Peggy Sue and Suicide on the Inside

Whenever Beth and I scrapbook, we typically have her iPod on shuffle.  She will put it on the play list she created for the road trip she took with her mom.  It’s a great play list, filled with all different genres of music.  Without fail, “Peggy Sue” by Buddy Holly will play.  And Beth and I will gleefully sing along.  We love the song but find it, well, not filled with the most brilliant lyrics in the world. 

Beth:  I bet if you counted, there won’t be more than 30 original words in this song.
DM:  Well, I do have to do a post.

Later

DM:  I bet someone said to him “Hey, Buddy, I bet you can’t write a song only using these words.”

And then we giggled for awhile because the idea of someone saying “Hey, Buddy” to Buddy Holly.  Which, okay, maybe you had to be there.

Peggy Sue – Buddy Holly

If you knew Peggy Sue
Then you'd know why I feel blue
About Peggy, 'bout Peggy Sue
Oh well, I love you, gal
Yes, I love you Peggy Sue

Peggy Sue, Peggy Sue
Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, Peggy Sue
Oh, my Peggy, my Peggy Sue
Oh, well, I love you gal
And I need you, Peggy Sue

I love you Peggy Sue
With a love so rare and true
Oh, Peggy, my Peggy Sue
Oh, well, I love you gal
Yes, I want you, Peggy Sue

Peggy Sue, Peggy Sue
Oh how my heart yearns for you
Oh, Pa-he-ggy, my Pa-he-ggy Sue
Oh, well, I love you gal
And I need you, Peggy Sue
Oh, well, I love you gal
Yes, I want you, Peggy Sue

Original words:

If.  You.  Knew.  Peggy.  Sue.  Then.  You’d.  Know.  Why.  I.  Feel.  Blue.  About (‘bout is not being counted).  Oh.  Well.  Love.  Gal.  Yes.  Pretty.  My.  Need.  With.  A.  So.  Rare.  And.  True.  Want.  How.  Heart.  Yearns.  For.

32 words.  32.  Wow.  That’s just really amazing.

And, although he wrote an entire song and actually became famous, I would like to point out that I once wrote a poem based on two words - Coral Reef.  It was at a English thing (conference, seminar, field trip) that I was invited to back in the early 80's (11th grade?  Maybe).

Suicide on the Inside

A splash.
Sinking slowly, hair streaming.
Down.
Lying on the bottom.
Feeling rough coral reef.
Smelling seaweed rot.
Dying.
A vision of my old life passes before my now dead eyes,
I am rising.
Gravity holds her force over me one last time.
A splash.
Breaking the surface.
Spectators scream in horror.
Man swims out,
tries to save me.
Fails.
Tears on my face are not my tears
but yours and the Sea's.
tears on your face because you did me wrong.
didn't care enough to love me.
Only to use me.
Fall on my face,
taste of salt.
Now that I am gone,
the cycle will continue.
Your turn is next.
The Sea will claim a new victim.
A splash.
Sinking slowly, hair streaming.
Down.

Oh, here are some more notes about the poem that I found:

A group of us at my high school were picked to attend this workshop. I was in the poetry workshop and the leader decided to have us all write a poem based on one element, we had to include a coral reef. It took me maybe 15 minutes to write? The leader asked for volunteers to read their poems and after listening to this guy read this rambling about someone named Bill (there is a Roseanne episode where Darlene is going to read her poem and the guy that goes before her rambles about a bird. It was very similar to the Bill poem), I decided to read mine. I finish. There is complete silence. One person whispers "Wow." That was it. It's actually one of my favorites. Well, I told you I was depressed in high school.

Maybe tomorrow you'll get to hear the saga about why I need to make sure there are no forks at my desk.  Real forks, I should say.  Plastic forks are okay.  You can't do any serious damage to people with them.