105 Ways to Give a Book

Poetry Friday: Peace, Love and Understanding

For Poetry Friday, another installment of music as poetry. This song by Elvis Costello is stunningly haunting - now especially.
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?
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?
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?
While it would make perhaps more sense to include a pure version of the song to reflect the serious nature of the words, I'm not that person. I like a little bit of levity wherever I can find it, and this Colbert adaptation does that - though I'll say that the bear makes a lot more sense if you watched the Christmas special.



Poetry Friday is hosted today at My Juicy Little Universe. Merry Christmas, everyone. And for the new year, a hope for peace, love, and understanding.

5 comments:

Margaret Simon said...

Thanks for lifting my heart a little on this somber day of short light and sad memory.

iza said...

A timely song. Margaret said it perfectly. I thank you as well!

Mary Lee said...

Levity is good.
Peace, love and understanding have never been more serious, but that doesn't mean we can't laugh.

laurasalas said...

I love lyrics as poetry. The video isn't working, but my imagination is having fun with the idea of Colbert doing a version of this? Happy Holidays, Pam!

Heidi Mordhorst said...

Isn't it odd? I've been an Elvis Costello fan since I was a teenager, and somehow my youthful assumption that there was something ironic or sarcastic in these lyrics has never worn off. Now I hear them completely differently. Thanks!