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Eliot's Benediction

from * (Asterisk) by Derek Brink

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References: "God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater," Socialism.

This one is pretty much just about Eliot Rosewater, the central character of "God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater." He was a wealthy man who gave everything he had to people who needed it. So, of course, he was institutionalized......and a fan of Kilgore Trout, Vonnegut's author-avatar in many of his books.

The main thing in the novel is when Eliot delivers the address that is one of those quotes that you likely have read even if you haven't read Vonnegut's books. "God damn it, babies--you've got to be kind." That was a no-brainer for a song. And for some reason it came out Irish. I don't have much else to say about this one, other than I'd love to hear Dave King of Flogging Molly sing it someday.

lyrics

The insanity of generosity
is never far from my mind.
With an excess of bread
why not build a table instead
of a fence to hide it behind?
I suffer from love
and God knows above,
that’s a terrible way to die.
But when I look in the face
of the whole human race,
it’s so wounded that I could cry.

Through all of the anger,
all the despair,
all of the killing and greed…
In the arms of the destitute, you’ll find me there,
embracing every misdeed.
With a drink
and a prayer to be free.

Imagine the world’s
greatest author,
but a man of no fortune or fame.
He writes down a word
for the love of the word.
Unwritten, it causes him pain.
Every book knows it’s a book
and some of them know
their own names.
If you’re ever in doubt,
swim upstream like a Trout,
if only for love of the game.

Through all of the laughter,
all of the fun,
all of the science-fiction…
With a light in the tunnel
and a hand on the gun,
let this be my benediction.

Through all of the damage done, all of the guilt,
every mistake that was mine…
For all of the accolades,
my epaulets,
there’s one thing
I leave behind.

It burdens me deeply,
I want you to know.
For as long as the sun,
it may shine…
There’s one truth that’s left, babies, one I can find…

God damn it,
you’ve got to be kind.

credits

from * (Asterisk), released November 11, 2018

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Derek Brink St Louis, Missouri

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