(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding

Elvis Costello and the Attractions
Armed Forces

written by Nick Lowe

As I walk through
This wicked world
Searchin' for light in the darkness of insanity.

I ask myself
Is all hope lost?
Is there only pain and hatred, and misery?

And each time I feel like this inside,
There's one thing I wanna know:
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? Ohhhh
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?

And as I walked on
Through troubled times
My spirit gets so downhearted sometimes
So where are the strong
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony?
Sweet harmony.

'Cause each time I feel it slippin' away, just makes me wanna cry.
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? Ohhhh
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?

So where are the strong?
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony?
Sweet harmony.

'Cause each time I feel it slippin' away, just makes me wanna cry.
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? Ohhhh
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? Ohhhh
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?

****

don't bogart that joint....

On 6 Jul 2005 20:54:26 -0700, "
wrote:

(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding

Elvis Costello and the Attractions
Armed Forces

written by Nick Lowe

As I walk through
This wicked world
Searchin' for light in the darkness of insanity.

I ask myself
Is all hope lost?
Is there only pain and hatred, and misery?

And each time I feel like this inside,
There's one thing I wanna know:
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? Ohhhh
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?

And as I walked on
Through troubled times
My spirit gets so downhearted sometimes
So where are the strong
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony?
Sweet harmony.

'Cause each time I feel it slippin' away, just makes me wanna cry.
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? Ohhhh
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?

So where are the strong?
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony?
Sweet harmony.

'Cause each time I feel it slippin' away, just makes me wanna cry.
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? Ohhhh
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? Ohhhh
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?

****

don't bogart that joint....

This is supposed to be a 'poem', I suppose. Embarrassingly weak.

It's good to know you can rely on a German to be humorless. Kinda keeps
the whole universe in some strange order.

On 7 Jul 2005 03:26:03 -0700, "
wrote:

It's good to know you can rely on a German to be humorless. Kinda keeps
the whole universe in some strange order.

It is true that a poem can be so bad that it becomes funny - but this
one is simply incompetently written and unimaginative.

Whether Germans generally are more or less humorless than other people
is not likely to be something you can judge.

Just a popular song...not very impressive in black & white, I agree.
But pick up a copy of _Armed Forces_.


this is poetry (OK, I know I'm overdoing you-know-what)

Wer, wenn ich schriee, h=F6rte mich denn aus der Engel
Ordnungen? und gesetzt selbst, es n=E4hme
einer mich pl=F6tzlich ans Herz: ich verginge von seinem
st=E4rkeren Dasein. Denn das Sch=F6ne ist nichts
als des Schrecklichen Anfang, den wir noch grade ertragen,
und wir bewundern es so, weil es gelassen verschm=E4ht,
uns zu zerst=F6ren. Ein jeder Engel ist schrecklich.

On Thu, 07 Jul 2005 10:32:49 +0200, Jürgen R. wrote:


This is supposed to be a 'poem', I suppose. Embarrassingly weak.

A song is not a poem. It's unfair to judge song lyrics without
knowing the constraints imposed by the melody.

Whether Germans generally are more or less humorless than other people
is not likely to be something you can judge.


Was weisst du?

"The Germans are so humorless they asked us to import some for them, I
suppose.." - John Cleese

Voice Over:
But by December their joke was ready,
and Hitler gave the order for the German V-Joke
to be broadcast in English.

Cut to 1940's wartime radio set with couple anxiously listening to it.

Radio:
(crackly German voice)
Der ver zwei peanuts, valking down der strasse, and von vas...
assaulted! peanut. Ho-ho-ho-ho.

wrote:
It's good to know you can rely on a German to be humorless. Kinda keeps
the whole universe in some strange order.

Oh, Germans can be very funny. A man was walking down the street with
a long, flexible pole carried on one shoulder. A tourist asked,
"Excuse me, but are you a pole vaulter?"

"No," the athlete responded. "I am German. But how did you know my
name is Walter?"

German language can be very funny also. Botvinnik told a story about
Bogolyubov, the Ukrainian GM, who took German nationality. According
to Botvinnik, Bogolyubov even laughed in German.

David Ames

Mike Murray wrote:
On Thu, 07 Jul 2005 10:32:49 +0200, J=FCrgen R. wrote:


This is supposed to be a 'poem', I suppose. Embarrassingly weak.

A song is not a poem. It's unfair to judge song lyrics without
knowing the constraints imposed by the melody.

Nonsense. Song lyrics are poems; here's Exhibit A:


Who is Silvia? what is she,

That all our swains commend her?

Holy, fair, and wise is she;

The heaven such grace did lend her,

That she might admir=E8d be.



Is she kind as she is fair?

For beauty lives with kindness.

Love doth to her eyes repair,

To help him of his blindness,

And, being helped, inhabits there.



Then to Silvia let us sing,

That Silvia is excelling;

She excels each mortal thing

Upon the dull earth dwelling:

To her let us garlands bring.

William Shakespeare