Damn, I wish I'd written that!

[impressive]

Have you ever come across a phrase or a passage in poetry or prose that just blows you away?

Please share it!

Right now, I'm just lost in the lyric:

"My hands will adore you through all darkness aim
They will lay you out in moonlight
And reinvent your name"

I get goosebumps every time I hear it.

 

[gauchecritic]

It's a habit baby, it's a heavy load
It's the habit of a lifetime; loving you.

 

[shereads]

From Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose

"...a library made up of fragments, quotations, unfinished sentences, amputated stumps of books."

 

[BlackShanglan]

"Beauty is truth, truth beauty," - that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.

 

[Clea]

''Twas strange, 'twas passing strange;
twas pitiful, twas wondrous pitiful'.

Does Shakespeare count?

 

[cloudy]

"Now the peace pipe, it lies broken - all the shamans gone unspoken.
In the dead of the evening, when the tears come down.
All in the name of God somehow…"

the quote that's in my sig.

 

[BlackShanglan]

Oh yes, and probably my vote for the most beautiful stanza in English:

all by all and deep by deep
and more by more they dream their sleep
noone and anyone earth by april
wish by spirit and if by yes.

cummings is indeed a master. The stanza takes its meaning from the whole poem ("anyone lived in a pretty how town" - below).

Shanglan



anyone lived in a pretty how town
(with up so floating many bells down)
spring summer autumn winter
he sang his didn't he danced his did

Women and men(both little and small)
cared for anyone not at all
they sowed their isn't they reaped their same
sun moon stars rain

children guessed(but only a few
and down they forgot as up they grew
autumn winter spring summer)
that noone loved him more by more

when by now and tree by leaf
she laughed his joy she cried his grief
bird by snow and stir by still
anyone's any was all to her

someones married their everyones
laughed their cryings and did their dance
(sleep wake hope and then)they
said their nevers they slept their dream

stars rain sun moon
(and only the snow can begin to explain
how children are apt to forget to remember
with up so floating many bells down)

one day anyone died i guess
(and noone stooped to kiss his face)
busy folk buried them side by side
little by little and was by was

all by all and deep by deep
and more by more they dream their sleep
noone and anyone earth by april
wish by spirit and if by yes.

Women and men(both dong and ding)
summer autumn winter spring
reaped their sowing and went their came
sun moon stars rain

 

[gauchecritic]

This man said "It's gruesome, that someone, so handsome, should care."

 

[Liar]

"Imagine David Bowie. Then imagine another David Bowie on his head. Then imagine a David Bowie on each ear of upper David Bowie and put it all in a bathing suit. You'll get the picture."
-Dougas Adams

 

[impressive]

he sang his didn't he danced his did

whoa

 

[Recidiva]

''Twas strange, 'twas passing strange;
twas pitiful, twas wondrous pitiful'.

Does Shakespeare count?

Shakespeare's got to count. He's my man.

Takes my breath away. I have to read him over and over to get it all. Then I read it again and I didn't get it all the first 20 times.

Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman in "Good Omens"

Anything Joss Whedon writes.

Barenaked Ladies Lyrics

 

[impressive]

Barenaked Ladies Lyrics

word


You can be my Yoko Ono

 

[cloudy]

Barenaked Ladies Lyrics

If I were you (and I wish that I were you)
All the things I'd do to make myself turn blue
I suppose I'd start by removing all my clothes,
tie my pantyhose around my neck

I'll be that girl - and you would be right over
If I were a field, you would be in clover
If I were the sun, you would be in shadow
And if I had a gun, there'd be no tomorrow

If you will not have me as myself,
perhaps as someone else
Perhaps as you I'll be worth noticing
Then even a eunuch won't resist
The magic of a kiss from such as me

I'll be that girl - and you would be right over
If I were a field, you would be in clover
If I were the sun, you would be in shadow
If I had a gun, there'd be no tomorrow

It's time to kick off your shoes,
learn how to choose sadness
It's time to throw off those chains,
addle our brains with madness

'Cause we've got plenty of time
to grow old and die
But when at last your beauty's faded
you'll be glad that I have waited for you

When you're done
with being beautiful and young
When that course is run, then come to me

I'll be that girl - and you would be right over
If I were a field, you would be in clover
If I were the sun, you would be in shadow
If I had a gun, there'd be no tomorrow

 

[BlackShanglan]

I've always loved that one - and the way in which it sounds, in terms of melody, like an innocent little love song.

"Light up my Room" (?) is another solid favorite. I saw them in concert once and it's a very fond memory.

 

[cloudy]

I've always loved that one - and the way in which it sounds, in terms of melody, like an innocent little love song.

"Light up my Room" (?) is another solid favorite. I saw them in concert once and it's a very fond memory.

You and I apparently have very similar tastes...Light Up My Room is another favorite.

 

[Recidiva]

Barenaked Ladies

"You think you're so smart, but I've seen you naked. I'll probably see you naked again."

"I don't buy everything I read, I haven't even read everything I've bought.
I don't cry every time I bleed, my eyes are dry, but they're bloodshot.
Make excuses for behavior. Can my illness be my savior.
Hid my heart while you still gave yours."

"I can get a job, I can pay the phone bills, I can cut my lawn, cut my hair, cut out my cholesterol. I can work overtime. I can work in a mine. I can do it all for you. But I don't want to."

"Dijon ketchup!"

 

[Kassiana]

Whenever life gets you down, keeps you wearing a frown,
And the gravy train has left you behind...
And when you're all out of hope, down at the end of your rope,
And no body's there to throw you a line...

If you ever get so low that you don't know which way to go,
Come on and take a walk in my shoes.
Never worry about a thing, got the world on a string
'Cause I've got the cure for all of my blues...

I take a look at my enormous penis and my troubles start melting away.
I take a look at my enormous penis and the happy times are comin' to stay.
Yeah, I got great big amounts in the place where it counts,
And the feelin's like a sunshiny day,
I take a look at my enormous penis and my troubles start melting away.
--DaVinci's Notebook, Enormous Penis

 

[English Lady]

"Death comes to everyone. When he came to Mort, he offered him a Job."

Terry Pratchett, I have adored this phrase since I very first read it.

 

[impressive]

I take a look at my enormous penis and my troubles start melting away.
I take a look at my enormous penis and the happy times are comin' to stay.
Yeah, I got great big amounts in the place where it counts,
And the feelin's like a sunshiny day,
I take a look at my enormous penis and my troubles start melting away.
--DaVinci's Notebook, Enormous Penis

PMSL!

 

[logophile]

I wish I had written the entire book, Lamb (The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal). Here are two of my favorite parts:


Jesus (aka Joshua) and his best friend Biff are children playing Moses and Pharaoh:

"Let my people go," said Joshua, as Moses.

"Okay."

"You can't just say, 'Okay.'"

"I can't?"

"No, the Lord has hardened your heart against my demands."

"Why'd he do that?"

"I don't know. He just did. Now, let my people go."

"Nope." I crossed my arms and turned away like someone whose heart is hardened.

"Behold as I turn this stick into a snake. Now, let my people go!"

"Okay."

"You can't just say, 'okay.'"

"Why? That was a pretty good trick with the stick."

"But that's not how it goes."

"Okay. No way, Moses, your people have to stay."

Joshua waved his staff in my face. "Behold, I will plague you with frogs. They will fill your house and your bedchamber and get on your stuff."

"So?"

"So that's bad. Let my people go, Pharoah."

"I sorta like frogs."

"Dead frogs," Moses threatened. "Piles of steaming, stinking dead frogs."

"Oh, in that case, you'd better take your people and go. I have some sphinxes and stuff to build anyway."

"Dammit, Biff, that's not how it goes! I have more plagues for you."

"I want to be Moses."

"You can't."

"Why not??

"I have the stick."

"Oh."

-----------
Years later, Joshua is trying to explain to his disciples that the kingdom of heaven is open to everyone.

"The kingdom is open to everyone," Joshua said. "Ev-ree-one, got it?"

Eveyone nodded.

"Even Romans."

Everyone stopped nodding.

"The kingdom of God has nothing to do with the kingdom of Israel, do you all understand that?"

"But the messiah is supposed to lead our people to freedom," Judas shouted.

"No master but God!" Simon added.

"Shut up!" said Joshua. "I was not sent to deliver wrath. We will be delivered into the kingdom by forgiveness, not conquest. People, we have been over this, what have I not made clear?"

"How are we to cast the Romans out of the kingdom?" shouted Nathaniel.

"You should know better," Joshua said to Nathaniel, "you yellow-haired freak. One more time, we can't cast the Romans out of the kingdom because the kingdom is open to all."

And I think they were getting it, at least the two Zealots were getting it, because they looked profoundly disappointed. They'd waited their whole life for the Messiah to come along and establish the kingdom by crushing the Romans, now he was telling them in his own divine words that it wasn't going to happen. But then Joshua started with the parables.

"The kingdom is like a wheat field with tares, you can't pull out the tares without destroying the grain."

Blank stares. Doubly blank from the fishermen, who didn't know squat from farming metaphors.

"A tare is a rye grass," Joshua explained. "It weaves its roots amid the roots of wheat or barely, and there's no way to pull them without ruining the crop."

Nobody got it.

"Okay," Joshua continued. "The children of heaven are the good people, and the tares are the bad ones. You get both. And when you're all done, the angels get to pick out the wicked and burn them."

"Not getting it," said Peter. He shook his head, and his gray mane whipeed around his face like a confused lion trying to shake off the sight of a flying wildebeest.

"How do you guys preach this stuff if you don't understand it? Ok, try this: the kingdom of heaven is like, uh, a merchant seeking pearls."

"Like before swine," said Bartholomew.

"Yes! Bart! Yes! Only no swine this time, same pearls though."

"Three hours later Joshua was still at it, and he was starting to run out of things to liken the kingdom to, his favorite, the mustard seed, having failed in three different tries.

"Okay, the kingdom is like a monkey." Joshua was hoarse and his voice was breaking.

"How?"

"A jewish monkey, right?"

"Is it like a monkey eating a mustard seed?"

I stood up and went to Joshua and put my arm around his shoulder. "Josh, take a break." I led him down the beach toward the village.

He shook his head. "Those are the dumbest sons of bitches on earth."

 

[AppleBiter]

"When she walks into a room
it's like she's walking on water
or stepping across the moon
like she's gravity's only daughter.
She's weightless.
Weightless."

From "Weightless" by Paul Ellis

 

[cloudy]

I wish I had written the entire book, Lamb (The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal).

*adds to my reading list*

 

[AppleBiter]

One more I forgot, from Jewel (whose quote started this thread -- God, I love her style)

"Wouldn't it be nice if I could melt myself like ice or outrun my skin and just be pure wind? Oh, fragile flame. Sometimes I feel the same."

 

[Recidiva]

I wish I had written the entire book, Lamb (The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal). Here are two of my favorite parts:

That's Christopher Moore. Read anything and everything he wrote.

I picked one of his books off the library shelf called "Bloodsucking Fiends" and I was hooked.

C'mon, what's not to love? "The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove" is one of his titles.

 

[impressive]

"The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove" is one of his titles.

Oh, I read that!