Interpretations
by David
Mascellani
Row, row,
row your boat,
Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream.
“Y’know"
said Joe, after he took a swig of his alfalfa and
mung bean wine, "it’s right wing
propaganda. The message is clear: get into your
boat, row down the stream; don’t worry about
the blue-green algae, the sacks of puppies and
kittens, nor the guys with cement shoes just row,
conform, and be merry”.
“Hardly"
retorted Artie after he gulped down his port,
farted, and puffed on his cigar, "it’s
a left wing, liberal hippie ditty. It’s
saying, get out of the city, relax, chill out,
and go with the flow, man and your life will be
dream”.
“You guys
are uncouth" exclaimed Jacques, as he put
down his vermouth. "You have the cognitive
capabilities of a strumpet who’s had one too
many morphine-laced crumpets. It’s an
existential dirge. Yes, to row down a stream
would be a merry diversion for a time. But then
you would scream to be released from this dream
become nightmare. Your hands covered in blisters
and slivers, the pointlessness of the task coming
to parallel the ennui of life”.
“Gentlemen,
Gentleman" said Gustav as he put down his
Guinness, "It’s an extended metaphor
for psychoanalytic practice. the rowing of the
boat represents the arduous yet satisfying work
of analysis. The stream is consciousness, the
dream is unconsciousness”. which leads me to
surmise…"
“Sorry to
interrupt, but you’re all whacked and
cracked in the head" interjected Jed as he
belched out a beer burp. "It’s just a
kid’s song about rowing a boat and being
merry, that’s all.”
|
