Poetry Unit

The Gifted sophomores are studying poetry, which is getting a mixed reaction--I have noticed more people surreptitiously doing math homework rather than deconstruct lyric poems, but at the same time formerly taciturn learners have various things to say.

I was thinking about poetry today while pre-screening A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams and absorbing the cadence and rhythm of the characters and their speech--I think we can find poetic resonance in everything, and not only in published, edited, carefully formulated work. Then, later, in my various journeys around the "Internets" I came across the lyrics for possibly the dumbest poem ever set to music. I respect Andrew W.K. for his aesthetic stance in the musical world, and he might be the first to admit that his lyrics aren't the focus of his work, but these are so staggeringly repititious and, well, dumb that it might make the weakest poet in each of us feel better about our inner musings. Read at your own risk, and be inspired to write something completely different. . .

Party Hard by Andrew W.K.

When it's time to party we will party hard

You,
You work all night (all night)
And when you work you don't feel all right
And we,
When things stop feeling all right (all right)
And everything is all right

'Cos we will never listen to your rules (no)
We will never do as others do
(no)
Know what we want and we get it from you
Do what we like and we like what we do

So let's get a party going (let's get a party going)
Now it's time to party and we'll party hard (party hard)
Let's get a party going (let's get a party going)
When it's time to party we will always party hard
Party hard (party hard, party hard, party hard party hard, party hard, party hard party hard, party hard, party hard...)

All right
You,
You fight that fight
And when you're fightin' you feel all right
But when,
When things stop feeling all right (all right)
And everything is all right

'Cos we will never listen to your rules (no)
We will never do as others do
(no)
Know what we want and we get it from you
We do what we like and we like what we do

So let's get a party going (let's get a party going)
Now it's time to party and we'll party hard (party hard)
Let's get a party going (let's get a party going)
When it's time to party we will always party hard
Party hard (party hard, party hard, party hard party hard, party hard, party hard party hard, party hard, party hard party hard, party hard, party hard...)