It was on a Sunday, thinking about Monday.
I was ready to see another place somewhere else.

Are you ready to make, to make a trip to there?
Are you ready for me?
Because I need somebody there.

Driving on the highway, dreaming of a new way.
I had to recognize there’s a different way to travel.

Are you ready to make, to make a trip to there?
Are you ready for me?
Because I need somebody there.

Are you ready to make, to make a trip to there?
Are you ready for me?
Because I need somebody there.

There’s a different way.
There must be a different way.

I wrote this song in 1993 when I was about 14 years old. So this song is 30 years old! If you’d like to hear it, then click on the video above. I shot this video on 11 June 2011 when I was 32 years old. There is a language error in the lyrics. Sometimes this happens because English is not my native language and I rarely speak English. I always speak Dutch because I live in the Netherlands. I should have written “Are you ready to take a trip there?” instead of “Are you ready to make a trip to there?”. So that’s bad English, I guess, but it doesn’t really matter to me. I can’t change the recording and still like this song and feel nostalgic about it, even though the lyrics are not that special. It’s quite confronting to see this old video after 12 years! I was so nervous recording this song. I was alone in the living room when I recorded it and yet I was so nervous! I can clearly see the stress in my body language and my stiff hand and arm movements. So my conclusion: I was simply not born to perform on stage in front of an audience because I couldn’t handle my nerves. I better sing in my living room. My body language in this video is not elegant and graceful, but I’ve accepted my shortcomings. That’s the way I moved while singing in 2011. Another thing that’s funny… when I wrote this song and sang “Because I need somebody there”, I actually meant “Because I need a boyfriend there”! When I was 14 years old I already knew that I was gay, but I was still afraid to openly sing about that feeling in my songs and I didn’t want my family to hear it, so that’s why I decided to keep this little song gender neutral.

Ryan Maurice Roemer
29 November 2023