Well, it's one for the money,
Two for the show,
Three to get ready,
Now go, cat, go.
But don't you step on my blue suede shoes .
You can do anything but lay off of my blue suede shoes.
The lyrics to "Blue Suede Shoes," written and performed by Carl Perkins in 1955 and a year later, re-released by Elvis Presley, could have been penned this summer.
With all the hoopla surrounding the possible financial shenanigans of various government agencies and the will-he-or-won't-he-and-if-so-when resignation of Mayor Willie Herenton and the infighting among the city council, it's certainly been quite a show.
And well, the "go, cat, go" part pretty much speaks for itself. At least around this office.
If the shoe fits . . .
But what resonates with me most is the chorus. My interpretation: Look, there's only so much we're gonna take. There's a limit. Don't step over the line. Or on the shoes.
So maybe Perkins and Presley were more concerned about getting their steppers soiled, but the Memphians of 2009 are tired of our city's reputation getting soiled. Tired of getting the runaround from those in the top offices. Tired of mug shots, gunshots, and politicos taking potshots at one another while the city waits for answers.
It can't last forever, right?
I hope that soon this circus will end, and when the tents come down and the dust settles, we'll be left with a true leader, not a ringleader.
And whoever that person might be, they have a big job ahead. Big shoes to fill? Well, literally, yeah. But even bigger holes to fill where Herenton dug his heels in for the last five terms. I don't envy the workload, but I look forward to change.
It's easy to get bogged down by all the craziness going on right now, but if you flip though the pages of this issue, you'll see dozens of folks who are making Memphis a better place. The leaders of non-profits fighting poverty, hunger, and homelessness. The creatives bringing art and music to the city. The ones working quietly behind the scenes who too often don't get the recognition they deserve. The ones who prove that if you try, you can in fact "do anything that you want to do." We call them the "Who's Who."
And to them we say: Thank ya. Thankaverymuch.
