The Prodigal Son
Here come I to my own again,
Fed, forgiven and known again,
Claimed by bone of my bone again
And cheered by flesh of my flesh.
The fatted calf is dressed for me,
But the husks have greater rest for me,
I think my pigs will be best for me,
So I'm off to the Yards afresh.
I never was very refined, you see,
(And it weighs on my brother's mind, you see)
But there's no reproach among swine, d'you see,
For being a bit of a swine.
So I'm off with wallet and staff to eat
The bread that is three parts chaff to wheat,
But glory be! - there's a laugh to it,
Which isn't the case when we dine.
My father glooms and advises me,
My brother sulks and despises me,
And Mother catechises me
Till I want to go out and swear.
And, in spite of the butler's gravity,
I know that the servants have it I
Am a monster of moral depravity,
And I'm damned if I think it's fair!
I wasted my substance, I know I did,
On riotous living, so I did,
But there's nothing on record to show I did
Worse than my betters have done.
They talk of the money I spent out there -
They hint at the pace that I went out there -
But they all forget I was sent out there
Alone as a rich man's son.
So I was a mark for plunder at once,
And lost my cash (can you wonder?) at once,
But I didn't give up and knock under at once,
I worked in the Yards, for a spell,
Where I spent my nights and my days with hogs.
And shared their milk and maize with hogs,
Till, I guess, I have learned what pays with hogs
And - I have that knowledge to sell!
So back I go to my job again,
Not so easy to rob again,
Or quite so ready to sob again
On any neck that's around.
I'm leaving, Pater. Good-bye to you!
God bless you, Mater! I'll write to you!
I wouldn't be impolite to you,
But, Brother, you are a hound!
poem by Rudyard Kipling
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Prodigal Son
Young man—
Young man—
Your arm’s too short to box with God.
But Jesus spake in a parable, and he said:
A certain man had two sons.
Jesus didn’t give this man a name,
But his name is God Almighty.
And Jesus didn’t call these sons by name,
But ev’ry young man,
Ev’rywhere,
Is one of these two sons.
And the younger son said to his father,
He said: Father, divide up the property,
And give me my portion now.
And the father with tears in his eyes said: Son,
Don’t leave your father’s house.
But the boy was stubborn in his head,
And haughty in his heart,
And he took his share of his father’s goods,
And went into a far-off country.
There comes a time,
There comes a time
When ev’ry young man looks out from his father’s house,
Longing for that far-off country.
And the young man journeyed on his way,
And he said to himself as he travelled along:
This sure is an easy road,
Nothing like the rough furrows behind my father’s plow.
Young man—
Young man—
Smooth and easy is the road
That leads to hell and destruction.
Down grade all the way,
The further you travel, the faster you go.
No need to trudge and sweat and toil,
Just slip and slide and slip and slide
Till you bang up against hell’s iron gate.
And the younger son kept travelling along,
Till at night-time he came to a city.
And the city was bright in the night-time like day,
The streets all crowded with people,
Brass bands and string bands a-playing,
And ev’rywhere the young man turned
There was singing and laughing and dancing.
And he stopped a passer-by and he said:
Tell me what city is this?
And the passer-by laughed and said: Don’t you know?
This is Babylon, Babylon,
That great city of Babylon.
Come on, my friend, and go along with me.
And the young man joined the crowd.
Young man—
Young man—
You’re never lonesome in Babylon.
You can always join a crowd in Babylon.
Young man—
Young man—
You can never be alone in Babylon,
Alone with your Jesus in Babylon.
You can never find a place, a lonesome place,
A lonesome place to go down on your knees,
And talk with your God, in Babylon.
You’re always in a crowd in Babylon.
And the young man went with his new-found friend,
And bought himself some brand new clothes,
And he spent his days in the drinking dens,
Swallowing the fires of hell.
And he spent his nights in the gambling dens,
Throwing dice with the devil for his soul.
And he met up with the women of Babylon.
Oh, the women of Babylon!
Dressed in yellow and purple and scarlet,
Loaded with rings and earrings and bracelets,
Their lips like a honeycomb dripping with honey,
Perfumed and sweet-smelling like a jasmine flower;
And the jasmine smell of the Babylon women
Got in his nostrils and went to his head,
And he wasted his substance in riotous living,
In the evening, in the black and dark of night,
With the sweet-sinning women of Babylon.
And they stripped him of his money,
And they stripped him of his clothes,
And they left him broke and ragged
In the streets of Babylon.
Then the young man joined another crowd—
The beggars and lepers of Babylon.
And he went to feeding swine,
And he was hungrier than the hogs;
He got down on his belly in the mire and mud
And ate the husks with the hogs.
And not a hog was too low to turn up his nose
At the man in the mire of Babylon.
Then the young man came to himself—
He came to himself and said:
In my father’s house are many mansions,
Ev’ry servant in his house has bread to eat,
Ev’ry servant in his house has a place to sleep;
I will arise and go to my father.
And his father saw him afar off,
And he ran up the road to meet him.
He put clean clothes upon his back,
And a golden chain around his neck,
He made a feast and killed the fatted calf,
And invited the neighbors in.
Oh-o-oh, sinner,
When you’re mingling with the crowd in Babylon—
Drinking the wine of Babylon—
Running with the women of Babylon—
You forget about God, and you laugh at Death.
Today you’ve got the strength of a bull in your neck
And the strength of a bear in your arms,
But some o’ these days, some o’ these days,
You’ll have a hand-to-hand struggle with bony Death,
And Death is bound to win.
Young man, come away from Babylon,
That hell-border city of Babylon.
Leave the dancing and gambling of Babylon,
The wine and whiskey of Babylon,
The hot-mouthed women of Babylon;
Fall down on your knees,
And say in your heart:
I will arise and go to my Father.
poem by James Weldon Johnson
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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You Are Like My Own Brother
you are like are brother to me
i know you are my mother's baby brother
but i decide that you are my brother
cause you have been there for me
since i was born
you were there when i lost my father
you were there when i had no mother
you were there when no one bothered
you are still there for me
you make my laugh when i want to cry
you stop me from killing myself
you give me hope when i want to die
you were the one who took away the blade
you were there for me when all my love fade
you were the one who said
you can reach your dreams
you were the one who cared
you were the one who always shared
thank you that i have you as my brother! ! ! 1
poem by Veruschka Nicole Eiman
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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J32 The Parables 5
“I’m going out, Father,
Give me my property-share,
For I wish to seek my fortune
Abroad, ” said his second son.
His property, he sold
For a value in gold,
And took his journey
Into a far away country
All his gold had been spent.
He was thrown in wants,
With his riotous living
And no support coming.
His search for job went in vain
As a servant, he fed swine.
The swine’s husk food, he ate,
In repentance, he cursed his fate.
He recalled those days bygone,
When his servants, one by one,
Stood before him with folded hands
And obeyed all his commands.
Realizing his sin against heaven,
He wished to go back again
As a servant, not as a son,
And seek his father’s pardon,
As he went out in quarrel,
He now lost his rights moral
So, he went to the farmhouse
To be a servant of that house.
Seeing his homecoming,
His father went running.
He hugged him tightly
And kissed him fondly.
”I’ve sinned against Heaven,
I’m unworthy to be your son.
Forgive my sin, ” cried the son,
“As a servant please take me in.”
His words, father ignored
And orders then he issued
“Give my son the best robes,
A gold ring and new shoes.”
For him, he held a grand feast,
And a calf cooked, the one fattest,
Everyone enjoyed the treat,
And said that was the one finest.
“A dead son came alive again.
He was lost and found again.”
Like this, he welcomed his son,
Whose love again he had won.
When the elder son came,
His servant then told him
Everything that happened,
On which, he became displeased.
In anger, he stood outside,
And refused to come inside.
He said, “I’m a loyal son, yet a feast,
Similar one, I never had in the past.”
“My son, with me you stayed long,
All that’s mine, to you they belong.
My dead son has come now.
My lost son is found now.”
“You join us in this grand meet
You give him this welcome-treat,
Let us forgive and forget
What he did, as he knew not.”
poem by Simple Simon
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Big Money
More info about this song in the song database
My older brother tommy was a lineman rest his soul
His job was hanging hot wires on them high-line power poles
Every morning bright and early hed climb way up in the sky
And I never understood it so one day I asked him why
Chorus:
He said it pays big money and man Im into that
It pays big money if youre willing to take a chance
Let me tell you something sonny, you ought to see my bank account
It pays big money but he sure cant spend it now
Well, my late uncle charlie was this demolition hound
Hed travel across the country blowing buildings to the ground
He carried a case of dynamite seemed everywhere he went
He smoked them big long cigars and hed wink at you and grin
Repeat first chorus
Well now the moral of this story boys, is dont go getting yourself killed
Be kind to your rich relatives they just might put you in their will
Chorus:
That pays big money and were all into that
It pays big money and big moneys where its at
Let me tell you something sonny, you ought to see my bank account
It pays big money and were rolling in it now
Chorus:
It pays big money having foolish kin
It pays big money guess I owe it all to them
Let me show you something sonny, take a look at this bank account
It pays big money; lets all spend some of it now
song performed by by Garth Brooks
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Going Home
Everyday the father longed to see
His lost son come back to the family
Looking out his heart would yearn
hoping each day his son would return
For the son had taken his inheritance
and left without a backward glance
To spend his great fortune having fun
was the intention of this youngest son
Wasting his time in riotous revelry
Living a life of sin and debauchery
Gained many friends through his wealth
Sang and danced and enjoyed himself
But then the time came to his dismay
when his money began to drain away
Then all his friends left him alone
To cope with life all on his own
Then a severe famine came his way
and he took a job to survive each day
Feeding the swine he wanted to fill
His empty stomach with the pig swill
Cold and miserable and full of dismay
He thought of his family so far away
'Here I am starving to death, ' he said
'Whilst my fathers servants still have bread'
So off he went this Prodigal Son
Famished, penniless and all alone
But the father saw him far away
and ran to meet him on the way
It brought to the father such delight
To see this great heart warming sight
For all the time the son had been away
The father looked out for him each day
'Father I've sinned and don't deserve
To be your son so I've come to serve
Forgive me and take me on I pray
To be your hired servant from this day'
'Kill the fatted calf and let us celebrate'
The father said because the news was great
'For my son has returned from the dead
Clothe him with the best robe, ' he said
But his brother could not understand
The reason why the party was so grand
'Father I've always been good, ' he said
'Why didn't you give me a party instead'
'Son all that I have belongs to you
You could have one when you wanted to
But this is my son who once was dead
and has now returned to me, ' he said
This wonderful parable that Jesus told
Speaks of a son returning to the fold
I too was just like that prodigal child
So lost and helpless and all beguiled
Then I went to the cross of the crucified
where Jesus greeted me arms opened wide
By His shed blood removed my disgrace
and held me in His loving embrace
Ten Pound Note
I was five when mam left us
But before she passed away
She gave me a ten pound note
For a coat on a rainy day
But there was no coat which could last
The rainy days I had to bear
So I lent my money to my brother
Who looked after me with care
My brother spent the money
Everywhere we went
On things I didn’t care about
Like camping in a tent
On bandages and soap
And fishing in the river
And chips when we were hungry
To warm a bellies shiver
He seemed to spend lots of money
I wanted my money back
I decided ten years later
For I never bought that mac
Brother where’s my money now
I loaned you long ago
For years you’ve spent it carelessly
But I still love you though
He was sad as he looked at me
Then he began to say
I promised mam not to leave you
Until your rainy day
Its time to buy that coat now
I’m leaving you today
You’ve grown to be a fine young man
But I must sail away
Your note has never left me
Its folded in my pocket
It sits so very tightly
In our mams silver locket
Its your turn to keep it now
Your note has kept us near
Goodbye my little brother
Let me wipe away your tear.
The Best Man I Can Be
[r.l.]
Yeah this is for my brothers in the hood
And the high risers, on the mansions with the maids
We gotta come together, come on yall
Case, ginuwine, tyrese, and me r.l.
Help me sing it fellas, yeah
[case]
Im sitting here alone
Trying to face another day
Gotta stay strong, hmm
To endure this pain
[r.l.]
Im dealing with right now
It flipped my whole life upside down
I dont want your help
I dont need your sympathy, no
[all]
What can a brother do for me?
(see he can you help you up when you are down)
What can a brother do for me?
(he can be your eyes when you cant see)
What can a brother do for me?
(he can help me be the best man I can be)
(oh I can be, I can be, oh I can be, I can be)
He can help me be the best man I can be
(oh yeah, yeah, yeah)
[tyrese]
(be the best man)
I made a big mistake
And Im feeling so ashamed
And I dont want to lose my friendship over it
Ive gotta keep the faith, yes I do
[ginuwine]
Cause Im still your boy, Ive got your back
Thatll never, never, never, never gonna change
So I can just cite the truth
And keep smiling in your face
[all]
What can a brother do for me?
(he can you help you up when you are down)
What can a brother do for me?
(he can be your eyes when you cant see)
What can a brother do for me?
(he can help me be the best man I can be)
(I can be, I can be, oh I can be, I can be)
He can help me be the best man I can be
[tyrese]
I keep struggling but Im trying my best
I got some issues with my own confidence
Lord help me to forgive and forget
Can you please help me to be a better man?
[r.l.]
For the rest of the darkest nights
Shines the brightest sun
I hate the man I used to be
Im better than before
[all]
What can a brother do for me?
(he can you help you up when you are down)
What can a brother do for me?
(he can know the wrong to make it right)
What can a brother do for me?
(he can be your eyes when you cant see)
He can help me be the best man I can be
(I can be, I can be, I can be, I can be)
He can help me be the best man I can be
(I can be, I can be, I can be, I can be)
He can help me be the best man I can be
(I can be, whoa I can be, oh I can be, oh I can be)
Help me be the best man I can
[case]
Cause hes my brother, brother, brother, brother
Yes he is my brother, brother, brother, brother
[r.l.]
Sees when Im down on my luck and im
Crying cause a woman done left me
I aint got nothing cause its cold outside
Hell give me a ride
When its late at night
Cause hes my brother, brother, brother, brother
See sometimes I may go astray but hell lead me back the right way
And tell me everythings okay
Cause hes my brother, brother, brother, brother
Brother, brother, brother, brother
Oh I know sometimes youll need me and I got your back
Oh cause I know you got mine
Cause youre my brother
And I love you, love you, love you
You can count on me, sing it
Case, tyrese and g, you are my brother, brother, brother
[tyrese]
R.l oh my brother
Late up at night
If you need a helping hand just call on me
Talking bout my brothers, brothers, brothers
All across the world, my brothers yeah
I love you
song performed by by Ginuwine
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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If God Could Give Us A New Brother?
If God could give us a new brother?
What type of broyher would he give us?
Would he be a very friendly brother?
If God could give us a new brother?
It would be nice to have a brother that listens to us
If God could give us a new brother?
Could he be our friend?
Could he share his feelings with us?
If God could give us a new brother?
Could he stop to put us down?
Could he show us his love?
If God could give us a new brother?
It would be impossible
Because there would had to be our mother and father
They would be the ones that could do it through God
Now it is history for us
Unless it is a friend that is humble
A friend that has some feelings and understanding
He could be our new brother
Brothers we can never change
Or get rid of
They are a part of us
Weather we like it or not
poem by Aldo Kraas
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Case, Ginuwine, Tyrese, & R. L. ---the Best Man I Can Be
From best man soundtrack
[r.l.]
Yeah this is for my brothers in the hood
And the high risers, on the mansions with the maids
We gotta come together, come on yall
Case, ginuwine, tyrese, and me r.l.
Help me sing it fellas, yeah
[case]
Im sitting here alone
Trying to face another day
Gotta stay strong, hmm
To endure this pain
[r.l.]
Im dealing with right now
It flipped my whole life upside down
I dont want your help
I dont need your sympathy, no
[all]
What can a brother do for me?
(see he can you help you up when you are down)
What can a brother do for me?
(he can be your eyes when you cant see)
What can a brother do for me?
(he can help me be the best man I can be)
(oh I can be, I can be, oh I can be, I can be)
He can help me be the best man I can be
(oh yeah, yeah, yeah)
[tyrese]
(be the best man)
I made a big mistake
And Im feeling so ashamed
And I dont want to lose my friendship over it
Ive gotta keep the faith, yes I do
[ginuwine]
Cause Im still your boy, Ive got your back
Thatll never, never, never, never gonna change
So I can just cite the truth
And keep smiling in your face
[all]
What can a brother do for me?
(he can you help you up when you are down)
What can a brother do for me?
(he can be your eyes when you cant see)
What can a brother do for me?
(he can help me be the best man I can be)
(I can be, I can be, oh I can be, I can be)
He can help me be the best man I can be
[tyrese]
I keep struggling but Im trying my best
I got some issues with my own confidence
Lord help me to forgive and forget
Can you please help me to be a better man?
[r.l.]
For the rest of the darkest nights
Shines the brightest sun
I hate the man I used to be
Im better than before
[all]
What can a brother do for me?
(he can you help you up when you are down)
What can a brother do for me?
(he can know the wrong to make it right)
What can a brother do for me?
(he can be your eyes when you cant see)
He can help me be the best man I can be
(I can be, I can be, I can be, I can be)
He can help me be the best man I can be
(I can be, I can be, I can be, I can be)
He can help me be the best man I can be
(I can be, whoa I can be, oh I can be, oh I can be)
Help me be the best man I can
[case]
Cause hes my brother, brother, brother, brother
Yes he is my brother, brother, brother, brother
[r.l.]
Sees when Im down on my luck and im
Crying cause a woman done left me
I aint got nothing cause its cold outside
Hell give me a ride
When its late at night
Cause hes my brother, brother, brother, brother
See sometimes I may go astray but hell lead me back the right way
And tell me everythings okay
Cause hes my brother, brother, brother, brother
Brother, brother, brother, brother
Oh I know sometimes youll need me and I got your back
Oh cause I know you got mine
Cause youre my brother
And I love you, love you, love you
You can count on me, sing it
Case, tyrese and g, you are my brother, brother, brother
[tyrese]
R.l oh my brother
Late up at night
If you need a helping hand just call on me
Talking bout my brothers, brothers, brothers
All across the world, my brothers yeah
I love you
song performed by by Next
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Canada
England, father and mother in one,
Look on your stalwart son.
Sturdy and strong, with the valour of youth,
Where is another so lusty?
Coated and mailed, with the armour of truth,
Where is another so trusty?
Flesh of your flesh, and bone of your bone,
He is yours alone.
England, father and mother in one,
See the wealth of your son.
Forests primeval, and virginal sod,
Wheat-fields golden and splendid:
Riches of nature and opulent God
For the use of his children intended.
A courage that dares, and a hope that endures,
And a soul all yours.
England, father and mother in one,
Hear the cry of your son.
Little cares he for the glories of earth
Lying around and above him,
Yearning is he for the rights of his birth,
And the heart of his mother to love him.
Vast are your gifts to him, ample his store,
Now open your door.
England, father and mother in one,
Heed the voice of your son.
Proffer him place in your councils of state:
Let him sit near, and attend you.
Ponder his words in the hour of debate,
Strong is his arm to defend you.
Flesh of your flesh, and bone of your bone,
Give him his own.
poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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My brother, his own father.
I have a brother,
When he was young, He was carefree,
I have a brother,
All grown up now, no more not free
I have a brother,
Who struggles to survive
I have a brother, at times be vain
Took my father in, took my father's pain.
I have a brother,
Who takes care of my mother,
Bless him, my brother,
He became his own father.
Copyright Philo Yan August 25,2012
The Little Brother
O brother, brother, come down to the crags by the bay,
Come down to the caves where I play;
For oh! I saw on the rocks, asleep,
A fair mermaid, and the slow waves creep
To bear her away, away.
O brother, brother, come quick, till you laugh with me,
For no mermaid so fair is she,
But the little lass that I saw last night,
(I hid in the shade, you stood in the light),
And she weeping most bitterly.
O brother, brother, I watched her the live-long day,
Saw her hair grow jewelled with spray;
Once her cheek was brushed by a gull's wet wing,
And a finch flew down on her hand to sing,
And was not afraid to stay.
O brother, brother, will she soon awakened be?
I would she might laugh now with me.
She sleeps, and the world so full of sound—
She's so deaf, like the dead that are under the ground,
That I laugh and laugh to see.
poem by Dora Sigerson Shorter
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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A Brother Like Him
I'M SO LUCKY TO HAVE A BROTHER LIKE HIM! A BROTHER LIKE HIM, WHO I CAN LAUGH AND TALK TO HIM ANYTIME! A BROTHER LIKE HIM WHOM I CAN MAKE NEW MEMORIES WITH HIM! A BROTHER LIKE HIM WHO IS ALWAYS BY MY SIDE! I AM PROUD TO HAVE A BROTHER LIKE HIM NOT BECAUSE OF HIS ACCOMPLISHMENT, BUT BECAUSE OF WHO HE IS! A BROTHER LIKE HIM WHO DOESN'T WANT ME TO CHOOSE WRONG WAYS BUT RIGHT WAYS! YES, HE IS MY ROLE MODEL! ! A BROTHER LIKE HIM WHO ALWAYS TELL'S ME WHAT IS GOOD AND NOT GOOD FOR ME! NOW HE IS FAR AWAY FROM HOME! WE ONLY COMMUNICATE VIA CELL PHONES, AND HEARING HIS VOICE MAKES ME TO MISS HIM EVEN MORE! BUT I HAVE TO WAIT BECAUSE SOON HE WILL COME AND VIST! A BROTHER LIKE HIM......A BROTHER LIKE HIM......'MR P 'HE IS MY FIRST 'BIGGY'BIG BROTHER! !
poem by K.R Relebogile Mafojane
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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My Brother Sarah - Sway B-side
My brother sarah
Doesn't know what clothes to wear
It's a dilemma
To get the stuff to match your hair
But mother and father
Sister and brother
Say they just don't know
My brother sarah
Really wish you understood
Why he's got to show it
For it to be any damn good
But mother and father
Sister and brother
Say they just don't know
My brother lies awake at night
Wishing this world could just be right
But mother and father
Sister and brother
You and all the others
Say you just don't know
song performed by by Ocean Colour Scene
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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My Big Brother (MANAV BHAIYA)
My brother is so nice.
He has given a lot of support to me.
He was always there,
When I was in a fix.
He is leaving for some other place.
After 12 years of struggle of his life,
he has achieved something now.
He feels very delighted.
My big brother’s name is Manav.
He is really a great human being on this earth.
My big brother has given me a new life,
For which I am very thankful to him.
I don’t know, when we see each other,
But the love won’t be less for big brother.
I remember those days spent with big brother.
Those days were the best days for me in my life.
It makes me feel very cheerful.
At last I bid him a wonderful farewell,
saying, wish you best of luck.
poem by Pushkar Bisht
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Ballad of the Elder Son
A son of elder sons I am,
Whose boyhood days were cramped and scant,
Through ages of domestic sham
And family lies and family cant.
Come, elder brothers mine, and bring
Dull loads of care that you have won,
And gather round me while I sing
The ballad of the elder son.
’Twas Christ who spake in parables—
To picture man was his intent;
A simple tale He simply tells,
And He Himself makes no comment.
A morbid sympathy is felt
For prodigals—the selfish ones—
The crooked world has ever dealt
Unjustly by the elder sons.
The elder son on barren soil,
Where life is crude and lands are new,
Must share the father’s hardest toil,
And share the father’s troubles too.
With no child-thoughts to meet his own
His childhood is a lonely one:
The youth his father might have known
Is seldom for the eldest son.
It seems so strange, but fate is grim,
And Heaven’s ways are hard to track,
Though ten young scamps come after him
The rod falls heaviest on his back.
And, well I’ll say it might be caused
By a half-sense of injustice done—
That vague resentment parents feel
So oft towards the eldest son.
He, too, must bear the father’s name,
He loves his younger brother, too,
And feels the younger brother’s shame
As keenly as his parents do.
The mother’s prayers, the father’s curse,
The sister’s tears have all been done—
We seldom see in prose or verse
The prayers of the elder son.
But let me to the parable
With eyes on facts but fancy free;
And don’t belie me if I tell
The story as it seems to me—
For, mind, I do not mean to sneer
(I was religious when a child),
I wouldn’t be surprised to hear
That Christ himself had sometimes smiled.
A certain squatter had two sons
Up Canaan way some years ago.
The graft was hard on those old runs,
And it was hot and life was slow.
The younger brother coolly claimed
The portion that he hadn’t earned,
And sought the ‘life’ for which untamed
And high young spirits always yearned.
A year or so he knocked about,
And spent his cheques on girls and wine,
And, getting stony in the drought,
He took a job at herding swine,
And though he is a hog that swigs
And fools with girls till all is blue—
’Twas rather rough to shepherd pigs
And have to eat their tucker too.
“When he came to himself,” he said
(I take my Bible from the shelf:
There’s nothing like a feed of husks
To bring a young man to himself.
And when you’re done with wine and girls—
Right here a moral seems to shine—
And are hard up, you’ll find no pearls
Are cast by friends before your swine)—
When he came to himself, he said—
He reckoned pretty shrewdly, too—
‘The rousers in my father’s shed
‘Have got more grub than they can chew;
‘I’ve been a fool, but such is fate—
‘I guess I’ll talk the guv’nor round:
‘“I’ve acted cronk,” I’ll tell him straight;
‘(He’s had his time too, I’ll be bound).
‘I’ll tell him straight I’ve had my fling,
‘I’ll tell him “I’ve been on the beer,
‘“But put me on at anything,
‘“I’ll graft with any bounder here.”’
He rolled his swag and struck for home—
He was by this time pretty slim
And, when the old man saw him come—
Well, you know how he welcomed him.
They’ve brought the best robe in the house,
The ring, and killed the fatted calf,
And now they hold a grand carouse,
And eat and drink and dance and laugh:
And from the field the elder son—
Whose character is not admired—
Comes plodding home when work is done,
And very hot and very tired.
He asked the meaning of the sound
Of such unwonted revelry,
They said his brother had been ‘found’
(He’d found himself it seemed to me);
’Twas natural in the elder son
To take the thing a little hard
And brood on what was past and done
While standing outside in the yard.
Now he was hungry and knocked out
And would, if they had let him be,
Have rested and cooled down, no doubt,
And hugged his brother after tea,
And welcomed him and hugged his dad
And filled the wine cup to the brim—
But, just when he was feeling bad
The old man came and tackled him.
He well might say with bitter tears
While music swelled and flowed the wine—
‘Lo, I have served thee many years
‘Nor caused thee one grey hair of thine.
‘Whate’er thou bad’st me do I did
‘And for my brother made amends;
‘Thou never gavest me a kid
‘That I might make merry with my friends.’
(He was no honest clod and glum
Who could not trespass, sing nor dance—
He could be merry with a chum,
It seemed, if he had half a chance;
Perhaps, if further light we seek,
He knew—and herein lay the sting—
His brother would clear out next week
And promptly pop the robe and ring).
The father said, ‘The wandering one,
‘The lost is found, this son of mine,
‘But thou art always with me, son—
‘Thou knowest all I have is thine.’
(It seemed the best robe and the ring,
The love and fatted calf were not;
But this was just a little thing
The old man in his joy forgot.)
The father’s blindness in the house,
The mother’s fond and foolish way
Have caused no end of ancient rows
Right back to Cain and Abel’s day.
The world will blame the eldest born—
But—well, when all is said and done,
No coat has ever yet been worn
That had no colour more than one.
Oh! if I had the power to teach—
The strength for which my spirit craves—
The cant of parents I would preach
Who slave and make their children slaves.
For greed of gain, and that alone
Their youth they steal, their hearts they break
And then, the wretched misers moan—
‘We did it for our children’s sake.’
‘And all I have’—the paltry bribe
That he might slave contented yet
While envied by his selfish tribe
The birthright he might never get:
The worked-out farm and endless graft,
The mortgaged home, the barren run—
The heavy, hopeless overdraft—
The portion of the elder son.
He keeps his parents when they’re old,
He keeps a sister in distress,
His wife must work and care for them
And bear with all their pettishness.
The mother’s moan is ever heard,
And, whining for the worthless one,
She seldom has a kindly word
To say about her eldest son.
’Tis he, in spite of sneer and jibe,
Who stands the friend when others fail:
He bears the burdens of his tribe
And keeps his brother out of jail.
He lends the quid and pays the fine,
And for the family pride he smarts—
For reasons I cannot divine
They hate him in their heart of hearts.
A satire on this world of sin—
Where parents seldom understand—
That night the angels gathered in
The firstborn of that ancient land.
Perhaps they thought, in those old camps,
While suffering for the blow that fell,
They might have better spared the scamps
And Josephs that they loved so well.
Sometimes the Eldest takes the track
When things at home have got too bad—
He comes not crawling, canting back
To seek the blind side of his dad.
He always finds a knife and fork
And meat between on which to dine,
And, though he sometimes deals in pork,
You’ll never catch him herding swine.
The happy home, the overdraft,
His birthright and his prospects gay,
And likewise his share of the graft,
He leaves the rest to grab. And they—
Who’d always do the thing by halves,
If anything for him was done—
Would kill a score of fatted calves
To welcome home the eldest son.
poem by Henry Lawson
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Good Morning Blood Brother
Good morning blood brother
Are you alright this morning?
How is the war blood brother?
Do you think that you are winning the battles?
Blood brother
We have the same mother and father
And that is why we are called blood brother
Also please remember that we have the same flesh blood brother
poem by Aldo Kraas
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Hobo
A father's pride I used to know,
A mother's love was mine;
For swinish husks I let them go,
And bedded with the swine.
Since then I've come on evil days
And most of life is hell;
But even swine have winsome ways
When once you know them well.
One time I guessed I'd cease to roam,
And greet the folks again;
And so I rode the rods to home
And through the window pane
I saw them weary, worn and grey . . .
I gazed from the garden gloom,
And like sweet, shiny saints were they
Int taht sweet, shiny room.
D'ye think I hollored out: "Hullo!"
The prodigal to play,
And eat the fatted calf? Ah no,
I cursed and ran away.
My eyes were blears of whisky tears
As to a pub I ran:
But once at least I beat the beast
And proved myself a man.
Oh, some day I am going back,
But I'll have gold galore;
I'll wear a suit of sobber black
And knock upon the door.
I'l tell them how I've made a stake,
We'll have the grandest time. . . .
"Say, Mister, give a guy a break:
For Chrissake, spare a dime."
poem by Robert William Service
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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For My Brother I Will Not Meet
For my brother I will not meet
End your curiosity if you can
Our worlds are great distances apart
Let us take refuge in our desolate sky
For my brother of La Isla Grande
Your struggles are mine and the sea
At which you swear with great contempt
Will one day carry me to you
My brother from the mountain
From the Guama River, del campo,
Man of hoyos and magotes, I love you
Like mothers love children,
But I spite you in my sleep
The idol and image is flawed
I will not love such a thing.
Thus my heart is reserved for the flesh and
For the sky that watches you, for the peace
of nights that unclench men's fists
For the wine that spills and the tobacco that perfumes the air
For my brother I will not meet
We are all the same, look to your neighbor and see me
Work long days in the sun and drink rum with me
Strum a guitar like the Mariachis and tell stories
of the sea among tough men
My brother, take a white rose, breath in it's aroma
Give it to the ocean
In memory of you my brother
From a world unbeknown to me,
Let us take refuge in our desolate sky
And be content knowing
That when God sees us, we see each other.
poem by Robert Beckerman
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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My Mother Had A Brother
My mother had a brother
They say that I was born on the day that he died
Someone to cling to, she said
When all the noises and the shame came calling
My mother had a brother
I thought I knew them all, I thought I knew
But she lied
I said, Show me his face again, tell me again why he died
She said he couldn't wait for the things that I've seen
She said he wasn't strong enough, he never dared to dream a life like mine
My mother had a brother
Over-sensitive and kind
Seems it all became too much for him..
It seems he took his own life
Mum, I can't imagine the joy and pain in equal measure
Tears in the dirt, and all over your newborn treasure
I guess he had to wait until my momma had me
I guess he couldn't wait another moment to be free
In endless sky..
But mama will you tell him from your boy
The times they changed
I guess the world was getting warmer
And we got stronger
Mother will you tell him about my joy
I live each day for him
The sun came out, yeah, and I'm just breathing it in
(breathing)
My mother had a brother
Same desire, different time
Seems the empty spaces tortured him
Until he took his own life
I don't know why I waited so long for love
I just don't know what I was thinking of..
All that wasted time
But mama will you tell him from your boy
The times they changed
I guess the world was getting warmer
While we got stronger
Mother will you tell him about my joy
I live each day with him
Your son came out, yeah,
And I'm still breathing it in
And I swear now that freedom is here
I'm gonna taste it all for you boy
I'm bad to the bone, I'm just a little torn
I'm making so much love
So those of us who have nothing to fear
We've got to make damn sure that it was worth it
I'm bad to the bone, I'm just a little stoned
I'm making so much love
I was a prisoner, but he saved me
Broke into my dreams and said, Who cares?
I was a prisoner, so disgrace me
I'm glad to be home
And I don't believe they care.
song performed by by George Michael
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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