Difference between revisions of "Songs in Gravity's Rainbow"
(→Part 1 Beyond the Zero) |
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Leit in ''praesipio'', | Leit in ''praesipio'', | ||
Leuchtet vor die Sonne | Leuchtet vor die Sonne | ||
| − | ''Matris in gremio. | + | ''Matris in gremio''. |
| − | Alpha es et O''. | + | ''Alpha es et O''. |
| + | P. 166 | ||
| + | Knallt ab den Juden Rathenau, | ||
| + | Die gottverdammte Judensau... | ||
| + | P. 177-8 | ||
| + | Oh, don't let it get you, | ||
| + | It will if they let you, but there's | ||
| + | Something I'll bet you can't see-- | ||
| + | It's big and it's nasty and it's right over there, | ||
| + | It's waiting to get its sticky claws in your hair! | ||
| + | Oh, the greengrocer's wishing on a rainbow today, | ||
| + | And the dustman is tying his tie... | ||
| + | And it all goes along to the same jolly song, | ||
| + | With a peppermint face in the sky! | ||
| + | |||
| + | With a peppermint face in the sky-y, | ||
| + | And a withered old dream in your heart, | ||
| + | You'll get hit with a piece of the pie-ie, | ||
| + | With the pantomime ready to start! | ||
| + | Oh, the Tommy is sleeping in a snowbank tonight, | ||
| + | And the Jerries are learning to fly-- | ||
| + | We can fly to the moon, we'll be higher than noon, | ||
| + | In our polythene home in the sky... | ||
| + | |||
| + | Pretty polythene home in the sky, | ||
| + | Pretty platinum pins in your hand-- | ||
| + | Oh your mother's a big fat machine gun, | ||
| + | And your father's a dreary young man.... | ||
| + | (Whispered and staccato): | ||
| + | Oh, the, man-a-ger's suck-ing on a corn-cob, pipe, | ||
| + | And the bankers are, eat-ing their, wives, | ||
| + | All the world's in a daze, while the orchestra plays, | ||
| + | So turn your pockets and get your surprise-- | ||
| + | |||
| + | Turn your pockets and get-your surpri-ise, | ||
| + | There was nobody there after all! | ||
| + | And the lamps up the stairway are dying, | ||
| + | It's the season just after the ball... | ||
| + | Oh the palm-trees whisper on the beach somewhere, | ||
| + | And the lifesaver's heaving a sigh, | ||
| + | And those voices you hear, Boy and Girl of the Year, | ||
| + | Are of children who are learning to die... | ||
| + | P. 180 | ||
| + | Hark, the herald angels sing: | ||
| + | Mrs. Simpson's pinched our King... | ||
| + | ==Part 2 Un Perm' au Casino Hermann Goering== | ||
Revision as of 11:33, 9 December 2011
Pynchon loves to embed song lyrics into the text of his stories. For him the writing process does not involve only the traditional dialogue and description, but song lyrics to flavor the story too. Though present in nearly all of Pynchon's novels, more attention has been paid to the songs in Gravity's Rainbow over any other (probably as a mere consequence of the book's overwhelming clout). On this topic reference must be made to the collaborative band, The Thomas Pynchon Fake Book, who have composed and performed music to many of the songs written for GR.
Below are listed the songs that Pynchon writes for GR, organized by the order in which they appear.
Part 1 Beyond the Zero
P. 9
Time to gather your arse up off the floor,
(have a bana-na)
Brush your teeth and go toddling off to war,
Wave your hand to sleepy land,
Kiss those dreams away,
Tell Miss Grable you're not able,
Not till V-E Day, oh,
Ev'rything'll be grand in Civvie Street
(have a ban-ana)
Bubbly wine and girls wiv lips so sweet--
But there's still the German or two to fight,
So show us a smile that's shiny bright,
And then, as we may have suggested once before--
Gather yer blooming arse up off the floor!
P. 12
It's... Colder than the nipple on a with's tit! Colder than a bucket of penguin shit! Colder than the hairs of a polar bear's ass! Colder than the frost on a champagne glass!
P. 12-3
Yes--I'm--the-- Fellow that's having other peop-le's fantasies, Suffering what they ought to be themselves-- No matter if Girly's on my knee-- If Kruppingham-Jones is late to tea, I don't even get to ask for whom the bell's... It never does seem to matter if there's daaaanger, For Danger's a roof I fell from long ago-- I'll be out-one-day and never come back, Forget the bitter you owe me, Jack, Just piss on m' grave and car-ry on the show!
P. 15
Nobody knows-where, it is-on-the-map, Who'd ever think-it, could start-such-a-flap? Each Montenegran, and Serbian too, Waitin' for some-thing, right outa the blue--oh honey Pack up my Glad-stone, 'n' brush off my suit, And then light me up my big fat, cigar-- If ya want my address, it's That O-ri-ent Express, To the san-jak of No-vi Pa-zar!
P. 63
Got a hardon in my fist, Don't be pissed, Re-enlist-- Snap--to, Slothrop!
Jackson, I don't give a fuck, Just give me my "ruptured duck!" Snap--to, Slothrop!
No one here can love or comprehend me, They just look for someplace else to send...me...
Tap my head and mike my brain, Stick that needle in my vein, Slothrop, snap to!
P. 63
Rhy-thm's got me, Oh baby dat swing, swing, swing! Yeah de rhythm got me Just a-thinkin' that whole-wide-world-can-sing, Well I never ever heard-it, sound-so-sweet, Even down around the corner-on, Ba-sin Street, As now dat de rhythm's got me, chillun let's Swing, swing, swing, Come on...chillun, let's...swing!
P. 69
RED RIVER VALLEY Down this toilet they say you are flushin'-- Won'tchew light up and set fer a spell? Cause the toilet it ain't going nowhar, And the shit hereabouts shore is swell.
P. 70
One little hustler in San Berdoo, One little chink run away from the railroad With his ass just as yellow as Fu Manchu! One with the clap and one with a goiter, One with the terminal lepro-see, Cripple on the right foot, cripple on the left foot, Crippled up both feet 'n' that makes three! Well one little fairy, even one bull dyke, One little nigger, one little kike, One Red Indian with one buffalo, And a buffalo hunter from New Mexico...
P. 110
ic heb u liever dan ên everswîn, al waert van finen goude ghewracht,
P. 131
In dulci jubilo Nun singet und seid froh! Unsers Herzens Wonne Leit in praesipio, Leuchtet vor die Sonne Matris in gremio. Alpha es et O.
P. 166
Knallt ab den Juden Rathenau, Die gottverdammte Judensau...
P. 177-8
Oh, don't let it get you, It will if they let you, but there's Something I'll bet you can't see-- It's big and it's nasty and it's right over there, It's waiting to get its sticky claws in your hair! Oh, the greengrocer's wishing on a rainbow today, And the dustman is tying his tie... And it all goes along to the same jolly song, With a peppermint face in the sky!
With a peppermint face in the sky-y, And a withered old dream in your heart, You'll get hit with a piece of the pie-ie, With the pantomime ready to start! Oh, the Tommy is sleeping in a snowbank tonight, And the Jerries are learning to fly-- We can fly to the moon, we'll be higher than noon, In our polythene home in the sky...
Pretty polythene home in the sky, Pretty platinum pins in your hand-- Oh your mother's a big fat machine gun, And your father's a dreary young man.... (Whispered and staccato): Oh, the, man-a-ger's suck-ing on a corn-cob, pipe, And the bankers are, eat-ing their, wives, All the world's in a daze, while the orchestra plays, So turn your pockets and get your surprise--
Turn your pockets and get-your surpri-ise, There was nobody there after all! And the lamps up the stairway are dying, It's the season just after the ball... Oh the palm-trees whisper on the beach somewhere, And the lifesaver's heaving a sigh, And those voices you hear, Boy and Girl of the Year, Are of children who are learning to die...
P. 180
Hark, the herald angels sing: Mrs. Simpson's pinched our King...
