The Song You Got A Friend In Me By Randy Newman

The song You Got a Friend in Me by Randy Newman is a very famous song about friendship and it became even more popular after its appearance in the movie Toy Story. The lyrics read “You’ve got a friend in me.” This would describe the same bond which Jeremy, a 12 year old looking forward to being a teen, and Lizzy, a young lady whose mother left her when she was a year old, have with each other. In the story Lizzy helps Jeremy find the keys to a box which his father left for him. Lizzy spent her entire summer helping Jeremy find the keys when she could have been doing other fun and important things. In the book it states, “We’ll find a way to open the box,” Lizzy says decisively. “I promise.” This shows that Lizzy is willing and persistent
i. am. One part of the lyric of the song is “Don't wait for luck, dedicate yourself and you gon' find yourself, Standing in the hall of fame.” The first part of the lyric is to not wait for things to happen, but make them happen.This relates to Jeremy Fink because Jeremy did not wait for luck to help him find all the keys at home or that they would just magically appear. He did not wait for others to look for the keys while he just enjoyed his summer. Jeremy dedicated himself to finding the keys and with the help of Lizzy, they opened the box on their own and found themselves in their own hall of fame. Another part of the song is “Do it for your pride, how are you ever gonna know if you never even try?” This part of the song explains that you have to be bold and try new things. In the story Jeremy doesn’t want to go on the bus. He states “I’m not proud of the fact that I’ve never taken public transportation without an adult, but everything I need is usually within walking distance.” This shows that Jeremy doesn’t like trying new things, but during the story Jeremy uses the train and the bus. By the end of the story he is taking the bus by himself when at the start of the story he didn’t like leaving the house. In the story Mrs. Fink asks Jeremy how he is getting to a place he wants to go and he replies “Bus. I have exact change.” By yourself? Lizzy
Right off the bat this relates to Jeremy and Lizzy, two kids who have no other siblings. Both these 7th graders are missing a parent whom they desire to have back in their lives. Jeremy’s father passed away when he was only eight years old and Lizzy’s mother left her when she was a year old. It states in the song “It's been raining since you left me.” The line is talking about how life has been hard and kind of sad when you left me. This relates to Jeremy Fink because ever since his dad left life has been harder for him. Even when Jeremy tries to remember him he feels sad. In the book Mrs. Fink is talking about Mr. Fink and in Jeremy’s perspective it states “My eyes began to sting with the onset of tears, but I blink them away.” This shows that even five years after Mr. Fink’s death, Jeremy still misses him dearly and feels sad about it. Another lyrics is “Now your pictures that you left behind, Are just memories of a different life.” This relates to a part of the book when Jeremy talks about his dad. He states “Before he died he had moved on to fast food restaurant giveaways, which was great for me because he needed a kid in order to get the toys. Now I can’t go into a fast food place without feeling sad.” This is Jeremy remembering his life when his father was alive and how happy he was to go into fast food places. Like the lyric states “the pictures are a memory of a different life.” This