Where is this standard phrasing from?

[ellynei]

Where is it from, and how frequently is it used.

I was writing, and suddenly this very familiar sounding phrase popped up between my characters:


"I do not always understand why you do, what you do, when you do it."

"That is because when I do what I do, I am me, and you are you."


(The exact going between my characters was this:

"I must admit, I do not always understand why you do, what you do, when you do it," said Nejan. It sounded similar to a reprimand.

Majgen smiled a small smile and gently padded one of his knees. "That is because, dear Ojewa, when I do what I do, I am me, and you are you.")


As such it is a clear and simple philosophical necessity, or should I say statement, or should I say elucidation?

In all cases it is a simple statement of individuality and the logical implications of same.


Whatever it is, it does (as already mentioned) sound awfully familiar. As it should, being far more universally applicable than "To be, or not to be? That is the question." (Please forgive me if I punctuated that Shakespeare quote wrongly.)


My most imminent question at this specific time is can anyone tell me cases of who; cases of when or where; and maybe even how often an interaction with wording quite similar (or identical to):

"I do not always understand why you do, what you do, when you do it."

"That is because when I do what I do, I am me, and you are you."

has occurred in works of writing, or other media?


I would very much appreciate some aid in this, for, although my subconscious might, I, personally, do not remember everything I've ever read, heard and seen.

 

[TheEarl]

I don't know whether it's from anything, but there is a very, very faint bell ringing in my mind. It is possible that you've hit the perfect, easily recognisable way of describing that sentiment though; a sentence so good that it feels like you knew it before you read it.

The Earl

 

[starrkers]

There's an old song with similar phrasing about doing what you do...can't remember it exactly but it rang bells and started trying to run in my head as I read your post.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

There's an old song with similar phrasing about doing what you do...can't remember it exactly but it rang bells and started trying to run in my head as I read your post.

That rings a bell with me too....

"I love what you do to me when you do it to me..."

or something like that.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I can almost hear the melody, too!

Let me proofread you one teensy bit;


"I do not always understand why you do what you do, when you do it."

"That is because when I do what I do, I am me and you are you."

(I got rid of two commas; the one after 'why you do' and the one after 'I am me')

It's a great pair of lines, i wish I'de written them

 

[Jack_Samuel]

I think the first line very similiar to the song but the second is pure you Stella.

It sounds familiar but it may be just great writing...

 

[3113]

Song called "Babyface" has these lyrics:

"I don't understand, why you do the things you do
And why you had to hurt me so bad, as good as I been to you (hmmm)
I don't understand, why you do the things you do
And why you had to hurt me so bad, as good as I been to you (hmmm)"

I think the "I don't understand why you do--" part is probably a line from many songs. The other half may not relate to any song.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

The song is HOT DIGGITY by Perry Como.

Oh, hot diggity, dog ziggity, boom what you do to me
It's so new to me, what you do to me
Hot diggity, dog ziggity, boom what you do to me
When you're holding me tight

Never dreamed anybody could kiss thattaway
Bring me bliss thattaway, what a kiss thattaway
What a wonderful feelin' to feel thattaway
Tell me where have you been all my life

Oh, hot diggity, dog ziggity, boom what you do to me
It's so new to me, what you do to me
Hot diggity, dog ziggity, boom what you do to me
When you're holding me tight

Never knew that my heart could go "zing" thattaway
Ting-a-ling thattaway, make me sing thattaway
Said "goodbye" to my troubles, they went thattaway
Ever since you came into my life

Oh, hot diggity, dog ziggit,y boom what you do to me
It's so new to me, what you do to me
Hot diggity, dog ziggity, boom what you do to me
When you're holding me tight

There's a cute little cottage for two thattaway
Skies are blue thattaway, dreams come true thattaway
If you say I can share it with you thattaway
I'll be happy the rest of my life

Oh, hot diggity, dog ziggity, boom what you do to me
It's so new to me, what you do to me
Hot diggity, dog ziggity, boom what you do to me
When you're holding me tight

Oh, hot diggity, dog ziggity, boom what you do to me
How my future will shine
Hot diggity, dog ziggity, boom what you do to me
From the moment you're mine

Hot dog!!

 

[MarshAlien]

I have no idea where the line comes from, if it comes from anywhere at all. If it's a song, it would be a duet, since it's written in two different voices. And if it is a song, the rhythm seems a little off; the first line is 14 syllables, the second is 17, and they don't seem congruent. Unlike, say, The Temptations The Way You Do the Things You Do.

So I have no idea. Sorry. It is very nice prose, though.

Since we're on the subject of proofreading, though . . .

Majgen smiled a small smile and gently padded one of his knees

I suggest "patted," unless Majgen is actually adding to one of his knees (like padding a resume).

 

[john-the-author]

I'm also reminded of the popular bit of poetry by Fritz Perls in 1969

I do my thing and you do your thing.
I am not in this world to live up to your expectations,
And you are not in this world to live up to mine.
You are you, and I am I, and if by chance we find each other, it's beautiful.
If not, it can't be helped.
​

Frequently, the last line didn't make it to the Hallmark cards and what-have-you.

Sandra Boynton (of "Hippo Birdie, Two Ewes" fame) once parodied this with the memorable:

I am I and you are you.
We are alone, together.
And if the you that is you meets the I that is me,
Then we could become the them that was, or were.

In any case, may you someday be as profound as I am.
​

 

[ellynei]

Thank you all very much for all the input.

Thank you also for the lovely edits.




All those songs made me think of the song with the lines

"How do you do what you do to me?
I wish I knew."

Which again made me think of the greeting:

"How do you do."


Today yet again my brain is smashed from writing too much. (And I think my boyfriend temporarily hates me for shutting him out completely for yet another full day of writing )

I hope tomorrow I will have a less mind mushed moment spare to read properly through all these lovely posts on this thread and say properly thank you to all




(((Todays writing ended with this, not so lovely, nor so well written note:

Forty men. Only a month earlier they had been an isolated, peacefully growing village of more than a hundred women, more than a hundred men, and far more children. Then I had arrived. Forty men were left, and, although they --one man's knee aside-- seemed healthy, they looked dead.

I was not prided by my results.

I am afanayare they were farmers. More skilled at combat than regular farmers or not. It should have been none of them left alive, and me headed off to collect my reward. Not, forty of them left keeping me trapped with no imminent hope of escape.

...

After completion and a lot of round of edits that dark thing is going straight to horror category. No, this isn't self-promotion, judging by the amount of edits that piece needs and all sorts of other factors it won't be available for a good, long while. This thread will long be buried before then )))


But! Since, I am here for a brief brain-deprived moment.

There is another phrasing I have long been curious where is from, and how often it is used. This one is a brief standard wording.

"Sometimes the usual is not as usual as usual."



(I use it in this context:

"As Nejan, Ojewa of the Purple Ijin, laid himself down on his bed, moving his old body carefully into a resting position, he was happy this day was finally over. But couldn't help thinking, 'Tomorrow will be just the same.' He closed his eyes and didn't consider that sometimes the usual is not as usual as usual."

This is not self-promotion either, that piece is not going up. Unless maybe, in case of certain events, in some years...)


While I am here:

Does anybody else have any issues with sometimes recognising phrases in their own writing, but feeling unable to pinpoint where they are from?

 

[ellynei]

I don't know whether it's from anything, but there is a very, very faint bell ringing in my mind. It is possible that you've hit the perfect, easily recognisable way of describing that sentiment though; a sentence so good that it feels like you knew it before you read it.

The Earl

If I thought that was likely in my case, I would wish it was the case

It sounds familiar but it may be just great writing...

Even a blind hen sometimes finds a grain (roughly translated danish saying). But, I'd still say it sentence sounds too familiar for it.

Thank you both for the sweet and considerate thought


And thank you all for the comments on bell-ringing and song-lyrics. It is very nice to know it rings a bell for others too.

I can almost hear the melody, too!

Let me proofread you one teensy bit;


"I do not always understand why you do what you do, when you do it."

"That is because when I do what I do, I am me and you are you."

(I got rid of two commas; the one after 'why you do' and the one after 'I am me')

It's a great pair of lines, i wish I'de written them

It is a fine edit, and it probably is better your way. But, when I read mine and then read yours, it significantly changes the way they pronounce it in the scene in my head.

I want them to pronounce it the way I first thought them to do it

I must admit
I do not always understand
why you do
what you do
when you do it


That is because
dear Ojewa
when I do
what I do
I am me
and you are you.

I have no idea where the line comes from, if it comes from anywhere at all. If it's a song, it would be a duet, since it's written in two different voices. And if it is a song, the rhythm seems a little off; the first line is 14 syllables, the second is 17, and they don't seem congruent. Unlike, say, The Temptations The Way You Do the Things You Do.

So I have no idea. Sorry. It is very nice prose, though.

Since we're on the subject of proofreading, though . . .



I suggest "patted," unless Majgen is actually adding to one of his knees (like padding a resume).

"Patting"

Thank you (adopted and inserted)

I'm also reminded of the popular bit of poetry by Fritz Perls in 1969

I do my thing and you do your thing.
I am not in this world to live up to your expectations,
And you are not in this world to live up to mine.
You are you, and I am I, and if by chance we find each other, it's beautiful.
If not, it can't be helped.
​

Frequently, the last line didn't make it to the Hallmark cards and what-have-you.

Sandra Boynton (of "Hippo Birdie, Two Ewes" fame) once parodied this with the memorable:

I am I and you are you.
We are alone, together.
And if the you that is you meets the I that is me,
Then we could become the them that was, or were.

In any case, may you someday be as profound as I am.
​

These are interesting poems on individuality and interaction between individuals.

As a whole, they each approach quite different aspects of the matter though, and contain statements and indications referring to the culture of the narrator. (Especially the first )

The quote I posted is a more basic approach, only a few steps from a possible axiom statement:

For any single individual, to be an individual, it must be separated from any other in other ways than mere space.

(Has anyone heard such one before?)

 

[Kev H]

"...I am me, and you are you."

I am the walrus! Coo-coo-ca-cho!

 

[ellynei]

I am the walrus! Coo-coo-ca-cho!

A talking, reading, writing, walrus

adorable

 

[MarshAlien]

From Tom Lehrer's version of the folk song Clementine:

But I love she and she loves me.
Enraptured are the both of we.
Yes I love she and she loves I
And will through all eternity!
​

 

[tickledkitty]

From Tom Lehrer's version of the folk song Clementine:

But I love she and she loves me.
Enraptured are the both of we.
Yes I love she and she loves I
And will through all eternity!
​

 

[elfin_odalisque]

I think Stella's proofing is on the button and, although I've been searching and can't find it, I think the origin goes back to Oscar Wilde.