My title page contents My title page contents Your SEO optimized title page contents

School’s Out (School’s Out, 1972)

“School’s Out” Lyrics:

Well we got no choice
All the girls and boys
Makin’ all that noise
‘Cause they found new toys
Well we can’t salute ya can’t find a flag
If that don’t suit ya that’s a drag

School’s out for summer
School’s out forever
School’s been blown to pieces

No more pencils no more books
No more teacher’s dirty looks yeah
Well we got no class
And we got no principals
And we got no innocence
We can’t even think of a word that rhymes

School’s out for summer
School’s out forever
My school’s been blown to pieces

No more pencils no more books
No more teacher’s dirty looks
Out for summer
Out till fall
We might not come back at all

School’s out forever
School’s out for summer
School’s out with fever
School’s out completely

In 1972, the Alice Cooper band released School’s Out, their 5th studio album. A follow-up album to Killer, School’s Out reached No. 4 on the UK album charts, No. 2 on the US Billboard 200, and No. 1 on the Canadian RPM Top 100. Some, including Ian Chapman, have claimed the album is a concept piece telling the story of innocence lost after the ‘dear old golden rule days’ of school. Notable tracks from the album include: “Luney Tune”, “Blue Turk”, “Public Animal #9”, and “Alma Mater”.

The title track of the album is an anthem for all humanity. Alice describes it like this, “‘School’s Out‘ was designed to be a hit. It was designed to be an anthem. It was designed to appeal to every single person in the world because everybody has sat through school on the last three minutes before school is out – for Summer. Forever.” He concluded that, “if we can capture the joy of the kids screaming, knowing they have three months off of school, well, that will be a big hit.” Of course, they were right! “School’s Out” is arguably one of the best Alice Cooper songs, if not the best, of all time.

This week, we get a little more personal. I don’t like to do this often, but it seems fitting in this post. “School’s Out” is a nostalgic throwback to a time when things were a little simpler (yet seemed so complex to the mind of an adolescent teen). A time when the summers were a list of various activities from church camp to pool parties to sleepovers to the State fair to the 4th of July, and all sorts of other events and shenanigans. Summers, for the most part, I remember the most – a reminder of what freedom felt like to a young, impressionable mind. Flash forward to today, when summer takes on a whole new role as a business owner, a parent, and a believer.

During the school year, my wife and I run our small business together with her on the front lines working with clients, and myself handling the administrative side, mostly out of sight. Life tends to be a little more structured, less chaotic, and planned out during the school year. However, when school lets out it’s no holds barred. I work from home during the summer. Home with the kids. Same tasks just different venue. Different scenario. Different rules. The Summer is hard, tough to navigate, and sometimes feels like a waste of time. It’s tougher to get things accomplished. Still ensuring that the business stays afloat and running while listening to requests for food, time on the tablets/TV/phones, time outside, trips to the pool, etc. It’s a juggling act for sure. BUT it’s a BLESSING in it’s own right.

It didn’t happen over night, but at some point, the Lord reminded me that it’s a badge of honor to be a Father. Something to not take lightly. In fact, the Word has so much to say about raising children. He has entrusted His children to us. We are to raise them up properly (Proverbs 22:6, Ephesians 6:4) – while helping them see the joy in life (Colossians 3:21).  It’s no small task. It’s no small order. BUT it’s a big deal. You may be saying to yourself – I’m not a stay-at-home parent, I’m not with my children during the day, my children are grown & gone, or maybe you don’t have children. This post still pertains to you! Young people watch us. They learn from us. We influence them – whether we think we do or not. They are sponges soaking up everything around them. We have to help them sort through those things they are processing. Helping them decipher what is right. What is wrong. What is good. What is evil. Believe it or not, they expect and want that. The exterior may not say or show that – but the interior longs for it. They want our input.

While I am thankful for my parents and their upbringing, it was often outside sources that made a bigger difference. Conversations with youth pastors, camp counselors, friends, friend’s parents/grandparents, employers, colleagues, adult neighbors, etc. were many times more influential than dinner table conversations with my nuclear family. Interestingly enough, those conversations that may have seemed trivial at the time shaped, molded, and predisposed me to many different topics that may not have ever come up within my own household growing up. Don’t read this incorrectly, this isn’t a downplay of parenthood. We are called to be shepherds of our own flock (1 Peter 5:2-3). What it is though, is a call to all aspects of your life, not just your own children. All youth that come into contact with you are watching, learning, and wondering what it means to be His child. How that makes them different? How they should treat others? How His Love applies to them?

I urge you to take your role in the life of a young person (and all people) seriously. There are so many opportunities afforded to them – some good, some not. Do your best to make the most of the good opportunities they have. Making those positive ones stand out above the rest. Volunteer when and if you can with the younger generation. Investing in them is not only investing in their future, but also yours – they will one day lead. But it’s more than that. It’s our job to pass the flame to the next generation and so on (Psalms 145:13). One of my favorite songs, “Windows” by the band Whitecross, has a few lines that have stuck like glue over the years. Lines to live by:

Sail the winds of time
See your life as it unwinds
Hold up the looking glass
Look inside and see the past

If not a word was said
Did they see Him in your head
If His name was never heard
Through your life did they wanna learn?

Oh, did His love show
Oh, did anybody really know?

The only Jesus they’ll ever see
Is the One in you and me
The only Jesus they will know
Is the One that lives inside our souls

Been too much wasted time
Look in your heart, I’ll look in mine
We all want what’s real
But sometimes it’s so hard to feel

Oh, I see the world out there
Oh, it takes someone who really cares

The only Jesus they’ll ever see
Is the One in you and me
The only Jesus they will know
Is the One that lives inside our souls

Not what we say but what we do
Are the windows where your life shines through

In conclusion, “School’s Out for Summer”. Make the most of it. This song will forever be one of endearment. Alice does such a masterful job relating to the masses through his music. He states, “the two most joyous times of the year are Christmas morning and the end of school.” How true. Simple, yet profound. As a young person, the end of the school year represents Freedom. Now as an adult, it represents Responsibility. Funny how life shifts and turns. Old things take on new meanings, yet things still find a way of staying the same in many ways. Enjoy your Summer! Have fun! Appreciate the time with your family, friends, and those you meet along the way. Rejoice in the Lord as well, and take some time to reflect over what’s transpired in your life this past 6 months. What was good? What wasn’t? Any changes need to be made? If so, there’s no time like the present. And know you’re being watched – do others around you see Jesus? Or someone/something else?

Have you accepted Christ as your Savior?

If you would like to accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, please pray the following prayer:

"God, I believe in you and your son Jesus Christ.  I believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave to save me. Today, I invite Jesus into my heart to stay.  I make you Lord over my life. Make me new. Wash me, Lord, and cleanse me. In Jesus Name, Amen"

If you have just prayed that prayer, we want to celebrate your new victory with you.  Please contact us at prayers@oceanfloorministries.com so we can welcome you into the kingdom.  We don't want you to have to walk alone and we have some resources we would like the opportunity to share with you.

NOTE: We’d also like to share the following resources used by “Fridays With Alice.” Without these books and sites, this would be a much more complicated endeavor. So be sure to check them out if interested.

Click the images to learn more about these resources:

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This