Not Waving but Drowning
"Nobody heard him, the dead man, But still he lay moaning; I was much further out than you thought And not waving but drowning. Poor chap, he always loved larking And now he's dead It must have been too cold for him his heart gave way, They said. Oh, no no no, it was too cold always (Still the dead one lay moaning) I was much too far out all my life And not waving but drowning." * * * I've always loved this phrase from British poet Stevie Smith. The first time I heard it was my freshman year of college, but not in one of my class lectures or from any of my books. There was a band that came and played on campus by this name. They were loud and screamy and they were just my vibe at a time when I was listening to a lot more punk and emo. You can find their stuff here on their Spotify page . I've been trying to put together a coherent something about the absolute lunacy that has been this year, but I think the phrase says it nicely, and c...