This is an old, widely told story about four
people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody.
There was an important job to be done and
Everybody was asked to do it.
Everybody was sure Somebody would do it.
Anybody could have done it but Nobody did.
Somebody got angry about that because it was
Everybody’s job.
Everybody thought Anybody could do it but
Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it.
It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when
nobody did what Anybody could have.
There is a lesson to this story of course and
you may have thought of it already.
In vital matters such as these the big question
of course is, who will carry out the task?
Anybody could have told you what Everybody
knew.
That this was something Somebody would have to
do.
Nobody was unwilling and Everybody had the
ability.
Nobody believed it was their responsibility
It seemed to be a job that Anybody could have
done if Anybody thought he was supposed
to be the one.
Since Everybody recognized that anybody could,
Everybody took for granted that Somebody would.
Nobody told Anybody what he was supposed to do,
Nobody took care to see if it was followed
through,
To do what Everybody thought Somebody would do.
When what Everybody needed so did not get done
at all, Everybody was complaining that
someone dropped the ball.
Anybody could see it was an awful crying shame
when Everybody looked around for someone quick to
Blame.
Somebody could have done the job and Anybody
might have,
In the end Nobody did what Anybody could have.