“Ben” — the first song I ever learned to sing (and never forgot)

For a song about a boy and his pet rat, for the 1972 film of the same name, it sure did make an impact on 5-year-old me. There’s something strangely devastating about “Ben” because, on paper, it’s a song about a rat! But emotionally, it feels like one of the loneliest songs ever written.

Ben Album Art I Copyright: Motown

Ben

Artist:  Michael Jackson

Album:  Ben

Year:  1972

Beneath the softness of Michael Jackson’s voice is this deep longing to be understood and chosen despite being seen as strange, unwanted, or difficult to love–and honestly, that kind of vulnerability hits way harder than you’d expect from a movie soundtrack about killer rats.

Verse 1

Ben, the two of us need look no more

We both found what we were looking for

With a friend to call my own

I'll never be alone

And you, my friend, will see

You've got a friend in me

(You've got a friend in me) 

Oh, this opening means so much to me. Listening to it again while writing this honestly gives me the feels!

My dad was the one who taught me how to sing, and this was the song he taught me with. Which eventually turned into the first song I ever learned how to sing in karaoke too, so this song is very sentimental to me. 

And looking back now, with the perspective I have today, these lyrics hit even harder because I remember that innocent feeling of wanting to be your parents’ friend when I was a kid. So when I finally learned how to sing this properly.. my dad doesn’t know this, but I would sing it to him all the time.

Verse 2

Ben, you're always running here and there

(Here and there)

You feel you're not wanted anywhere

(Anywhere)

If you ever look behind

And don't like what you find

There's something you should know

You've got a place to go

(You've got a place to go) 

It’s funny because when I used to sing this on our karaoke (believe me, I was SPAMMING this song because it was the only song I knew and felt confident singing), the background video of the lyrics was literally just rats running through sewers. So when I got a little older, imagine my surprise when I found out the song was actually.. about rats?!

And if y’all have watched the movie, it’s honestly mind-boggling how this song connects to it, but damn, it works? Ben isn’t really welcomed or accepted by anyone because, well.. he’s a rat (and in my humble opinion, very scary.. no spoilers!). He’s constantly searching for a place where he belongs until he meets Danny.

And honestly, I think we all need Dannys in our lives–people who make us feel accepted, understood, and feel like we belong somewhere. If you already have your Danny, you’re a lucky one!

Bridge

I used to say "I" and "me"

Now, it's "us", now, it's "we"

(I used to say "I" and "me")

(Now, it's "us", now, it's "we") 

Isn’t that just how life goes, though? Love always seems to find you when you least expect it–whether that’s through a lover, a friend, or just a random person who suddenly becomes important to you.

Connections are funny like that! The most meaningful relationships and friendships usually come out of nowhere, when you’re not even looking for them. One day, they’re just another person in your life, and then suddenly they become someone you can’t imagine your days without. Stuff like that honestly makes me believe in destiny more and more each day.. because sometimes people are just meant to find each other somehow.

Verse 3

Ben, most people would turn you away (Turn you away)

I don't listen to a word they say (A word they say)

They don't see you as I do

I wish they would try to

I'm sure they'd think again

If they had a friend like Ben 

Oh, to have someone like this on your side–someone who sees you as more than what other people reduce you to. Someone who looks past the weirdness, the flaws, the things that make you “different,” and still chooses to stay.

Everyone longs to be understood this deeply at least once in their life. To be loved in a way where someone defends you even when the rest of the world doesn’t get you. Like, imagine having someone who would say, “No, you don’t see them the way I do.” That kind of love and loyalty is so rare now that it almost feels fictional (ironically.. in a movie about a killer rat).

---

Favorite !

I used to say "I" and "me"

Now, it's "us", now, it's "we"

This is my favorite lyric, mostly because I loved singing this part–I always looked forward to it. But it also has this sad feeling to it, knowing I get to sing my favorite part, but also knowing that since this is that part, the song is about to end..

Am I weird for that? Grieving something that hasn’t even ended yet, but just the thought of it ending already tugs at my heart.. lol

1972 "Ben" Performance I  The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour

At its core, “Ben” is about the very human need to be understood, accepted, and chosen despite our flaws or differences. Beneath the whole “song about a rat” thing is actually a deeply tender story about loneliness, friendship, and finding someone who sees you with kindness when the world refuses to.

This will always be one of those songs that feels bigger than what it looks like on the surface for me–starting from singing it on karaoke as a kid, not even knowing it was about rats, to slowly realizing how deeply it talks about loneliness, acceptance, and being seen. It’s kind of wild how something so simple became so personal over time. And maybe that’s the point! Some songs grow with you, just like people do. So if anything, I hope this reminds you that you’ll find your Danny too, and you’re never as alone as you think you are. 

Remember: “You've got a friend in me”  : )

D.

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