Ten Thousand Hours

Phillipians J. Shufflebottom, the “Malcolm Gladwell Distinguished Professor of Lengthy Articles” at Hope’s Promise U, has written a song for the summer graduation ceremony, for 3 tenors and a loaner cello. Or maybe that’s “lone” cello; it’s hard for him to read his own writing on his musical scores.

Dr. Shufflebottom is a fan of Malcolm Gladwell and the “10 thousand hours” thesis. You have to put in 10 thousand hours before you’re fully adept, the way Bill Gates and the Beatles did. They didn’t just burst onto the scene. They put in 10 thousand hours learning their craft, then burst onto the scene. He was especially gratified to hear Bobby Valentine, an ESPN baseball analyst, say of a particular player this week, “He’s put in his ten thousand hours.”

This is the song Professor Shufflebottom has written for Donna Prima, the Stephanie Smith-Wilkey Distinguished Professor of Autoharp, Washboard, and Voice, to sing at commencement this afternoon:

VERSE 1

I heard a baby laughing and I saw a young girl dance
I saw a daddy playing ball with a boy in short blue pants
I’ve had minutes and I’ve had moments, the fleeing beauty of a flower
But when it comes to sorrow I’ve put in ten thousand hours

REFRAIN
Ten thousand hours, ten thousand hours,
You’re an expert when you’ve done then thousand hours
I’ve had minutes, I’ve had moments, joy bright as the lone daystar
But when it comes to sorrow, I’ve put in ten thousand hours.

VERSE 2
I carved initials in a tree, a moment of romance
I walked across a stage with pride, and won a game of chance
I’ve had blinks and I’ve had glimpses, a quick vision from a tower
But when it comes to sorrow I’ve put in ten thousand hours.

REFRAIN
Ten thousand hours, ten thousand hours,
You’re an expert when you’ve done then thousand hours
I’ve had minutes, I’ve had moments, joy bright as the lone daystar
But when it comes to sorrow, I’ve put in ten thousand hours.

VERSE 3
I’ve been to the place where courage sticks and to the tipping point
I saw what the dog saw and it did not disappoint
I’ve seen the outliers in their prime and felt them in their power
But when it comes to sorrow, I’ve put in ten thousand hours.

REFRAIN
Ten thousand hours, ten thousand hours,
You’re an expert when you’ve done then thousand hours
I’ve had minutes, I’ve had moments, joy bright as the lone daystar
But when it comes to sorrow, I’ve put in ten thousand hours.

[Author’s note: “The Tipping Point,” “Blink,” “Outliers,” and “What the Dog Saw” are titles of Malcolm Gladwell’s books. He writes of the Ten Thousand Hours thesis in “Outliers.”]