5. Lines 5-12 (Whatif I am dumb... my chest?)

The song begins with a series of 'whatifs'. Speaker worries about several situations that may or may not happen in his life. He thinks, "Whatif I’m dumb in school?". This question is important for various reasons. It gives us a hint as to who the speaker is: a kid. It also exposes one of the biggest worries of a kid, which is him turning into a stupid person or being treated as one at school.

 

Later, the speaker wonders about a sillier scenario: he imagines the swimming-pool to be closed and wonders what would he do in such cases. The speaker probably loves swimming and is worried that he may end up missing one of the sessions.

 

The third whatif is about the situation where the speaker might get beaten up. It is a worry that many students have. The kind of beating mentioned in the poem might be a reference to the act of bullying or may mean punishment in general.

 

The poem also contains a series of other worries that are expected of a child. The speaker worries over situations such as failing a test or starting to cry. He also worries about the uncertain future when he might get sick and die.

 

The speaker worries about the time when he might get sick and die

The poem also contains a couple of sillier and crazier thoughts of a child. He wonders about a situation when he may end up finding poison in his cup, or worse, growing green hair on his chest.

 

The lines from "whatif I am dumb" to "my chest" contain a striking rhyme scheme AABB.

 

Meanings of difficult words: