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I never thought there would ever be a song that summed up how we all felt when we were in high school. I used to intervene a lot during high school if things looked bad but sometimes I didn't . I think all of us would have like to .

Maybe us adults could teach a few things to our own teenagers?

anyway if you were bullied or maybe you saw bullying in school and wished you had of done more. this song is for you.

it's quite a beautiful song .

YouTube - Kate Miller-Heidke - Caught in the Crowd [Official Video]

There was a guy at my school when I was in high school

We'd ride side by side in the morning on our bicycles

Never even spoken or faced each other

But on the last hill we'd race each other

When we reached the racks we'd each go our own way

I wasn't in his classes, I didn't know his name

When we finally got to speak he just stared at his feet

And mumbled a sentence that ended with 'James'

I was young and caught in the crowd

I didn't know then what I know now

I was dumb, and I was proud

And I'm sorry

If I could go back do it again

I'd be someone you could call friend

Please please believe that I'm sorry

Well he was quite a big guy, kinda shy and quiet

When the kids called him weird he didn't try to deny it

Every lunchtime he'd spend walking by himself

Round the boundary of the grounds til he heard the bell

Well one day I found him, joined him on his walk

We were silent for a while until we started to talk

I told him my family were fighting in court

He said his step-dad and him always fought

We talked about music, he was into punk

Told me all the bands that I liked were junk

I said I'd never heard the songs the sex pistols sang

I laughed back at him and then the bell rang

I was young and caught in the crowd

I didn't know then what I know now

I was dumb, and I was proud

And I'm sorry

If I could go back do it again

I'd be someone you could call friend

Please please believe that I'm sorry

It was after school in the afternoon

The corridors were crowded as we came out of the rooms

Three guys I knew pushed him into the cement

Threw away his bag and said he had no friends

He yelled that he did and he looked around

Tried getting up but they pushed him on down

That's when he saw me, called out my name

And I turned my back, and just walked away

Yeah i turned my back, and just walked away

I was young and caught in the crowd

I didn't know then what i know now

I was dumb, and i was proud

And I'm sorry

If I could go back, do it again

I'd be someone you could call friend

Please please, believe that I'm sorry.

Please please, believe that I'm sorry.

I still enjoy bullying kids on the playground. I like to show up during recess and shoot spit wads at them.

Nomad;1270809 wrote: I still enjoy bullying kids on the playground. I like to show up during recess and shoot spit wads at them.


You know what the Judge said about that Nomad!!!!!!!! No less than 500 metres from a playground or school!!!!

Dandenong High school did a version of this ....(now that's a tough school good on em') and I actually like it better than the real video. Very bloody professional for kids. Love it!!!!

YouTube - "Caught In The Crowd" by Dandenong High

Ringwood secondary collage



Nepaean High

Good song, it got me thinkging.

When I look back, I was often was the one to step in. I wasn’t big and brave, I was tall and skinny and was scared mostly, but often before I would even think about it I would be in there helping the underdog.

Not in a big physical way, or fighting or anything like that. I was not a fighter, and often it was much easier than you would think.

One time that I remember, one of the school team’s ice hockey players was picking on one of the ‘geeks’, yelling at him and tell him he was ugly and a loser and stuff. He then knocked all the school books out of his arms to the entertainment of his buddies. You could see the guy thought he was going to die.

I walked up, said nothing, picked up his books for him and handed them to him, then guided him away with me. The hockey player looked at me furiously, and stood in front of me, I just said to him ‘what?’ and nothing else, then continued to walk away.

That was it, it was over.

Funny thing was, in that school I was a complete misfit, I felt I had no friends and thought that no one really like it. I did not like the school and I did not really care what they thought of me. My parents were going through a nasty divorce and the home life was falling apart, somehow my school life just was not that important to me.

I didn’t finish my schooling there and transferred out to another school (which I ended up loving), but I was surprised to hear later that there many back in that school who did in fact like me and wondered where I went to.

Funny the teenage years, your perception of the world and how you can feel the world perceives you can be very different than reality.

mikeinie;1270908 wrote:

One time that I remember, one of the school team’s ice hockey players was picking on one of the ‘geeks’, yelling at him and tell him he was ugly and a loser and stuff. He then knocked all the school books out of his arms to the entertainment of his buddies. You could see the guy thought he was going to die..


Yeah, I started out as that kid. I had pacifists for parents, and they never taught me how to defend myself. (Yeah, like that's a good idea in a modern high school!) Add to that the fact that I was a late bloomer and I ended up getting my butt kicked at the bus stop pretty regularly.

Then a miracle happened...we moved. In my new town, I decided that since no one knew me, I could be whoever I wanted to be and I set about rewriting my personality. (It's easier than you think, you just act the way you want to be, and after a while it becomes you!)

I changed the way I dressed, got a '69 Camaro, painted it bright yellow, became aggressive, took weightlifting, physical fitness and karate, and grew to 6'1" 220 lbs. Bullying became a distant, bad memory, but as a teacher these days, I'm still very empathetic to it.

I will say this now, it's always the bully's fault when bullying occurs, but you can reduce your risk by not looking and acting like a victim. (Isn't that what we teach young ladies for their protection?):rolleyes:

I can remember when I was about 10 years old, I'd just got through to a grammar school (11 plus exam). I had made one or two friends, one of which was a tall slender girl called Janet. There was a gang of lads in our class, and their 'leader' seemed to be a very big lad called Meade (his surname). He was tall and broad, and he wore glasses, and he was a mean sod. He kept picking on my friend Janet, nearly making her cry. One day, I had just had enough of this bully, and just as he was giving her a shove, I punched him as hard as I could right in the soft belly. He doubled up, clutching his stomach and gasping, and his face went quite pale ! I took Janet by the arm and led her away from this lad, who had been joined by a couple of his friends. None of them tried to hit back at me, I think they were too surprised that I had the front to punch Meade in the guts. They were unaware that I had two older brothers, and I learnt how to stick up for myself at a very early age LOL, no slapping by me, but a good hard straight punch - usually did the trick LOL. (I haven't changed much either ).

Since that particular incident, there was never any more trouble from any of those boys towards me or my friends.

I have always been a bit like that - can't stand anybody picking on somebody smaller or younger than themselves. I know, just because I'm female, doesn't mean to say I can't physically look after myself, or my friends. I can, and I still would should the need arise. I'd have to put my bus pass safely away in my pocket first, before I thumped anybody ! :yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl

G#Gill;1270921 wrote: One day, I had just had enough of this bully, and just as he was giving her a shove, I punched him as hard as I could right in the soft belly. He doubled up, clutching his stomach and gasping, and his face went quite pale !


I try not to advocate violence as a solution... but HEY! Sometimes it's the only option! Good for you!:yh_rotfl ( I sure would have loved to see that, nothing is funnier than a bully getting their comeuppance!)

Saint_;1270933 wrote: I try not to advocate violence as a solution... but HEY! Sometimes it's the only option! Good for you!:yh_rotfl ( I sure would have loved to see that, nothing is funnier than a bully getting their comeuppance!)


I don't think anybody believed what I'd done, certainly nobody reported me to any teachers ! It worked, as it happened, and we were left in peace. I just don't do 'slapping', unless it's with the back of the hand, it is never hard enough ! :yh_rotfl

My hubby thinks I'm so ladylike :yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl but he loves me, for all my faults :yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl:yh_rotfl