put on my teacher’s hat and then the driver’s hat again for the ride home and then maybe a chef’s hat or hubby hat and so on…” He then asked me “…and how are your migraines?” I told him of my further misery and he then wisely suggested I should “take off some of those hats.”

The second song was written a few years ago with several people in mind. Mostly my life partner and my mother, but I know many people in the “giving” professions of education and health care and so when you put em in a blender….. The song hit home with one of my wife’s cousins who was visiting from Wales. She said last night that she sings it to herself when she feels overwhelmed by her three jobs, extended family duties including aged uncle and several children and grandchildren at an age when she should be putting her feet up.

I Don't Want To Wear A Hat

The greatest hat I ever wore                  
Kept my four corners warm
Sheltered me from every storm
Man, I miss that hat!

Some hats are too loose
Some hats fit too tight
Some hats I get to choose
But nothing seems to fit right

I don't want to wear a hat
The ceiling’s low and my head’s too fat

I wear a hat when I go to work
Another one when I get home
I wear a hat when I’m out with friends
I even wear one when I’m alone

I can’t remember when my head was bare
Since I was young, there’s always been something there
Always on the go, always on the do
Always trying to try on something new

(chorus)

When you where a hat it’s hard to dream
If you’re a dreamer your head will be splitting at the seams
Cause if your head’s too big like mine is
A hat’ll just confine this

If I gotta wear one, make it fit
Not just my head, but what’s in it
If I gotta wear one, make it cool
I’m tired of changing hats like a fool

(chorus)

In god’s house I try to keep my head bare
But prayer caps and "do"er caps keep slipping up there
I wish I didn’t care
What hat I wear when people stare

(chorus)
I think it’s pretty unfair
I just want to feel the wind in my hair

 https://ianhanchet.bandcamp.com/track/what-about-you
What About You?

You hit the ground running
With a list of things to do
You’re always going and coming
You’ve got too much to chew

You give yourself away
At the start of every day
You do it for no pay, it’s a fact
You never think about you!

What about you?
I think it’s time for you to renew
What about you?

You look out for your brother,
Father, sister, and your mother
Look out for strangers too

You feed the squirrels and birds
Leave me at a loss for words
You’re kind to everybody but you

What about you?
What about you?
I think it’s time for you to renew
What about you?

No one says “I’ll do it!”
So you step up to the plate
You did your day already,
Now you’re working late

You’d think someone might thank you,
Show that they appreciate
You sacrificed your dinner’s
Lying cold upon the plate

What about....

You volunteer for everything
You put your life on hold
They will suck you dry
You’re still young, but feeling old

The weight of the world is
Something you can’t bear
No matter how you try,
The world doesn’t care about you

What about...

The world will keep on turning
Even if you stop
Going do do do do do do do
Do do until you drop

There’s more to life than doing
I’m afraid you’re missing out
Things that are worth pursuing,
I’m right without a doubt,what about

You....