Lawrence's opinions earned him many enemies and he endured official persecution, censorship, and misrepresentation of his creative work throughout the second half of his life, much of which he spent in a voluntary exile which he called his "savage pilgrimage." At the time of his death, his public reputation was that of a pornographer who had wasted his considerable talents. E. M. Forster, in an obituary notice, challenged this widely held view, describing him as, "The greatest imaginative novelist of our generation." Later, the influential Cambridge critic F. R. Leavis championed both his artistic integrity and his moral seriousness, placing much of Lawrence's fiction within the canonical "great tradition" of the English novel. Lawrence is now valued by many as a visionary thinker and significant representative of modernism in English literature.
Fish
D. H. Lawrence Lyrics
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She birthed me choking in her sleep
When she finally let go
She said all I made her do was weep
When I grew up they tried to cut my hair
To find it made of cloth and steel wire
So all it ever did was make them bleed
And all that blood they bled into the fire
And I am thirsty no matter how much I drink
Whether it water or whiskey or the tears I cried
I am thoughtless no matter how much that I think
My mother was a plastic fish
She birthed me choking in my sleep
When she finally let go
She said all I made her do was weep
My father was an errant gun
He'd fire off for al all to hear
But my lover was the only one
Who I ever did fear
D. H. Lawrence's song Fish reflects on the evolution of life on earth, from the big bang to the seventh day of creation. The lyrics suggest that humans do not fully understand their place in the universe and that other creatures may have their own unique experiences. The phrase "on dry land where the living scream die man" could be interpreted as a comment on the harshness of life on earth for humans, as compared to the seemingly tranquil existence of fish in the ocean.
The song also addresses the issue of pollution in the ocean, with the line "stop sending your trash to sea." This suggests that humans are not taking responsibility for the impact of their actions on the environment and need to make changes to protect marine life.
Overall, the song Fish offers a thought-provoking reflection on the complexity of life on earth and the relationship between humans and the natural world.
Line by Line Meaning
First they say the angels sing, and then, the big bang
The origin of the universe was first attributed to angels singing, but then the theory of the big bang came about.
That was the first day, there's six more
The big bang marks the beginning of the world, but there are six more days according to the creation story in the Bible.
From organisms to single cells, mutate, to shells
Life evolved from simple organisms to complex ones with shells.
Then mutate into spores
After developing shells, some organisms evolved to produce spores.
On dry land (dry land)
On land without water to support life,
Where the living scream die man (die man)
where the living organisms struggle to survive and often fail.
By the seventh day, He rested as He looked at them
According to the Bible, on the seventh day of creation, God rested after observing what he had made.
Those made, those, men
God had created men and other living beings.
Guess it's safe to say that they don't know
It is safe to assume that no living beings on earth know everything about the universe.
Since they're not alone, and there's no dusk or dawn
Since humans and other organisms coexist, and where there are no sunrises or sunsets.
As they've never washed ashore, but of course, what for?
Since they never experienced being washed ashore, why bother caring about what lies beyond?
Who cares what lies beyond
The characters in the song are indifferent about what lies beyond their immediate surroundings.
They see our bones, and say oh no not them again
After seeing the remains of organisms that lived before, the current living beings are scared and wish not to see it again.
And scream swim, just, swim
When faced with danger, the instinct of some living beings is to swim away.
So while the federal buildings blow, below, fish glow
Amidst turmoil on land, underwater fish continue to glow.
How lovely that must be
Being a fish that can glow underwater must be wonderful.
You shoulda listened to Jacques Costeau, don't say, you know
Jacques Cousteau was an explorer and environmentalist who warned against pollution in the sea.
Stop sending your trash to sea
Humans should stop polluting the ocean with their garbage.
Leave it on the dry land (dry land)
Garbage should be left on land where it won't harm marine life.
He made this world, took it and gave it back again
God created the world and has given humans control over it.
And we learned, no-thing
Despite having control over the world, humans have not learned how to respect and care for it.
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Justin Hurst-Kehus
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind