Been Doin’ a Litl Read’n

Been doin’ lots a noth’n here, though I has finished 132 pages of Roethke’s recently re-issued book On Poetry and Craft.

Mostly, tho, I’se been wandering and readn lil bits of everything on weblogs throughout the world. Maybe I’ll have more to say ’bout that later.

Also been playing around with Apple’s iSound. Since I’m a sav’n money,least ’til I start drawing Social Security in February, I’ve been recording my favorite albums onto my computer.

Thing I likes best is bein’ able to’s rank songs from one to five stars, tho’ I’m ginning to think they shoulda allowd haf stars when you get a lot of songs recorded.

Dave Roger’s earlier blog entry about students judgin’ other students by their playlists made me think I should share my limited play list, but only ‘cuz I’m sure that by the time I’m done recording my list’ll be bigger than his list, or yourn, for that matter.

The trouble with uploading all of these songs, though, it’s easy to gets bogged down in nostalgia.

Despite some Paul Revere and the Raiders albums, I’m ‘mazed by what great taste I gots in music. I’se just uploaded two of my Tracy Chapman albums, and I can’t seem to get past listening to ’em, and I still ain’t recorded my favorite album.

Listening to these here songs made me convinced I need to do everything I can to throw out those damned cheap-labor conservatives.

If it weren’t for the RIAA, I’d love to create a page devoted to our Republican friends, you know those right-on Christians, the ones who believe, like our Puritan ancestors, that God rewards his CHOSEN ONES with MOUNTAINS OF THINGS, never quite explaining why His Only Son ended up so POOR. In the background I’d play Tracy’s:

MOUNTAINS O’ THINGS

The life I’ve always wanted
Guess I’ll never have
I’ll be working for somebody else
Until I’m in my grave
I’ll be dreaming of a life of ease
And mountains
Oh mountains o’ things

Have a big expensive car
Drag my furs on the ground
Have a maid that I can tell
To bring me anything
Everyone will look at me with envy and with greed
And I’ll revel in their attention
And mountains
Oh mountains o’ things

Sweet lazy life
Champagne and caviar
Hope you’ll come and find me
Cause you know who we are
Those who deserve the best in life
Know what money’s worth
Those whose sole misfortune
Was having mountains o’ nothing at birth

Oh they tell me
Still time to save my soul
They tell me
Renounce all
Renounce all those material things you gained by
Exploiting other human beings

Consume more than you need
This is the dream
Make you pauper
Or make you queen
Won’t die lonely
Have it all prearranged
A grave that’s deep and wide enough
For me and all my mountains o’ things

Oh they tell me
Still time to save my soul
They tell me
Renounce all
Renounce all those material things you gained by
Exploiting other human beings

Mostly I feel lonely
Good good people are
Good people are only
My stepping stones
It’s gonna take all my mountains o’ things
To surround me
Keep all my enemies away
Keep my sadness and loneliness at bay

Life I’ve always wanted
Guess I’ll never have
I’ll be working for somebody else
Until I’m in my grave
I’ll be dreaming of a life of ease
And mountains
Oh mountains o’ things

I’ll be dreaming, dreaming…
Dreaming…

Maybe I’d folllow this song up with:

TALKIN’ ABOUT A REVOLUTION

Don’t you know
They’re talkin’ bout a revolution
It sounds like a whisper
Don’t you know
They’re talkin’ about a revolution
It sounds like a whisper

While they’re standing in the welfare lines
Crying at the doorsteps of those armies of salvation
Wasting time in the unemployment lines
Sitting around waiting for a promotion

Poor people gonna rise up
And get their share
Poor people gonna rise up
And take what’s theirs

Don’t you know
You better run, run, run…
Oh I said you better
Run, run, run…

Finally the tables are starting to turn
Talkin’ bout a revolution

Then, again, maybe it’d get me on the FBI’s Most Wanted List. Sure as Hell wouldn’t wanna get myself on Ashcroft’s Most Wanted List. Bastard. Don’t put me on none of his lists.

Come to think of it, maybe I’m already on that there list. Remember attending an Earth First meeting in Portland, Oregon, and being told there was no sign-in sheet ‘coz they’s afraid FBI were attending that there meeting and would collect our names. Course, I thought they were PARANOID, and, besides, I didn’t like the number of times I heard ANARCHY that night. (Reminded me of a couple of classes I was teaching at the time.) Believe you me, anarchy ain’t necessarily a good thing. It ain’t only the poor people that are going to rise up, ‘specially if you’re trying to teach ’em a little poesy.

Did I tell ya I’d been wanderingm doin a little read’n? Read’n ain’t always a good thing. Ups and gives ya ideas. Me and Tom Joad gots ideas.

Don’t be telling no Ashcroft and his assholes I nos how to read. Don’t wanna be on nobody’s LIST.

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