The day I went to the big antique store

With the intimidating man in the suit and the funny old dolls

I found a record without a price.

My parents had moved on and I was alone

I could’ve left it, but I asked an employee nearby

Who did not know. He told me

To go ask the man in the suit, the main guy, the one who always frightened me

I hesitated, I was reluctant, but the record was beckoning me,

So I did.

I sought out the intimidating suited man

I showed him the record

And he told me in a friendly voice that this record

This beautiful two-disc album still wrapped in plastic, in perfect condition

Was only five dollars.

The man in the suit never knew

That it took all the courage in the world

For me to even think about speaking up

My parents had no idea

About the wild heart palpitations and the tingly pangs in my liver

And the trembles and the terror and the deep, dull nausea that I felt

Still for hours following the event.

The day I went to the big antique store

With the intimidating man in the suit and the funny old dolls

I made a little achievement

And though it may not seem of much significance

And while it may not seem like such a difficult task

It was a big moment for me

And I listen to the record often.

It reminds me that speaking up

Can have its rewards.