Twenty-Twenty
Greg Lanier 1962 (Atlanta, GA)
This old house is getting cluttered
And the walls are getting scarred
As I wander through
life’s living room
Of broken Mason jars
And I can’t afford
the rent this month
I drank it in the bar
Ain’t it funny how you see things
twenty-twenty
Ain’t it funny how you see things
twenty-twenty
When you’ve gargled
every dollar, dime and penny
Then the ev’nin’ whistle blows
And you leave in dirty clothes
Ain’t it funny how you see things
twenty-twenty
Sometimes I see a lover’s moon
But most times I see stars
And with bloody feet
I curse the room
Of broken Mason jars
But swear that there’s
A pot of gold
across next valley’s ridge
While I sing these
silly nursery rhymes
And torch another bridge
Ain’t it funny how you see things
twenty-twenty
When you’ve squandered
your last dollar, dime, and penny
Sittin’ on a fence that’s splintered
Wishing for a soul-food dinner
Ain’t it funny how you see things
twenty-twenty
You can always tell a gambler
by his shoes
And he always tips the shine-boy,
win or lose
With his friends right by his side
‘til they drink his bottle dry
Then the band starts playin’
Robert Johnson blues
Ain’t it funny how you see things
twenty-twenty
When you’ve wagered
your last dollar, dime and penny
Put that money on the table
Lady Luck is just a fable
Ain’t it funny how you see things
twenty-twenty
Sittin’ on that fence too long
will drive a soul to shame
Pitchin’ rocks at rusty cars
and playin’ baseball games
Some folks ump
and others coach,
but most stay in the stands
While garbage men
collect the trash
and sometimes wave a hand
I’ve been raising bees
to try and make some money
But the rent is due
until you fetch the honey
Gettin’ stung, but gettin’ paid
Spin the chamber, find the maid
Twenty-twenty
Gun is empty
Ain’t it funny
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Submitted by GregLanier on May 10, 2021
Modified by GregLanier on April 18, 2022
- 1:43 min read
- 1,309 Views
Quick analysis:
| Scheme | axbcDxxxEF EFafxxEF gdxcDdxhixh EFaFajEF jkxkxxgk EFaFllEF xxdxxxxxxx ifbfmmFff |
|---|---|
| Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
| Characters | 1,839 |
| Words | 345 |
| Stanzas | 8 |
| Stanza Lengths | 10, 8, 11, 8, 8, 8, 10, 9 |
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"Twenty-Twenty" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/99599/twenty-twenty>.
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