words

i was tagged by that crazee, childbearin’ gal who-comes-from-alabama-with-a-coupla-babies-on-her-knees (while simultaneously cooking, cleaning, and creating nuclear fission in her kitchen) — ms. onthecurb (via amy derby, whose blog i also like to read) with a meme: share a favorite quote and dedicate it to three other hapless lucky bloggers who keep the love going.

i am a lover of words and quotes, so this is a tougheeβ„’ for me. yes, beware the jabberwock english major, for she, yea she, possesses a poetic license and is not afraid to use it. yep. i can quote myriad biggies. there are so many who have inspired me. but anyone who reads this blog regularly knows that my favorite poetry comes from music. and although i know i am supposed to pick only one, there are two lyrics, one by aimee mann, and a simpler one by bruce springsteen, that are hugely influential for me and which seem to work together here.

first aimee mann, from it’s not safe:

All you want to do is something good
So get ready to be ridiculed and misunderstood
‘Cause don’t you know that you’re a fucking freak in this world
In which everybody’s willing to choose swine over pearls

for those of us who are (or think we are) relatively pure of heart and truly aim to do the right thing every day — teaching our kids to be decent people, treating other people kindly, and viewing issues in a global way — even though the world sometimes seems to be in conflict with that goal. for those days when you marvel at other people’s children, or other people’s parents, or just people in general who just loathe you or rip into you simply because you’re living your life your way. it just seems, as mann points out, not safe, to live that way. it rips your heart in two; it occasionally embarrasses or hurts your loved ones; it might not seem like you’re doing the right thing after all.

but then bruce simply and succinctly cuts to the chase. from new york city serenade:

It’s midnight in Manhattan, this is no time to get cute
It’s a mad dog’s promenade
So walk tall or baby don’t walk at all.

or, more to the point, as the divine ms. m once quipped, fuck’em if they can’t take a joke.

i tag these folks, four of the many who inspire me to walk tall every day, even when i step in a field of dog doo:

o for obsessive

nylonthread

everyoneisdoinit

and

mamabird

okay. so that’s four. two quotes and four bloggers. see, math is hard for us english majors πŸ˜‰

7 thoughts on “words

  1. Ha, yeh I gave up the banjo for all these kidz. And, more like nuclear fission gone awry in the kitchen. You haven’t seen the results of my cooking…a few have sprouted tails from eating my food.

    Excellent quotes from a most excellent gal. πŸ™‚

  2. Hooray! I’m tagged! My very first! Red-rover, red-rover send Jill right over! Why am I am I so giddy about it and what was with that red rover game anyway?
    Thanks wreke. – Jill

  3. Heh, having made a royal ASS of myself yesterday (and then blogged about it), I’m really feeling the Aimee Mann lyrics. How funny you should post them. πŸ™‚ Oh well. You do the best you can and sometimes you look like a freak and other times you *are* a freak. But at least you are a freak doing the best you can.

  4. You know, I really think everybody’s got their own brand of crazy, kwim? And I am so glad to be sharing the wreke freak flag. xoxo Agreed – great quotes and I hope to meet you live one day to cement my impression that you are just Good People. Is DCUM having that Haines Point picnic this year? Gotta ask Jeff and Maria…

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