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It’s 1720’s London
& highwaymen are notorious
for fixing up notices
on doors of rich folk’s houses
forbidding them
(on pain of death)
to go out
without
at least
10 guineas & a gold watch
upon their soon to be
held up person.
Anything less & they get it!
Got it?
It’s a hard living
and no respectable highway man
would get out of bed
for anything less.
poem by Dónall Dempsey
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Related quotes
Notorious
No.. no.. notorious!
No.. no.. notorious!
I.. cant read about it, burns the skin from your eyes,
Ill do fine without it, heres one you dont compromise.
Lies come hard to disguise
Let me to fight it out, not wild about it
Lay your seedy judgements, who says theyre part of our lives?
You own the money, you control the witness,
I hear youre lonely - dont monkey with my business
You pay the profits to justify the reasons
I heard your promise but I dont believe it -
Thats why Ill do it again
No.. no.. notorious.
Girls will keep the secrets, so long as boys make the noise,
Fools run rings to break up, something theyll never destroy.
Grand notorious slam, (bam!) and who really gives a damn -
For a flaky bandit?
Dont ask me to bleed about it, I need this blood to survive.
(chorus)
No.. no.. notorious
Notorious!
Notorious!
(chorus) (chorus)
No!
No..no.. (thats why Ill do it again)
No!
Notorious! (yeh! thats why Ill do it again)
No..no.. notorious.
Yeeeehh! thats why Ill do it again
No.. notorious.
No..no.. notorious.
Yeeeehh! thats why Ill do it again
No.. notorious.
No..no.. notorious.
song performed by by Duran Duran
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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21 - Victorian Poverty
A period of extreme poverty of the lower working classes
As they worked to the death the rich sat politely on their arses
London’s poor tried to scrape a living doing jobs the devil created
As the rich sat at their windows laughing at the pitiful souls they hated
The poor would have sooner died than enter the poor houses control
As it was not fit to harbor a single living human soul
Small boys were used to clean narrow sooted chimneys
While in the coal mines children worked on their hands and knees
Although this golden age pioneered many useful inventions
Children privileged to go to school were whipped instead of detentions
And as the poor worked for a life at every waking hour
The rich covered their stench with perfume and wild flowers
The poor had nothing and hardly anything to eat
While the rich enjoyed tea and honey and sherbet lemon sweets
In Victorian London the poor just lived and died
The rich never really noticed the rich never really cried
A period of extreme poverty of the lower working classes
As they worked to the death the rich sat politely on their asses
poem by Nicola Burkett
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Hall Of Doors
You walk through the hall of doors
With life in sight with death in mind
You watch people open their doors
And you think of how the doors and fate bind
You watch waiting to see your exit
As you see others turn down their path to their end
You know that the paths can not change
You know even with time fate shall not mend
Down the hall you walk
Doors lining each side
Every person holds the key to one of those locks
All around you people stride
Doors open
As people come to their door mats
You walk by doors just hoping,
hoping the next isn't yours, isn't your mat
You watch parents and children leaving eachothers sides
You see love being torn, hate being sewn
as the doors open wide
Some people leave together, some alone
You wait to see your door, your fate
You watch to see which door your key fits
You watch to see if your heart is with love or hate
You watch untill you find the mat at which you shall sit
You walk through the hall of doors
With life in sight, death in mind
You watch as people open their doors
You wait to see which door your fate lays behind.
poem by Bethany Maxwell
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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If I Could Make A Living Out Of Loving You
If theres something that needs fixing
Im the man to see
Look me up, Im listed
Just check under b
If youre ever on the spot
Well, Im good with my hands
24-7 Im your handyman
Odd jobs, hard jobs, anything under the sun
Big jobs, small jobs, baby
Chorus:
Id be a rich man, its true
If I could make a living out of lovin you
These two hands know what to do
If I could make a living out of lovin you
I could make a living out of lovin you
Until the work is finished
Well, I dont get paid
I dont mind getting dirty
Thats my middle name
Im in the service business
So I understand
Call me 24-7, Im your handyman
Odd jobs, hard jobs, anything under the sun
Big jobs, small jobs, baby
Chorus:
Id be a rich man, its true
If I could make a living out of lovin you
These two hands know what to do
If I could make a living out of lovin you
If I could make a living out of lovin you
Solo
Tough jobs, rough jobs, say where and when
Ill leave you my card, call when you need me again
Odd jobs, hard jobs, baby
Chorus:
Id be a rich man, its true
If I could make a living out of lovin you
These two hands know what to do
If I could make a living out of lovin you
Id be a rich man, its true
I could make a living out of lovin you
Im a rich man
I could make a living out of lovin you
song performed by by Bon Jovi
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I Could Make A Living Out Of Lovin You
If theres something that needs fixing
Im the man to see
Look me up, Im listed
Just check under b
If youre ever on the spot
Well, Im good with my hands
24-7 Im your handyman
Odd jobs, hard jobs, anything under the sun
Big jobs, small jobs, baby
Chorus:
Id be a rich man, its true
If I could make a living out of lovin you
These two hands know what to do
If I could make a living out of lovin you
I could make a living out of lovin you
Until the work is finished
Well, I dont get paid
I dont mind getting dirty
Thats my middle name
Im in the service business
So I understand
Call me 24-7, Im your handyman
Odd jobs, hard jobs, anything under the sun
Big jobs, small jobs, baby
Chorus:
Id be a rich man, its true
If I could make a living out of lovin you
These two hands know what to do
If I could make a living out of lovin you
If I could make a living out of lovin you
Solo
Tough jobs, rough jobs, say where and when
Ill leave you my card, call when you need me again
Odd jobs, hard jobs, baby
Chorus:
Id be a rich man, its true
If I could make a living out of lovin you
These two hands know what to do
If I could make a living out of lovin you
Id be a rich man, its true
I could make a living out of lovin you
Im a rich man
I could make a living out of lovin you
song performed by by Bon Jovi
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Highwaymen
In their tricorn hats and black masks
With silver buckes on their shoes
A sharp cutlass by their sides
On a fine, strong horse
And brandishing a pair of pistols
They must have cut quite a figure
With the well known cry of
' Stand and deliver
Your money or your life'
There were many highwaymen
Highway women as well
Who lived the lonely, dangerous life
Of robbery and extortion
Holding up private and mail coaches
Or lone travellers
On Hounslow Heath, on the way
To and from, London
Dick Turpin, Jack London
To name but two
Of the many that ended their short lives
Shot or as paupers, in unmarked graves
Or swinging from Tyburn's Tree.
poem by Marilyn Shepperson
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Magnificat
The poor still wait
for bolted doors to open
hunger to be filled
and concern to replace
the deep scorn
of the rich, who believe
God is on their side,
who offer golden chalices
and cathedrals of crystal
to purchase
eternal life
with God, who remembers
the poor
will fill their every
need
but send away the rich
with nothing
no things to carry
in their powerful, sleek cars
to their empty houses
silent houses
stony, soulless
mansions,
nothing
but their names
on fine marble
engraved,
yet the poor watch
and still wait.
poem by Steven Federle
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Down To London
Stop - whats that sound
Its the death rattle of this rusty old town
Stop - listen again
Its the sound of laughter all along the thames
Hey - whats my line
Do I have to stay here til the end of time
Im - good lookin and bright
I wanna see life after ten at night
So if they ask you where I am
Im in the back of a transit van
In a squat on the earls court road
Gone down to london turning coal into gold
Down to london - down to london
Gone down to london to be the king
Hey - whats your name
The boys back home all seem to look the same
You - should stick with me
And one of us will make it, just you see
Stop - whats that sound
Seems like the sixties are still swingin around
Hey - can you hear me back there
Or is there anybody left to care
So if you ask me where they are
Theyre hanging tough in a soho bar
Playing guitars in the underground
Gone down to london tryin to chase that sound
Down to london - down to london
Gone down to london to be the king
So I ask you should I cry or laugh
Drinking tea in a kings cross caff
A leather jacket against the cold
Gone down to london turning coal into gold
Down to london - down to london
Gone down to london to be the king
song performed by by Joe Jackson
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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London
It was november 4th
I last held your hand
It seemed our time would last forever
You said dont ever leave
I thought youd never go
I wish I could just remember your name...
Youre just a memory now
Like all the ones before
But with your pain Ive had to suffer
Your eyes alight with flame
As the picture burns
I hear the screams from long ago
They cry remember, blood-red streaks on
Velvet throats at night
The streetlights fanned our trail of fame
Through
London london
The memories will never leave me
London london
All I see is you
London london
The cries in the night
Keep bringing me to
London london
Calling out to me
Oh theres some things in life I could never face
The worst is being alone
Sometimes I wish I could have taken your
Place my love
You know I dont want to live forever
Oh let me see you standing in the
Shadows once again
Well walk the streets like long ago in
London london
The fire in your eyes will be bringing me to
London london
All I need is you
The cries in the night keep ringing on in
London london
Calling out to you
song performed by by Queensryche
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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London
We came from the far North
summered in Crimea
deserted the armed forces
had to disappear
made it to the free West
on a chartered flight
so we could see what
we trained to fight
We were in London
"Let's do it - let's break the law!"
We were in London
Tell it like it is
We were in London
Tell it like it is
Looking for hard work
or credit card fraud
What do you expect from us?
We come from abroad
to get ourselves a new job
on a building-site
They work you so hard
but we trained to fight
We were in London
"Let's do it - let's break the law!"
We were in London
Tell it like it is
We were in London
"Let's do it - let's break the law!"
We were in London
Tell it like it is
My father fought in Afghanistan
His widow's pension ain't worth a damn
My mother works and goes home to cry
I want to live before I die
We were in London
"Let's do it - let's break the law!"
We were in London
Tell it like it is
We were in London
Tell it like it is
song performed by by Pet Shop Boys
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Held Up With Just A Stick
Held up with just a stick.
Held up with just a stick.
Held up with just a stick.
Held up with just a stick.
Held up with just a stick,
It seems...
Held up with just a stick,
One's head...
Held up with just a stick,
Their arms and their legs...
Needing to be fed.
And...
Held up with just a stick,
One's pride...
Held up with just a stick,
Two eyes and two ears...
Living poverty so near,
To...
Famish it is clear.
And...
Held up with just a stick,
Hunger.
Held up with just a stick,
Life!
Held up with just a stick,
Blight!
And those who fight death in their sight.
Held up with just a stick,
Life!
Held up with just a stick,
Pride!
Held up with just a stick,
Blight!
And those who fight death in their sight.
Held up with just a stick,
And...
There's no benefit to it.
Held up with just a stick,
Life!
Held up with just a stick,
Pride!
Held up with just a stick,
Blight!
And living this is NOT a gift.
Held up with just a stick,
And...
There's no benefit to it.
Held up with just a stick.
Held up with just a stick.
Held up with just a stick.
Held up with just a stick.
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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White Collar Crimes
social pathology;
poor are not prone
more to criminal
behavior honest
poor are bedrock
of moral society;
career options
notorious fleeting
crime benefits
white collar crimes
fancy lawyers
buy rich client
freedom Bell Curve
merry propaganda
Frankensteinism
blocks sewer pipes
H&M IQ thesis
non-white poor
discrimination
rhetoric evolved
to any race poor
laid off victim poor
stolen their houses
is not yet enough
greedy robber baron
rich must also steal
a hard poor workers
honour pride dignity
poem by Terence George Craddock
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Sunset Grill
Lets go down to the sunset grill
We can watch the working girls go by
Watch the basket people walk around and
Mumble
And stare out at the auburn sky
Theres an old man there from the old world
To him, its all the same
Calls all his customers by name
Down at the sunset grill
Down at the sunset grill
Down at the sunset grill
Down at the sunset grill
You see a lot more meanness in the city
Its the kind that tears you up inside
Hard to come away with anything that feels
Like dignity
Hard to get home with any pride
These days a man makes you somethin
And you never see his face
But there is no hiding place
Down at the sunset grill
Down at the sunset grill
Down at the sunset grill
Down at the sunset grill
Respectable little murders pay
They get more respectable every day
Dont worry girl, Im gonna stick by you
And someday soon were gonna get in that
Car and get outta here
Lets go down to the sunset grill
Watch the working girls go by
Watch the basket people walk around and
Mumble
And gaze out at the auburn sky
Maybe well leave come springtime
Meanwhile, have another beer
What would we do without these jerks
Anyway?
Besides, all our friends are here
Down at the sunset grill
Down at the sunset grill
Down at the sunset grill
Down at the sunset grill
song performed by by Don Henley
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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In London, in early June of the year 1929, the rare book dealer Joseph Cartaphilus, of Smyrna, offered the princess de Lucinge the six quarto minor volumes (1715-1720) of Pope's Iliad.
Jorge Luis Borges in The Immortal (1947), translated by Andrew Hurley
Submitted by Dan Costinaş
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Who Is Rich?
I strive to be rich,
to travel on the roads,
of the capital cities,
in Sedan or limousine.
I work hard to be rich,
to find a lot in Beverly hills,
to buy an aircraft and
a hover to fly and float.
I work day and half night,
to be rich to others sight,
to smoke a cigar of an inch,
and a few girls to pinch.
scanty girls of Los vegas,
dress up, for a living,
trendy sad faced Indians,
walk alone for a living.
I want to be rich,
traveling as a rat,
through the holes of,
capital cities.
She wants to be rich,
He wants to be rich and
we want to be rich, but
people call us rich.
poem by Veeraiyah Subbulakshmi
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The Very Thing That Makes You Rich
My father told me, lying on his bed of death,
"boy," he says, "woman she's gonna make it, don't fool your self
'cause she's got something to make a man lay that money, uh, right in her hand
And the very thing that makes her rich will make you poor
The very thing that makes her rich will make you poor"
That's right!
Well, i put you behind the wheel of a deuce and a quarter, yes i did
Had you living like a rich man's daughter, yes i did, i sure did
While you were living high on the hog
You had me down here scuffling like a dog
Well, the very thing that makes you rich makes me poor
The very thing that makes you rich makes me poor
Don't you never ever make such a bad mistake
You know i'd rather climb into bed with a rattlesnake
Then to work hard every day bringing that woman all my pay
The very thing that makes you rich makes me poor,
Makes me so damn poor
The thing that makes her rich makes me poor
The very thing that makes you rich make me poor
Very thing that makes you rich makes me poor
Makes me so damned poor
Money won't change it, no no...
song performed by by Ry Cooder
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Hard Livin' Without You
Nothing to say no place to hide
I can't find a good reason even to lie
All of our dreams are gone
I may not be right but I'm surely not wrong
And it's gonna be hard
So very, very hard living without you
Well don't you know that it's
Hard living without you
Nowhere to go, no place to run
We started out just having fun
Well, I never cared too much
Not till the going got so very rough
And it's gonna be hard
So very, very hard living without you
Don't you know that it's
Hard living without you
Don't you know that it's
Hard living without you
Well, don't you know that it's
Hard living without you
Baby don't you know that it's
Hard living without you
Don't you know that it's
Hard living without you
Well, don't you know that it's
Hard living without you
Baby don't you know that it's
Hard living without you
Don't you know that it's
song performed by by Zebra
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I Am A Living, Breathing, Suicide...
I am a living person
with so many hard ships,
my life so far has been horrible,
I don't know how I am going to go on.
so far I am breathing
but for how long
my mind wanders to suicide every day
I cant stop it
I have other options there right there
But I can no longer move from this position I am in
this place is filled with pain and misery
It seems that suicide is my only answer,
I have had a rough life
I held it so deer to me
why is this now happening to me
that one little mistake
now costing me my life
I cant do it
I cant kill myself
just because of him
I just cant
hes gone now everything will be OK...
that is what I'm telling my self
but it only brings heart ache
I am now a living, breathing suicide...
poem by Lizzy Henry
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Notorious
Words and music: paul dean, mike reno, jon bon jovi, richie sambora,
Tim carney
Hey, hey, hey
Well theres a lone wolf out on the prowl tonight
Lurkin in the shadows, always out of sight
I said, little girl, dont you hesitate, cause youre usin live bait
Senorita, solitaire, you got a certain kind of savoir-faire
Cause youre notorious (notorious), everything you want,
Everything you need
Cause youre notorious (notorious), every mothers nightmare,
Every schoolboys dream
Everybody by name, every trick in the book
Everywhere that she goes she gets those dirty looks
I said, little girl, dont you hesitate, cause youre usin live bait
Senorita, solitaire, you got a certain kind of savoir-faire
Cause youre notorious (notorious), everything you want,
Everything you need
Cause youre notorious (notorious), every mothers nightmare
Every schoolboys dream
Lock me up, I want to be your prisoner
Lock me up, I want to be your slave
I said, little girl, dont you hesitate cause youre usin live bait
Senorita, solitaire, you got a certain kind of savoir-faire
Cause youre notorious (notorious), everything you want,
Everything you need
Cause youre notorious (notorious), every mothers nightmare
Every schoolboys dream
Cause youre notorious (notorious), everything I want,
Everything I need
Cause youre notorious (notorious), every mothers nightmare
Every schoolboys dream
Every schoolboys dream, oh yeah
Lock me up
song performed by by Loverboy
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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My Name Is Notorious
You may have heard of me,
my name lives in the mist of many people of the past and present. The poor, and rich, and in the mist of relationship because Im notorious! ! ! ! ! ! ! And today humans still sleep on the fact that I come silently like a thief that's ready and on guard to take there life in time the joy, the peace, there happiness will belong to me, because my name is powerful, I'm notorious! ! I am AIDS! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
poem by Clarence Williams
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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