This Be the Verse BY PHILIP LARKIN They fuck you up, your mum and dad.

1. This Be the Verse BY PHILIP LARKIN They fuck you up, your mum and dad.        They may not mean to, but they do.    They fill you with the faults they had     And add some extra, just for you. But they were fucked up in their turn     By fools in old-style hats and coats,    Who half the time were soppy-stern     And half at one another’s throats. Man hands on misery to man.     It deepens like a coastal shelf. Get out as early as you can,     And don’t have any kids yourself. • Three quatrains • ABAB CDCD EFEF rhyme scheme

2. He looks at the things his parents did wrong, but not at the things they sacrificed for him. They sacrificed their own fun to raise an ungrateful cynical child. This Be the Verse BY PHILIP LARKIN They fuck you up, your mum and dad.        They may not mean to, but they do.    They fill you with the faults they had     And add some extra, just for you. But they were fucked up in their turn     By fools in old-style hats and coats,    Who half the time were soppy-stern     And half at one another’s throats. Man hands on misery to man.     It deepens like a coastal shelf. Get out as early as you can,     And don’t have any kids yourself.

3. He looks at the things his parents did wrong, but not at the things they sacrificed for him. They sacrificed their own fun to raise an ungrateful cynical child. • Loving parents like mine persuade me to do good things and teach me what to do so I won’t make their mistakes. This Be the Verse BY PHILIP LARKIN They fuck you up, your mum and dad.        They may not mean to, but they do.    They fill you with the faults they had     And add some extra, just for you. But they were fucked up in their turn     By fools in old-style hats and coats,    Who half the time were soppy-stern     And half at one another’s throats. Man hands on misery to man.     It deepens like a coastal shelf. Get out as early as you can,     And don’t have any kids yourself.

4. He looks at the things his parents did wrong, but not at the things they sacrificed for him. They sacrificed their own fun to raise an ungrateful cynical child. • Loving parents like mine persuade me to do good things and teach me what to do so I won’t make their mistakes. • Your parents are your parents and whatever you think they mess up in your life, they do because they care about you. This Be the Verse BY PHILIP LARKIN They fuck you up, your mum and dad.        They may not mean to, but they do.    They fill you with the faults they had     And add some extra, just for you. But they were fucked up in their turn     By fools in old-style hats and coats,    Who half the time were soppy-stern     And half at one another’s throats. Man hands on misery to man.     It deepens like a coastal shelf. Get out as early as you can,     And don’t have any kids yourself.

5. He looks at the things his parents did wrong, but not at the things they sacrificed for him. They sacrificed their own fun to raise an ungrateful cynical child. • Loving parents like mine persuade me to do good things and teach me what to do so I won’t make their mistakes. • Your parents are your parents and whatever you think they mess up in your life, they do because they care about you. • That’s the job of a parent, to influence and guide their children on what’s right and what’s not. This Be the Verse BY PHILIP LARKIN They fuck you up, your mum and dad.        They may not mean to, but they do.    They fill you with the faults they had     And add some extra, just for you. But they were fucked up in their turn     By fools in old-style hats and coats,    Who half the time were soppy-stern     And half at one another’s throats. Man hands on misery to man.     It deepens like a coastal shelf. Get out as early as you can,     And don’t have any kids yourself.

6. He looks at the things his parents did wrong, but not at the things they sacrificed for him. They sacrificed their own fun to raise an ungrateful cynical child. • Loving parents like mine persuade me to do good things and teach me what to do so I won’t make their mistakes. • Your parents are your parents and whatever you think they mess up in your life, they do because they care about you. • That’s the job of a parent, to influence and guide their children on what’s right and what’s not. • Sometimes they do get a bit annoying but I don’t find it that big of a deal. It’s just parents being parents. It’s the way of life. This Be the Verse BY PHILIP LARKIN They fuck you up, your mum and dad.        They may not mean to, but they do.    They fill you with the faults they had     And add some extra, just for you. But they were fucked up in their turn     By fools in old-style hats and coats,    Who half the time were soppy-stern     And half at one another’s throats. Man hands on misery to man.     It deepens like a coastal shelf. Get out as early as you can,     And don’t have any kids yourself.

7. Parents will mess up their kids in some way, whether that be through nature or nurture. If they didn’t then everyone would be perfect. It’s kind of a paradox: the more someone tries to be the perfect parent and raise the perfect kid, the more messed up they become. This Be the Verse BY PHILIP LARKIN They fuck you up, your mum and dad.        They may not mean to, but they do.    They fill you with the faults they had     And add some extra, just for you. But they were fucked up in their turn     By fools in old-style hats and coats,    Who half the time were soppy-stern     And half at one another’s throats. Man hands on misery to man.     It deepens like a coastal shelf. Get out as early as you can,     And don’t have any kids yourself.

8. Parents will mess up their kids in some way, whether that be through nature or nurture. If they didn’t then everyone would be perfect. It’s kind of a paradox: the more someone tries to be the perfect parent and raise the perfect kid, the more messed up they become. • Inevitably, everyone will grow up to become this covered up, sad and repressed adult. As a child, life is huge, fun, silly, and easily enjoyed. Naturally, as you grow up, this perspective fades. This Be the Verse BY PHILIP LARKIN They fuck you up, your mum and dad.        They may not mean to, but they do.    They fill you with the faults they had     And add some extra, just for you. But they were fucked up in their turn     By fools in old-style hats and coats,    Who half the time were soppy-stern     And half at one another’s throats. Man hands on misery to man.     It deepens like a coastal shelf. Get out as early as you can,     And don’t have any kids yourself.

9. Parents will mess up their kids in some way, whether that be through nature or nurture. If they didn’t then everyone would be perfect. It’s kind of a paradox: the more someone tries to be the perfect parent and raise the perfect kid, the more messed up they become. • Inevitably, everyone will grow up to become this covered up, sad and repressed adult. As a child, life is huge, fun, silly, and easily enjoyed. Naturally, as you grow up, this perspective fades. • Parents who have their own agenda, parents who, in trying to get the best for you, lose sight of how miserable they are really making you… They heap on dreams and aspirations that they themselves could not achieve, and see their children as a second chance. It doesn’t happen on purpose, that’s human nature. This Be the Verse BY PHILIP LARKIN They fuck you up, your mum and dad.        They may not mean to, but they do.    They fill you with the faults they had     And add some extra, just for you. But they were fucked up in their turn     By fools in old-style hats and coats,    Who half the time were soppy-stern     And half at one another’s throats. Man hands on misery to man.     It deepens like a coastal shelf. Get out as early as you can,     And don’t have any kids yourself.

10. I heard a thousand blended notes, While in a grove I sate reclined, In that sweet mood when pleasant thoughts Bring sad thoughts to the mind. To her fair works did Nature link The human soul that through me ran; And much it grieved my heart to think What man has made of man. Through primrose tufts, in that green bower, The periwinkle trailed its wreaths; And 'tis my faith that every flower Enjoys the air it breathes. The birds around me hopped and played, Their thoughts I cannot measure:-- But the least motion which they made It seemed a thrill of pleasure. The budding twigs spread out their fan, To catch the breezy air; And I must think, do all I can, That there was pleasure there. If this belief from heaven be sent, If such be Nature's holy plan, Have I not reason to lament What man has made of man? This Be the Verse BY PHILIP LARKIN They fuck you up, your mum and dad.        They may not mean to, but they do.    They fill you with the faults they had     And add some extra, just for you. But they were fucked up in their turn     By fools in old-style hats and coats,    Who half the time were soppy-stern     And half at one another’s throats. Man hands on misery to man.     It deepens like a coastal shelf. Get out as early as you can,     And don’t have any kids yourself.