"This be the Verse" by Philip Larkin (poetry reading)

Here's Larkin himself reading it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09VZjvWt1C8

The paintings are by LS Lowry who lived in Salford, Lancashire, in the North of England from 1887 to 1976 .
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L._S._Lowry

They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.

But they were fucked up in their turn
By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half the time were soppy-stern
And half at one another's throats.

Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
And don't have any kids yourself.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• This be the Verse
• Philip
• Larkin
• poetry
• poem
• fuck you up

[AngeleDeux1]

omyy... i have followed u a long time on here..and love ur voice above all for poetry...but hearing u cuss was too funny...esp saying it so seriously as u do w/same tone.e.tc. reading just the words i would say this was cynical but your voice gave it the human sensitive touch it needed to bring it home.. real good ..thanx for post!

[SpokenVerse]

@AngeleDeux1 Thank you. You should hear the things I say when you're not listening...

[mahogonywhisper]

Would be better without the swear word.

[SpokenVerse]

@mahogonywhisper How about "They tuck you up your Mum and Dad?" to be followed by "and then they read you a bedtime story and give you a goodnight kiss"

[Sharoney]

Trying to work up the guts to post this on my Facebook profile as a "fuck you" to my younger sisters, who think that when it came to Dad and (especially) Ma everything was fucking sweetness and light and magic unicorns and rainbows.

And oh, BTW, I don't have kids for precisely the reason given in this poem. And my husband, who saw both of my parents in action, was fully supportive.

[mahogonywhisper]

@SpokenVerse I hope that you understand my meaning.

[paulpellicci]

very scary art....good choice

[FleetingVoid]

Your voice is just... well, quite frankly, your voice is fucking awesome.

[marianneotv]

well, well, I did not know anything about Philip Larkin....

For the kids, the advice comes too late! And there is some truth in this, sadly. But we also have to answer to our nature, and with some attention, maybe we can improve from one generation to the other? Maybe....

Thank you for this interesting video!

[novadrian]

Sometime ago I criticised you and you removed a reading as a result! I'd like to make amends. Larkin is a favourite and you do the poem justice. Great choice of paintings to accompany the reading. Larkin wrote in an ironic tone about his dislike for poems being read aloud, but I think he would be very happy with this. By the way, you sound like a cross between Laurie Lee and Landeg White (poet, whose online English language classes I took over at the Open Uni. here in Lisbon.)

[mnolanporter]

These are Count Olaf's dying words at the end of A Series of Unfortunate Events - you could look it up.

[mahogonywhisper]

@SpokenVerse If the poem was a private diary entry, then he's alright to swear as he pleases but, as I am a Christian, I do not believe that anything with /that/ sort of language should be published. Even if it is a true expression of his emotive disposition.