|
|
Line 1: |
Line 1: |
| "We have come not so much to a fork in the road<br>
| | {{song header}} |
| As a fork on the plate<br>
| | |
| Scraping the last lick off the gravy train of history"<br>
| | {{song lyrics |
| There was nervous laughter from the dais<br>
| | |lyrics = {{Phonographic Memory}} |
| That rolled outwards through the crowd<br>
| | }} |
| On a breeze that rustled flags and banners
| | |
| <br>It was the voice of Orson Welles<br>
| | {{song credits header}} |
| His baritone coming to us over decades of dead silence<br>
| | |
| Through a metallic tannoy<br>
| | {{song credits |
| Each word meticulously tape spliced<br>
| | |title = Phonographic Memory |
| From various soundtracks and radio broadcasts<br>
| | |writer = [[Elvis Costello]] |
| In the Library of Congress<br>
| | |performer = [[Elvis Costello]] |
| It wowed the crowd<br>
| | |producer = [[Elvis Costello]] |
| Before it fluttered and faltered<br>
| | |musicians = [[Elvis Costello]] - vocals, all instruments |
| As the powder of lost oxide<br>
| | |record_info = |
| Caused a catch in his voice<br>
| | |release_info = August 28, 2020 (YouTube)<br> |
| Just as the spool ran out<br>
| | |albums = |
| Curiously, the simulated address<br>
| | |singles = YouTube, 2020 |
| Seemed to be delivered in the same strange stage-Irish accent<br>
| | |collections = |
| That Welles had possibly purloined from the actor Micheál Mac Liammóir<br>
| | |soundtracks = |
| When he had bluffed his way on to the Dublin stage as a teenager<br>
| | |various_artists = |
| Now it was just one in a queue of immigrant inflections<br>
| | |promos = |
| That might have taken the day<br>
| | |videos = |
| It was also the voice that Orson had used in "Lady From Shanghai"<br>
| | |length = 4:06 |
| You know, the one with the shootout amidst the shattered reflections of funhouse mirrors<br>
| | }}<br> |
| Few remembered that motion picture now<br>
| | |
| One man in the third row remarked to his wife<br>
| | {{song notes |
| That he seemed to remember this voice selling him sweet sherry in his youth<br>
| | |background = |
| But there were many in the crowd who knew nothing of this Citizen<br>
| | |first = none |
| And the Kane he had once raised<br>
| | |last = |
| Back when the worst one could imagine was an invasion from another sphere<br>
| | }}{{song quote |
| After the peace was negotiated<br>
| | | quote = |
| And the Internet switched off<br>
| | | source = |
| Knowledge returned to its mediaeval cloister<br>
| | }} |
| In this and that illuminated volume<br>
| | |
| The jealous possession of the pious and the superstitious<br>
| | {{thumbs header}} |
| Who might have once again wielded ignorance like a scythe<br>
| | |
| There were but dimly remembered facsimiles
| | |} |
| <br>After many of the public libraries had been torched<br>
| | |
| Untouched books now went for the price of a Vuitton handbag<br>
| | {{song covers |
| Ever since the US Mint was sucked dry and spat out<br>
| | |covers = |
| Bookworms paid for rare tomes with wheelbarrows full of bank notes<br>
| | }} |
| Some of them worthless Confederate money<br>
| | |
| Stashed in plinths in various toppled statues<br>
| | ==[[Special:WhatLinksHere/Phonographic Memory|Internal links]]== |
| None of it helped the healing<br>
| | *[[Template:Phonographic Memory|Lyrics]] |
| Yet in the absence of a noble woman<br>
| | |
| Or a statesman equal to the task<br>
| | ==External links== |
| A tireless engineer had magically assembled random words of Welles' oration<br>
| | *[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJD0bVwuqDs&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR1ooWPK8CQIz2N6xisGOFDKTVimMeUem5O7_5Aa66mMsFin9GXrfD4u-5I YouTube video] |
| Into a speech worthy of the occasion<br>
| | |
| From the depths of the National Archive<br>
| | [[Category:2020]] |
| President Swift gave a slight shy smile of pearl and pillarbox red<br>
| | [[Category:Songs]] |
| And began to sing a plainsong of her acceptance
| | [[Category:Lyrics]] |