By The Landlord
“If music be the food of love, play on.
Give me the excess of it …” – William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night
“Your ‘if’ is the only peacemaker; much virtue in ‘if’.” – William Shakespeare, As You Like It
If you can think of songs on topic ... while YouTube does distract you;
If you can think ahead, in this most crucial of all years;
If you can think conditional, while present/past attracts you;
Find lyrics with an 'if', that sound appealing to your ears.
While others worry overly about the term Protasis,
Greek hero? No, the one who sets up that 'if' clause,
Sometimes followed by his old friend Apodosis
Who brings a 'then' phrase – after a slight pause.
So – if I were a rich man, or if I had a hammer?
If you go away, or were my one true lover?
It's about the setup, and tiny bits of grammar,
easy to uncover, and fun to rediscover.
If you can find predictions, and sometimes hopeful questions,
importance and uncertainty – wrapped in hope and dream.
Or statements hypothetical, with certain implications,
and think what might follow, floating down the music stream;
If you can read directions, refreshing your collections.
If you don't know this by now ... surely then soon:
This Bar's all for discovery, context and connections,
for thirsty eyes and ears, the mind stays all atune.
If you can use imagination, and not feel too bombarded
by all the ideas flooding in, the many turns and twists;
If you can praise the ifs of others, and not feel too downhearted
when your great song suggestions … don't make the final lists.
So all this comes with a New Year – the many ifs of '24.
Conditionals are stacking up – fears, hopes, predictions.
The lies, slings and arrows of leaders waging war,
Crude excuse on climate change; crucial, key elections.
If you can keep nuance alive – support and share satire.
From sea and land, air and sky, through all the hue and cry,
through triumph and disaster, if you can still inspire.
If you can know what will occur, you're far wiser than I.
Happy New Year.
So, if music really be the food of love, tuck in and drink up with your conditionally phrased songs. Checking your ifs and whens are the skilful eyes and ears of 2024’s opening guest guru, Severin! Deadline as usual is 11pm on Monday UK time, for playlists published next week.
Have an exceedingly good time.
Mr Kipling.
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