The Endless Taxi
I staggered out the Monkey Ba
At three... or was it four?
I'd lost my watch and wallet there,
I'd not been there before,
But after drinks or three, I think
I wasn't seeing straight,
I only knew I'd smoked my last
So knew it must be late.
I searched my pockets, plumbed the depths
And found a crumpled note,
A twenty kwai had ‘scaped my eye,
Thank god for kindly fate!
I had a choice of yi bao yan,
A pack of Xinanjiang,
Or I could grab a ‘jiao che' home
At a cost of shi yuan!
I chose the smokes, and spent the ten,
That left me ten to go,
I knew the cost to Xia Lv Pu
Should only be ten kwai,
I hailed a Yellow Jiao Che and
Fell in the open door,
The cabbie grunted ‘na li - ah',
I mumbled: ‘Xia Lv Pu! '
My eyes were somewhat fuzzy
Rolling round my empty head,
I focused on the meter box,
Its numbers glowing red,
‘Shi er', it said, or twelve yuan,
That's when I sobered up;
Of course! Midnight! - the fares increase,
I didn't have enough!
We got to Xia Lv Pu too soon,
I shook my weary head,
And muttered ‘Ming Hang Lu, old chum,
Qu Ming Hang Lu, ' instead;
The cabbie looked me up and down,
Then shrugged and turned about,
And back we went to Ming Hang Lu,
The meter jumped about.
At fifteen kwai we hit the Lu,
I muttered, ‘Qu da Xue, '
‘Cos that was where the campus was,
And where I'd find old Lou;
He'd surely loan me twenty kwai
To pay for the blasted car,
But then I realised... I'd left
Old Lou at the Monkey Ba.
I tapped the dash, and said: ‘Hao de!
Wo yao qu Jiang Xing Island,
The cabbie was looking murderous,
I sensed that he wasn't smiling;
They've got no sense of humour here,
They're all just money crazy,
But still he turned and gunned the cab,
The meter was looking hazy.
By thirty kwai I'd lost the plot,
The Monkey Ba had closed,
Old Lou was nowhere to be seen,
I said: ‘Wo qu Hangzhou! '
He muttered something like ‘Xiagua!
Ni shi bendan, ' he said,
I flung the Xinanjiang at him,
Jumped out the cab, and fled!
So here I am, ten miles from home,
He's headed for ‘gang ting',
I think my luck is running out,
The police will run me in.
I wouldn't mind, a place to sleep
Would do me, I won't fret,
The only thing that bugs me is
I've got no cigarettes! '
(Glossary and pronunciation:
Ba - Bar. Twenty Kwai (Kwy) - 20 yuan
yi bao yan (ee bough yen) - one box cigarettes
Xinanjiang (See nan jang) - Brand of cigarettes
Jiao Che (Jou -as in ouch - Chuh) - Taxi
Shi yuan (Cher you ann) - 10 yuan.
Xia Lv Pu (She ah Luh Por) - a district in Wenzhou
na li - ah (narli-ah) where? The ‘ah' is Wenzhounese.
shi er (Cher aahh) - twelve. Ming Hang Lu (Meen Haang Lou) -
the name of a road. Qu - (chew) go to.
Qu da Xue (chew dar sure) - go to the University.
Hao de - (How duh) - Okay! Wo yao qu Jiang Xin -
(Wore yow - as in ouch - chew Jang Sheen)
I want to go to Jiang Xin Island.
Wo qu Hangzhou (Wore chew Hang-zoe) -
I want to go to Hangzhou - capital of Zhejiang Province, about
300 miles away. Xiagua (She ag wa) - idiot!
Ni shi bendan (Knee sir ben dan) - You're foolish!
gang ting (Garng Ting) - the police station.)
poem by David Lewis Paget
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Related quotes
Before I forget...
The China stint is over,
There’s only a week to go,
I packed up a box of souvenirs
And trudged to the ‘you zheng ju’,
They cost me an arm and leg to send
By ‘shui lu lu xin jian, ’
I just have to pack a suitcase now,
Say ‘ron’ to a special friend.
The apartment’s almost empty,
It looks quite bare, forlorn,
As bare as the heart I gave to them
The people of old Zhejiang,
Their lives will go on without me now
As I head to the ‘Fei ji chang, ’
But I take my memories, every one
To the land where I come from.
The children dancing at ‘Dou Mei Li, ’
At the end of Wendi Lu,
The neon signs, the disco bars
And the Chimp from the Wenzhou Zoo,
The rat-tat-chatter of Chinese girls
The smiles from a Chinese cop,
The crazy lady at Ming Hang Lu
At the ‘I am your friend’-ly shop.
The buses rattling by non-stop
That take you to who knows where,
The moonlight rides in a trike, red top,
The crazies that drive ‘Jiao Che’s’,
All this I’ll remember while travelling home,
Then back to my life before,
But many a Chinese Moon will wane
Before I forget Zhong guo!
(Glossary and Pronunciation:
you zheng ju (Yo jung jew) – the Post Office
Shui lu lu xin jian (Shway loo loo shin jen) – Surface Mail
ron – Aussie expression – ‘Catch ya late(r on) .
Zhejiang (Ger –as in Germany – jang) – A Chinese Province.
Fei ji chang (Fay gee chang) – airport.
Dou mei li (Doe may lee) – Do&Me – Chicken place like KFC
Wendi Lu (Wendy Loo) – Wendi Street.
Ming Hang Lu (Meen Haang Loo) – Ming Hang Street.
‘I am your friend’ is the one English phrase known by this lady.
Jiao Che (Jow – as in ouch – Tchur) – Taxi
Zhong guo (Jong gwor) – China.
26 June 2006
poem by David Lewis Paget
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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China Blue
I had seen him in the market,
I had glimpsed him in the rain,
I had tried to pick his trail up
On the Wenzhou-Hangzhou train,
Then he'd seen me drinking Kafei
In a little Shanghai Ba,
And had run the length of Nanjing Road
And fled in a jiao che.
He was Sun Peng Fei, her brother,
She was Sun Ye Ling, I knew,
But I'd always caught her smiling
When I called her China Blue,
She was sweet, and very pretty,
And I'd fallen for her, hard,
In the village school at Ping Yang
When I saw her in the yard.
We had taken to each other
And I'd tried to learn Chinese,
But she warned me of her brother,
He was grim, and hard to please,
And her parents had been angry
When they heard of me one day,
They had told her older brother
‘She'll not marry a yang wei! '
At the end of the semester
China Blue had disappeared,
And I asked the Zhongwen lao shi
If it was as I had feared,
She'd been taken by her parents
And her brother to Shanghai,
Thinking I could never find her,
But I knew I'd have to try.
A needle in a haystack
Would be easier than this,
There are twenty million people
In this huge metropolis,
But I knew that I would see them
If I watched the Nanjing Road,
In that swarm of Christmas shoppers
I stayed put, and watched the crowd,
A week before that Christmas
I could see them, in a queue,
Lining up for western presents,
Mother, father, China Blue,
Then I tapped her on the shoulder
And she turned and smiled at me,
So I took her by the hand
And then I whispered ‘Wo ai ni! '
‘Wo ai ni, ' she answered gladly
Flung her arms around my neck,
While the mother screeched at father,
And the father shook his head,
But they came with me together
And we sat in Mei Don Lao,
Where I slipped rings on her finger
And I made a solemn vow.
Then the mother, I won over,
And the father gave a grunt,
They agreed we should be married
If that's what we really want,
And the brother, he's no trouble
We go drinking, bowling too,
And I'm soon to be a father
With my love, my China Blue!
14 June 2012
(Glossary:
Kafei - (Karfay) - coffee
Ba - (Bar) - Bar
Jiao che - (Jow Tcher) - Taxi
Peng Fei - (Peng Fay) - male name
Ye Ling - (Yer Ling) - female name
Yang wei - (yang way) - Foreign devil
Zhongwen Lao shi - (Jongwen Lao Sher) - Chinese teacher
Wo ai ni - (war I nee) - I love you
Mei Don Lao - (May Don Lao) - MacDonalds)
poem by David Lewis Paget
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Just Hang On
When I was young
back when life was fun,
I recall the words my papa said.
He said to be a man,
you gotta try and understand,
there's one thing that you must know.
If you want to go far,
well, set yourself a goal,
and just hang on, just hang on.
And if you do this my son,
your gonna make it someday,
Just hang on, my son.
That's the only way.
Well it wasn't long
when I left daddy's home,
all alone with no place to be.
With a great surprise,
it looked me straight in the eyes,
a red guitar and the dreams of a star.
If you want to go far,
set yourself a goal,
and just hang on, just hang on.
And if you do this my son,
you're gonna make it someday,
just hang on, my son.
That's the only way.
That's the only way.
You'll be a star some day.
I say, Lord, let me hear you play.
Play on...
song performed by by 38 Special
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Don't Let Me Die in China, Lord!
I had a fright the other night,
I dreamt that I was ill,
The Angels fluttered round my bed,
They said: 'Now you be still! '
My heart beat like a pounding drum,
The pain was like a sword,
I had one thought, and only one:
'Don’t let me die in China, Lord! '
The vision would not let me be,
I saw the future clear,
The landlord breaking down the door
To find me lying there.
'The Lao Wai’s gone, not paid the rent! '
He’d say in pu tong hua,
'We’d better call the embassy
They’ll send around a car.'
The embassy refused the car,
They didn’t want to show,
'He must belong to someone else,
He isn’t ours, you know! '
The neighbours filed in through the door
To look the last on me,
And clear the flat of anything
Not quite nailed down, you see.
'He looks all right, now that he’s dead, '
One mother told her son,
'Perhaps we should have talked to him.'
'- a little late now, Mum!
They say he studied pu tong hua
But never got it sussed,
We’ll have to make the funeral
As if he’s one of us.'
So later on that day they brought
The baskets full of flowers,
The big round silvery disks that shone
While they drew straws for hours,
For who would wail and cry for me
As I had no-one near,
So two wai po’s in old black clothes
Said: 'Fifty kwai an hour! '
For fifty kwai they set their chant
And woke the neighborhood,
And no one said to keep it down,
The Chinese understood.
A funeral is a sacred thing
For Han or old Yang Wei,
They kept their vigil for three days,
Then said: 'Today’s the day! '
At four o’clock that morning
In the stilly dark, forlorn,
They set up all their crackers
To erupt before the dawn,
They woke up all the neighbours
Who came down to see who wept,
While other Lao Wai’s turned in bed,
Rolled over, cursed, and slept.
And then the band, it started up,
An old Han marching song,
The big bass drum beat out of time,
A little late for some;
A little early for all those
Who just had got to sleep,
I wasn’t quite the flavour of
The neighborhood that week.
At six o’clock they marched away
All following the hearse,
A wooden cart pulled by four men,
I thought: 'Could things be worse? '
They marched along the highway
Disregarding life and limb,
The band it played along the way
A revolution hymn.
Then I awoke, (the pain had gone) ,
A-tremble, in a sweat,
I wasn’t ready then, I knew,
For Buddha’s belly yet!
And so I raised my eyes on high
To plead, entreat, implore:
'If you would grant me just one wish:
Don’t let me die in China, Lord! '
21 May 2006
poem by David Lewis Paget
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Chew Chew Chew (Your Bubble Gum)
Ella Fitzgerald - Chew Chew Chew
[Instrumental Intro 55 seconds approx.]
[Ella]
Chew Chew Chew Chew
Your Bubble Gum
Chew Chew Chew Chew
Your Bubble Gum
Chew Chew Chew Chew
Your Bubble Gum
Chew Chew Chew Baby
[Repeated x2]
First you pop, then you stop
The gum gets big and round.
Blow your troubles,
Way like bubbles
When you hear that
Funny little sound [pop noise]
Chew Chew Chew Chew
Your Bubble Gum
Chew Chew Chew Chew
Your Bubble Gum
Chew Chew Chew Chew
Your Bubble Gum
Chew Chew Chew Chew Your Bubble Gum!
[Boys]
Listen Sis your havin fun,
Chewing on your bubble gum
Give us some and we shall see,
Just what fills your heart with glee
[Ella]
Boys your right Im havin fun
Chewin on my bubble gum
Bubble gum it makes me sing,
Here chew some to make you swing!
[Instrumental]
First you pop, then you stop
The gum gets big and round.
Blow your troubles,
Way like bubbles
When you hear that
Funny little sound [pop noise]
song performed by by Ella Fitzgerald
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Stamping Ground
The stamping ground,
The stamping ground.
All your old gang
Still hang around.
Coming in with the same blokes,
Going home with the same jokes,
If you ever go missing
I know where youll be found :
The stamping ground.
The big fella on the front door knows your face.
The barman pretends that hes saved you a place,
But when your back is turned
They say shes older than she tells.
I could stand the main attraction,
But not the clientelle.
The stamping ground,
The stamping ground.
All your old gang
Still hang around.
Coming in with the same blokes,
Going home with the same jokes,
If you ever go missing
I know where youll be found :
The stamping ground.
Everybody knows
Evrybodys trouble,
Who comes in alone,
Who leaves as a couple.
When they seen you coming, babe,
They act like theyre pleased to meet you.
Say its very nice to know you,
But I wouldnt want to be you.
The stamping ground,
The stamping ground.
All your old gang
Still hang around.
Going home with the same blokes,
Going home with the same jokes,
If you ever go missing
I know where youll be found :
The stamping ground.
You talk like you dont have a brain in your head.
You act like you dont have a care in your bed.
Th lights are on,
Theres no one home,
It scares you to death.
You stamp on anyone who stops to take a breath.
The stamping ground,
The stamping ground.
All your old gang
Still hang around.
Going home with the same blokes,
Going home with the same jokes,
If you ever go missing
I know where youll be found :
The stamping ground.
The stamping ground.
The stamping ground.
The stamping ground.
The stamping ground.
song performed by by Elvis Costello
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Riding the Wenzhou Bus
They squeak and rattle, and jerk and pull
And throw you across the floor,
The double-deckers, the number 5’s,
The 3’s and the 64,
They come in colours of red and blue,
Of green, and in spattered mud,
They wait for no-one but bully on through
If you get in their way – there’s blood!
The seats are plastic and hard as nails,
The roof is but four feet high,
You scramble along on your knees at the back,
Unless you’re a dwarf, or sly -
And climb the stairs to the upper deck
To slide in the slime, and cuss,
You need to be dressed in your army boots
When riding the Wenzhou Bus!
The brakes are shot, they rumble and howl
As they wheeze and groan to a halt,
The body sways, and the rust is foul,
And they buck like a playful colt;
The roar of the engines is petty assault,
But your ears get used to the din,
The gears grind at the stop, the start
And as second and third slide in.
But for one and a half, or just two Kwai
You can ride ‘til the day is done,
You can watch the girls in their stylish clothes
All hanging on straps, each one,
With bags and baggage and cases full,
Watch peasants, or someone’s boss,
Togged out in rags or in business suits
While riding the Wenzhou Bus.
And through the murk of the window panes,
All scratched, and marked, and fogged,
The Chinese go on their friendly way,
The rest of the world unplugged,
The shops, the temples, the slums, the views
Of the parks and squares – like us!
We rattle on by for just two Kwai
When riding the Wenzhou Bus.
28 February 2006
poem by David Lewis Paget
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Beating Around The Bush
Smiling face and loving eyes
But you keep on telling me all those lies
Howd you xpect me to believe?
Honey I aint that naive
Baby I got my eye on you
cause you do all the things I want you to
Stop your crying and dry your tears
I aint that wet behing the ears
Well you can throw me left
And you can throw me right
But where was you last night?
Beating around the bush
Wish I knew whats on your mind
Why you bein so unkind?
member those nights we spent alone
Talkin on the telephone
Thought of you go through my brain
Told me that you felt the same
Told me that you loved me too
Tell me, who would lie with you?
Well you can chew it up
And you can spit it out
Let it all hang out
Beating around the bush
Youre the meanest woman Ive ever known
Sticks and stones wont break my bones
I know what youre lookin for
You ate you cake, you want some more
Im gonna give you just a one more change
Try to save our romance
Thats all Im gonna do
The rest is up to you
You can chew it up
And you can spit it out
Let it all hang out
Beating around the bush
song performed by by AC-DC
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Hang On Your IQ
Chinese masseuse,
comes between us talks in haikus,
plastic venus.
Got a headrush,
in her pocket two rubbers two lubes,
and a silver rocket.
Hang on,
hang onto your IQ,
to your ID hang on,
hang on to your IQ,
to your ID I'm lonely Every morning,
my eyes will open wide I gotta get high,
before I go outside.
Roll another,
for breakfast burning clouds around,
and in my solar plexus.
Hang on,
hang on to your IQ,
to your ID hang on,
hang on to your IQ,
to your ID I'm lonely Legs eleven,
makes me stay up late two fat ladies on my back,
and now it's 88.
I'm a fool,
whose tool is small it's so miniscule,
it's no tool at all.
Hang on,
hang on to your IQ,
to your ID hang on,
hang on I'm lonely Oh
song performed by by Placebo
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Panic
Panic on the streets of london
Panic on the streets of birmingham
I wonder to myself
Could life ever be sane again ?
The leeds side-streets that you slip down
I wonder to myself
Hopes may rise on the grasmere
But honey pie, you're not safe here
So you run down
To the safety of the town
But there's panic on the streets of carlisle
Dublin, dundee, humberside
I wonder to myself
Burn down the disco
Hang the blessed dj
Because the music that they constantly play
It says nothing to me about my life
Hang the blessed dj
Because the music they constantly play
On the leeds side-streets that you slip down
Or provincial towns you jog 'round
Hang the dj, hang the dj, hang the dj
Hang the dj, hang the dj, hang the dj
Hang the dj, hang the dj, hang the dj
Hang the dj, hang the dj
Hang the dj, hang the dj
Hang the dj, hang the dj, hang the dj
Hang the dj, hang the dj
Hang the dj, hang the dj
Hang the dj, hang the dj, hang the dj
Hang the dj, hang the dj
Hang the dj, hang the dj
Hang the dj, hang the dj
Thankyou ...
song performed by by Smiths
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Home Is Anywhere You Hang Your Head
Here comes Mr. Misery
He's tearing out his hair again
He's crying over her again
He's standing in the super-market shouting at the customers
Here comes Mr. Misery
He'll never be any good with a mouth full of gold and blood
He's contemplating murder again
He must be in love
Chorus: But you know she doesn't want
But you can't seem to get it in your head
Oh and you can't sleep at night
And she haunts you when you go to bed
When you're tired of talking and you can't drink it down
So you hang around and drown instead
Home isn't where it used to be
Home is anywhere you hang your head
You hang your head
Home is anywhere
You hang your head
Home is anywhere
You hang your head
Home is anywhere you hang your head
Here comes Mr. Misery
Looking for a place for his mouth to shoot
Saying "You'd look cute in your birthday suit"
You tore him out and screwed him up
Like a bad page in a naughty picture book
They day ended as it began
As he was seconds older than the man he was this morning
And the world has wiped it's mouth since then
Or maybe it was yawning
Chorus
song performed by by Elvis Costello
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Home Is Anywhere
Here comes mr. misery
Hes tearing out his hair again
Hes crying over her again
Hes standing in the super-market shouting at the customers
Here comes mr. misery
Hell never be any good with a mouth full of gold and blood
Hes contemplating murder again
He must be in love
Chorus: but you know she doesnt want
But you cant seem to get it in your head
Oh and you cant sleep at night
And she haunts you when you go to bed
When youre tired of talking and you cant drink it down
So you hang around and drown instead
Home isnt where it used to be
Home is anywhere you hang your head
You hang your head
Home is anywhere
You hang your head
Home is anywhere
You hang your head
Home is anywhere you hang your head
Here comes mr. misery
Looking for a place for his mouth to shoot
Saying youd look cute in your birthday suit
You tore him out and screwed him up
Like a bad page in a naughty picture book
They day ended as it began
As he was seconds older than the man he was this morning
And the world has wiped its mouth since then
Or maybe it was yawning
Chorus
song performed by by Elvis Costello
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I Hang My Head & Cry
(a) ever time I see her (a7) passin (d) by,
All I (e7) do is hang my head and (a) cry,
And I cant forget her (a7) tho I (d) try,
All I (e7) do is hang my head and (a) cry.
Oh, I know not how to ease my mind,
Since she left a world of love be - hind,
Ever time I see her passin by,
All I do is hang my head and cry.
Golden love, oh, golden love youre gone,
But each broken dream still lingers on,
And my weary heart keeps askin why,
All I do is hang my head and cry.
Foolish pride, oh, pride, what have you done,
You have made me lose my only one,
Now each time I see her passin by,
All I do is hang my head and cry.
song performed by by Hank Williams
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Busy Signal
By: dolly parton
Busy signal
Thats what I get when I call you
Busy busy
Talking to someone new
I wish I knew
I shouldnt worry cause its probably his mother
Or then again it could even be his little brother
On the line
Making me lose my mind
Hang up hang up hang up hang up
Come on hang up hang up hang up
Gotta talk to my baby
Gotta tell him Im sorry
Busy signal
How can I tell him Im sorry
When I said I didnt care
I didnt mean a word I said
Talking outta my head
Ive got to reach him now and tell him that I love him
And from now on Ill stay right by his side and love him
All the time
So please somebody quit tying up the line
Hang up hang up hang up hang up
Come on hang up hang up hang up
Gotta talk to my baby
Gotta tell him Im sorry
I didnt mean to hurt you baby
I really really love you baby
song performed by by Dolly Parton
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Noots
today is too late
how long do we have to wait
oh no, i think she knows
that's why i can't let go
i feel this burning inside
a feeling that no one should know
this could be so good again
i'd wait here till then
but not with this
so now i'll leave with
no apologies
i never thought you'd be so
easily decieved
now i'll just hang my head (falling further out of place)
along with the dead (don't know what/why i can't replace)
we're mad with regret
memories that we'll both forget
so far it's been so hard
to cover up these scars
i see this falling apart
it's easy to just let it go
no luck between us both
so i keep waiting
but not with this
so now i'll leave with
no apologies
i never thought you'd be so
easily decieved
now i'll just hang my head (falling further out of place)
along with the dead (don't know what/why i can't replace)
what's left to show
it's so bad but i got to know
what's right don't know
how to find it out on my own
one by one we all fall down
who's the first one to hit the ground now
what's worse to kick or fall
or be suss standing alone
ill keep your promises if you
take back every thing i said
i find its got so cold now
that i've lost my heart and soul
no apologies
i never thought you'd be so
easily decieved
now i'll just hang my head (falling further out of place)
along with the dead (don't know what/why i can't replace)
i'll just hang my head
hang my head
song performed by by Sum 41
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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It Should Have Been You
Can I believe my ears?
Is this really you?
Pacing the floor with one eye on the door
Watching the winners go through
Why do you hang back now?
Why dyou hesitate?
You fires dont burn
For he who waits
Out of all of the people
That I ever knew
If one should have made it
It should have been you!
I know who Im looking for
But I dont believe my eyes
The sight of you with your head hung low
Is a sick, sad suprise
Why do you hang back now?
Why dyou hesitate?
How dare you throw it all away then tell me
Aw man it must be fate
Out of all of the people
That I ever knew
There had to one I could believe in
And it should have been you!
A gift that dies is a tragic thing
And it happens all the time
But a gift thats wasted, thrown to hell is the
Worst of stupid crimes!
I saw you hang back now!
I watched you hesitate!
Youre a well respected man, but bullshit!
You couldve been great!
Out of all the people
I ever knew
There should have been one
And it should have been you!
I spent my whole life
Looking for someone like you!
song performed by by Waterboys
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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It Should Have Been You
Can I believe my ears?
Is this really you?
Pacing the floor with one eye on the door
Watching the winners go through
Why do you hang back now?
Why dyou hesitate?
You fires dont burn
For he who waits
Out of all of the people
That I ever knew
If one should have made it
It should have been you!
I know who Im looking for
But I dont believe my eyes
The sight of you with your head hung low
Is a sick, sad suprise
Why do you hang back now?
Why dyou hesitate?
How dare you throw it all away then tell me
Aw man it must be fate
Out of all of the people
That I ever knew
There had to one I could believe in
And it should have been you!
A gift that dies is a tragic thing
And it happens all the time
But a gift thats wasted, thrown to hell is the
Worst of stupid crimes!
I saw you hang back now!
I watched you hesitate!
Youre a well respected man, but bullshit!
You couldve been great!
Out of all the people
I ever knew
There should have been one
And it should have been you!
I spent my whole life
Looking for someone like you!
song performed by by Waterboys
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Space Monkey
Space monkey, space monkey
What you doing out there?
Why its dark as a dungeon way up in the air
Come gather round me you little monkeys and a story Ill tell
About a brave young primate, outer space knew him well
He was born at the top of a big old tree
Way back in 1953.
He could swing through the jungle and hang by his toes
Till they took him to russia cause they could I suppose
They dressed him up in a spacesuit and it started to snow
Shot him off in a rocket where no man would go
Space monkey space monkey
What you doing out there?
Why its dark as a dungeon way up in the air
Therell be no one to greet you when you get back home
No hammer or sickle youll be on your own.
He had plenty of cuban bananas and loads of spam
But he found great difficulty trying to open the can
One day he slipped on a banana peel and the ship lost control
It spun out of orbit and shot o]ut the black hole
Its been four decades now, thats nine monkey years
Thats a long time for a space monkey to confront all his fears
Space monkey space monkey
What you doing out there?
Why its dark as a dungeon way up in the air
Therell be no one to greet you when you get back home
No hammer or sickle youll be all on your own.
Space monkey, space monkey
Its time to get real
The space race is over, how does it feel
Cold wars had a heatwave, iron curtains torn down
Theyve rolled up the carpet in space monkey town
Now leningrad is petersburg and petersburgs hell
For a card-carrying monkey with a story to tell
The space monkey was reportedly last sighted about
A half a block off of red square
In a karaoke bar having a few drinks with some of his friends
There was the dog that flew sputnik
And a blind red-headed, one legged parrot
Who had done some minor research for dow chemical
They were drinking american vodka
Imported all the way from paducah, kentucky
And reportedly had their arms around each others
Shoulders singing.
Those were the days, my friend, we thought theyd never end
Space monkey, space monkey
Theres nothing to do
But its better than living in a communist zoo
Therell be no one to greet you when you get back home
No hammer or sickle youll be all on you own
song performed by by John Prine
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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32 Footsteps
32 footsteps leading to the room where the paint doesnt want to dry
32 footsteps running down the road where the dirt reaches the sky
32 feathers in my brand-new indian headdress
32 new moons shining in 32 skies
Whats the reason, whyd she go
Wheres my baby, I dont know
32 footsteps, counted them myself, 32 footsteps
Bing bang bingalong, cing cang cingalong, ding dang dingalong day
Fing fang fingalong, ging gang gingalong, hing hang hingalong hay
Jing jang jingalong, king kang kingalong, ling lang lingalong lay
Ming mang mingalong, ning nang ningalong, ping pang pingalong pay
Whats the reason, whyd she go
Wheres my baby, I dont know
32 footsteps, counted them myself, 32 footsteps
32 lies my ears never saw when the floorboards gave way
32 walls come tumbling down and the night turns to day
32 infantrymen running in place
32 boxcars, all of them have your face
Whats the reason, whyd she leave
Dont you know were on the eve of
32 footsteps, counted them myself, 32 footsteps
(no) 28
(no) 29
(no) 30
31
song performed by by They Might Be Giants
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Canto XIII: Kung Walked
Kung walked
by the dynastic temple
and into the cedar grove,
and then out by the lower river,
And with him Khieu Tchi
and Tian the low speaking
And ``we are unknown," said Kung,
``You will take up charioteering?
``Then you will become known,
``Or perhaps I should take up charioterring, or archery?
``Or the practice of public speaking?''
And Tseu-lou said, ``I would put the defences in order,''
And Khieu said, ``If I were lord of a province
``I would put it in better order than this is.''
And Tchi said, ``I would prefer a small mountain temple,
``With order in the observances,
with a suitable performance of the ritual,''
And Tian said, with his hand on the strings of his lute
The low sounds continuing
after his hand left the strings,
And the sound went up like smoke, under the leaves,
And he looked after the sound:
``The old swimming hole,
``And the boys flopping off the planks,
``Or sitting in the underbrush playing mandolins.''
And Kung smiled upon all of them equally.
And Thseng-sie desired to know:
``Which had answered correctly?''
And Kung said, ``They have all answered correctly,
``That is to say, each in his nature.''
And Kung raised his cane against Yuan Jang,
Yuan Jang being his elder,
For Yuan Jang sat by the roadside pretending to
be receiving wisdom.
And Kung said
``You old fool, come out of it,
``Get up and do something useful.''
And Kung said
``Respect a child's faculties
``From the moment it inhales the clear air,
``But a man of fifty who knows nothng
Is worthy of no respect.''
And "When the prince has gathered about him
``All the savants and artists, his riches will be fully employed.''
And Kung said, and wrote on the bo leaves:
If a man have not order within him
He can not spread order about him;
And if a man have not order within him
His family will not act with due order;
And if the prince have not order within him
He can not put order in his dominions.
And Kung gave the words ``order''
and ``brotherly deference''
And said nothing of the ``life after death.''
And he said
``Anyone can run to excesses,
``It is easy to shoot past the mark,
``It is hard to stand firm in the middle.''
And they said: If a man commit murder
Should his father protect him, and hide him?
And Kung said:
He should hide him.
And Kung gave his daughter to Kong-Tchang
Although Kong-Tchang was in prison.
And he gave his niece to Nan-Young
although Nan-Young was out of office.
And Kung said ``Wan ruled with moderation,
``In his day the State was well kept,
``And even I can remember
``A day when the historians left blanks in their writings,
``I mean, for things they didn't know,
``But that time seems to be passing.
A day when the historians left blanks in their writings,
But that time seems to be passing.''
And Kung said, ``Without character you will
``be unable to play on that instrument
``Or to execute the music fit for the Odes.
``The blossoms of the apricot
``blow from the east to the west,
``And I have tried to keep them from falling."
poem by Ezra Pound
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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