Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Ere long done do does did

Quote wanted.

I'm growing dissatisfied with the 'ruthless criticism of all that exists' thing; in terms of my two great Marxist heroes, it's too much Debord and not enough Williams, too much find-the-ineluctable-points-of-contradiction and not enough celebrate-the-strength-and-creativity-that-got-us-this-far. I could change the name of the blog, but I wouldn't want to change the URL unnecessarily - and besides, 'actually existing' is a perfectly good umbrella term for things that exist and are worth affirming (useful work, the glory of cities, craft, productive conversation, music in performance, trade unions, the work of Joe Meek, etc).

So I need a new strap-line. Initially I thought of Durruti:
We have always lived in slums and holes in the wall. We will know how to accomodate ourselves for a time. For you must not forget, we can also build. It is we who built those palaces and cities here in Spain and America and everywhere. We, the workers, can build others to take their place. And better ones. We are not in the least afraid of ruins. We are going to inherit the earth. There is not the slightest doubt about that. The bourgeoisie might blast and ruin its own world before it leaves the stage of history. We carry a new world, here in our hearts. That world is growing this minute.
...but it's hard to forget those last two sentences, which have precisely the wrong resonance for my purposes - and "YOU MUST NOT FORGET, WE CAN ALSO BUILD" doesn't really cut it on its own. I also wondered about Ernest Jones' Song of the Lower Classes, but the diction's far too archaic.

All suggestions gratefully received.

PS Keats never did write "Ere long done do does did" - but the Complete Works does include such quatrains as
I am as brisk
As a bottle of whisk-
Y and as nimble
As a milliner's thimble.
which I can quite imagine Linder bringing out to fox the young Moz, one sunny day at Southern Cemetery.

5 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

8/2/06 11:11  
Blogger Phil said...

Unity - not exactly. I positively dislike the "new world in our hearts" part of the Durruti quote; "we know how to build" says something a bit different, to do with appreciating what's good & powerful in what people actually do. Something like Williams' line about resources for a journey of hope.

Anonymous troll - oh, he's gone. Never mind.

8/2/06 12:25  
Blogger Rob Jubb said...

I like it. The 'oh yeah' is appropriately ambivalent.

9/2/06 12:31  
Blogger David Wilson said...

i wonder if revelations 3,2 will do you any good: be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for i have not found thy works perfect before God

i have been finding myself running into this verse again and again lately, in fact, your post has thrown some light on the second part - i did not imagine anyone finding anything perfect, but now i see that there are some who do

17/2/06 05:58  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Ere long done do does did" - best use in modern times by Morissey of the Smiths in the song Cemetry Gates.

2/8/06 19:04  

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