Hindsight
This old house is getting cluttered
And the walls are getting scarred
As I wander through life’s living room
Of broken Mason jars
And I can’t afford the rent this month
I drank it in the bar
Ain’t it funny how you see things twenty-twenty
Ain’t it funny how you see things twenty-twenty
When you’ve gargled every dollar, dime and penny
Then the ev’nin’ whistle blows
And you leave in dirty clothes
Ain’t it funny how you see things twenty-twenty
Sometimes I see a lover’s moon
But most times I see stars
And with bloody feet I curse the room
Of broken Mason jars
But swear that there’s a pot o’ gold
Across next valley’s ridge
While singing silly nursery rhymes
And torching one more bridge
Ain’t it funny how you see things twenty twenty
When you’ve squandered your last dollar, dime and penny
Sittin’ on a fence that’s splintered
Wishing for a soul-food dinner
Ain’t it funny how you see things twenty-twenty
You can always tell a gambler by his shoes
And he always tips the shine-boy, win or lose
With his friends right by his side
‘til they drink his bottle dry
Then the band starts playin’ Robert Johnson blues
Ain’t it funny how you see things twenty twenty
When you’ve wagered your last dollar, dime and penny
Put that money on the table
Lady Luck is just a fable
Ain’t it funny how you see things twenty-twenty
I’ve been raising bees to try and make some money
But the rent is due until you fetch the honey
Gettin’ stung, but gettin’ paid
Spin the chamber, find the maid
Twenty-twenty
Gun is empty
Ain’t it funny
About this poem
An unexamined life is ignorant and ignorance is bliss. This poem reflects on the tuition of life, some autobiographical, but mostly a hodgepodge of faction as one at the losing end might feel it. Note: I have previously published a version of this work here on Poetry.com to gauge interest under the working title Twenty Twenty.
Written on August 16, 2020
Submitted by GregLanier on October 27, 2023
- 1:25 min read
- 57 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | axbCxxD DdxxD xcbCxexe DdaxD ffxxf DdggD ddhhddd |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,579 |
Words | 285 |
Stanzas | 7 |
Stanza Lengths | 7, 5, 8, 5, 5, 5, 7 |
Translation
Find a translation for this poem in other languages:
Select another language:
- - Select -
- 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
- 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
- Español (Spanish)
- Esperanto (Esperanto)
- 日本語 (Japanese)
- Português (Portuguese)
- Deutsch (German)
- العربية (Arabic)
- Français (French)
- Русский (Russian)
- ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
- 한국어 (Korean)
- עברית (Hebrew)
- Gaeilge (Irish)
- Українська (Ukrainian)
- اردو (Urdu)
- Magyar (Hungarian)
- मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
- Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Italiano (Italian)
- தமிழ் (Tamil)
- Türkçe (Turkish)
- తెలుగు (Telugu)
- ภาษาไทย (Thai)
- Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
- Čeština (Czech)
- Polski (Polish)
- Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Românește (Romanian)
- Nederlands (Dutch)
- Ελληνικά (Greek)
- Latinum (Latin)
- Svenska (Swedish)
- Dansk (Danish)
- Suomi (Finnish)
- فارسی (Persian)
- ייִדיש (Yiddish)
- հայերեն (Armenian)
- Norsk (Norwegian)
- English (English)
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Hindsight" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 21 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/172931/hindsight>.
Discuss the poem Hindsight with the community...
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In