#405 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Saturday July 16)
Good morning,
POETRY
Why poetry? Let’s be honest—sometimes we understand it at first reading; sometimes it takes some careful concentration to fully grasp; and sometimes it can be a jumble of inaccessible words whose meaning remains elusive. To me, poetry is an exercise in words and images that need not always be so crystal clear in absolute meaning as much as mood, meter, and wordplay. It has been evoked for as a model for something else sublime, such as this from Robert Louis Stevenson: and Chris “Wine is bottled poetry”—Robert Louis Stevenson. Thanks, Chris Maling, for this contribution.
This poem of perseverance and resilience is pretty straightforward in meaning and seems made for a glass of wine (“bottled poetry”) as accompaniment. By now, you probably know I’m a major Sondheim fan. Here are the lyrics (followed by a beautiful, soulful rendition from the great Elaine Stritch) to “I’m Still Here,” from Follies. It’s the song of an aging vaudeville star, who has been through a lot and survived:
I’M STILL HERE
Good times and bum times,
I've seen them all and, my dear,
I'm still here.
Plush velvet sometimes,
Sometimes just pretzels and beer,
But I'm here.
I've stuffed the dailies
In my shoes.
Strummed ukuleles,
Sung the blues,
Seen all my dreams disappear,
But I'm here.
I've slept in shanties,
Guest of the W.P.A.,
But I'm here.
Danced in my scanties,
Three bucks a night was the pay,
But I'm here.
I've stood on bread lines
With the best,
Watched while the headlines
Did the rest.
In the Depression was I depressed?
Nowhere near.
I met a big financier
And I'm here.
…
I've run the gamut.
A to Z.
Three cheers and dammit,
C'est la vie.
I got through all of last year
And I'm here.
Lord knows, at least I was there,
And I'm here!
Look who's here!
I'm still here!
MUSIC
The great Elaine Stritch with the wonderful “I’m Still Here”:
POST-BEATLES REDUX
On another note, and because I love George Harrison and his collaborations, here’s “Here Comes the Sun,” with Ringo Starr, Jeff Lynne and Phil Collins: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2q494
But Paul McCartney and Ringo also collaborated on “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,”:
And George Harrison’s tribute to John Lennon upon the latter’s death, “All Those Years Ago,”:
Have a great weekend,
Glenn
From the archives: