I’m a man of quotes, lyrics, poetry, and things that I touch back on and find inspiration. I’m dedicating this blog entry to nothing but words that I wish I wrote.
So, without further ado, some of my most favorite inspirational, touching, or emotional lyrics and poetry. I chose some of these simply because I can relate to the story being told, as well. Your mileage may vary.
Counting Crows, “Round Here”
She looks up at the building
and says, “I’m thinking of jumping.
I’m sick and tired of life.”
Well, she must be tired of something.
Good starter lyric, huh? I knew you’d approve. How about my most favorite line from any poem, ever? I get chills whenever I read this, and I completely blame my Uncle Mitch for getting me interested in Yeats.
William Butler Yeats, “The Second Coming”
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
Oh c’mon, that stanza is just amazing. If you’ve ever read much Yeats, you’ll find that he’s damn near impossible to try and critique. I hold him in great esteem.
We’ll go back to a song lyric now, for those with short attention spans.
Floater, “Weary”
And if you weary of the pain
the pain will weary of you tooand if you weary of the days
the days will weary of you tooand if you weary of me
I will weary of you too
I know, lyrics out of the context of the song mean very little. But this song has meant a great deal to me for the last 12 years. That’s right, 12. Next!
Floater, “Independence Day”
Now tell me…
Was he the one while I was gone
who kept you busy?
Did he come in my place?
Could he make you dizzy?And I suppose that I’ve got a little boy inside,
And in every woman’s man
is a little boy that died.I’m stone jumpin’, looking at the ocean
I’ve got no direction, but I’m still in motionand I’ve got my mind, I’ve got my music
I’ve got my soul, until I lose itRight on
I know, a little bit long, but worth it. I like that song for obvious reasons… the main one being that I’ve been cheated on in the past, and always came back to listen to this song. Why? Because this song describes the silverlining of having someone stomp the shit out of your heart: Freedom. My independence day.
Now for some “classic” lyrics. And by classic, I mean some Pink Floyd.
Pink Floyd, “Comfortably Numb”
There is no pain, you are receding.
A distant ships smoke on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.
Your lips move but I cant hear what youre sayin.
When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse,
Out of the corner of my eye.
I turned to look but it was gone.
I cannot put my finger on it now.
The child is grown, the dream is gone.
I have become comfortably numb.
Anyone who has had any experience with drugs in their past can relate with the above. My particular experience isn’t drug related, per se, so much as medically related. It’s an interesting if, unnerving story. If you’re interested, e-mail me about it.
And on to another favorite poem stanza:
T. S. Eliot, “The Hollow Men”
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.
This next piece is just amazing, just amazing. I don’t believe in God, Heaven, or Hell, but this piece speaks to me and affirms a lot of my beliefs. I’ll let it speak for itself.
John Ciardi, “In Place of a Curse”
At the next vacancy for God, if I am elected,
I shall forgive last the delicately wounded who,
having been slugged no harder than anyone else,
never got up again, neither to fight back,
nor to finger their jaws in painful admiration.They who are wholly broken, and they in whom mercy is understanding,
I shall embrace at once and lead to pillows in heaven.
But they who are the meek by trade, baiting the best of their betters with extortions of a mock-helplessness,
I shall take last to love, and never wholly.Let them all in Heaven – I abolish Hell –
but let it be read over them as they enter:
Beware the calculations of the meek, who gambled nothing
gave nothing, and could never receive enough.
Ahhh yes, another one that just gives me chills. Pretty sweet, eh? Okay, this next stanza is something that I came across several years ago, shortly after my mom died, and it always lodged in the back of my mind. I always liked the principle.
Sir James George Frazer, “The Golden Bough”, 1922
From the chapter, “The Principles of Magic”
“The second principle of magic: things which have once been in contact with each other continue to act on each other at a distance after the physical contact has been severed.”
While I don’t believe in magic, voodoo, or anything similar… there’s something about the above quote that simply speaks to me. As I said, it has stayed lodged in my brain for years. In many ways, I hope and I wish that it were true.
Anyway, that’s probably enough for right now. I’ll add to this post, or maybe I’ll create a new one when I have an updated list of lyrics and poetry to add.