A judge has quoted Philip Larkin's famous poem This Be The Verse in a ruling concerning a custody battle:
They fuck you up, your mum and dad
They may not mean to, but they do
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.
But they were fucked up in their turn
By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half the time were soppy-stern
And half at one another's throats.
Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
And don't have any kids yourself.
Given that General is normally a place where we concern ourselves with happiness and joy, I feel it behoves me to point everybody towards Adrian Mitchell's alternative take on Larkin's sentiments:
They tuck you up, your Mum and Dad
They read you Peter Rabbit, too.
They give you all the treats they had
And add some extra, just for you.
They were tucked up when they were small,
(Pink perfume, blue tobacco-smoke),
By those whose kiss healed any fall,
Whose laughter doubled any joke.
Man hands on happiness to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
So love your parents all you can
And have some cheerful kids yourself.
Note to the moderators: Once again, I deliberately circumvent the naughty words filter in the name of Art. I'm sure you wouldn't want it to bowdlerise Larkin's work though
They fuck you up, your mum and dad
They may not mean to, but they do
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.
But they were fucked up in their turn
By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half the time were soppy-stern
And half at one another's throats.
Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
And don't have any kids yourself.
Given that General is normally a place where we concern ourselves with happiness and joy, I feel it behoves me to point everybody towards Adrian Mitchell's alternative take on Larkin's sentiments:
They tuck you up, your Mum and Dad
They read you Peter Rabbit, too.
They give you all the treats they had
And add some extra, just for you.
They were tucked up when they were small,
(Pink perfume, blue tobacco-smoke),
By those whose kiss healed any fall,
Whose laughter doubled any joke.
Man hands on happiness to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
So love your parents all you can
And have some cheerful kids yourself.
Note to the moderators: Once again, I deliberately circumvent the naughty words filter in the name of Art. I'm sure you wouldn't want it to bowdlerise Larkin's work though
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