The Men That Don't Fit In (Robert Service)
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This forum is for poems that are in tribute to an event, tragedy, person, etc.
This forum does not autoprune.
This forum is for poems that are in tribute to an event, tragedy, person, etc.
This forum does not autoprune.
- Eternum 1
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The Men That Don't Fit In (Robert Service)
There's a race of men that don't fit in,
A race that can't stay still;
So they break the hearts of kith and kin,
And they roam the world at will.
They range the field and they rove the flood,
And they climb the mountain's crest;
Theirs is the curse of the gypsy blood,
And they don't know how to rest.
If they just went straight they might go far;
They are strong and brave and true;
But they're always tired of the things that are,
And they want the strange and new.
They say: "Could I find my proper groove,
What a deep mark I would make!"
So they chop and change, and each fresh move
Is only a fresh mistake.
And each forgets, as he strips and runs
With a brilliant, fitful pace,
It's the steady, quiet, plodding ones
Who win in the lifelong race.
And each forgets that his youth has fled,
Forgets that his prime is past,
Till he stands one day, with a hope that's dead,
In the glare of the truth at last.
He has failed, he has failed; he has missed his chance;
He has just done things by half.
Life's been a jolly good joke on him,
And now is the time to laugh.
Ha, ha! He is one of the Legion Lost;
He was never meant to win;
He's a rolling stone, and it's bred in the bone;
He's a man who won't fit in.
A race that can't stay still;
So they break the hearts of kith and kin,
And they roam the world at will.
They range the field and they rove the flood,
And they climb the mountain's crest;
Theirs is the curse of the gypsy blood,
And they don't know how to rest.
If they just went straight they might go far;
They are strong and brave and true;
But they're always tired of the things that are,
And they want the strange and new.
They say: "Could I find my proper groove,
What a deep mark I would make!"
So they chop and change, and each fresh move
Is only a fresh mistake.
And each forgets, as he strips and runs
With a brilliant, fitful pace,
It's the steady, quiet, plodding ones
Who win in the lifelong race.
And each forgets that his youth has fled,
Forgets that his prime is past,
Till he stands one day, with a hope that's dead,
In the glare of the truth at last.
He has failed, he has failed; he has missed his chance;
He has just done things by half.
Life's been a jolly good joke on him,
And now is the time to laugh.
Ha, ha! He is one of the Legion Lost;
He was never meant to win;
He's a rolling stone, and it's bred in the bone;
He's a man who won't fit in.
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- JGarrison
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Re: The Men That Don't Fit In (Robert Service)
i can remember my dad reading service to me as a little kid, so now everytime i read it it gives me goosebumps... also having lived in alaska i can honestly say the service's descriptions of the state and its denizens are still spot on...
“What’s in store for me in the direction I don’t take?”
-Jack Kerouac-
-Jack Kerouac-
Re: The Men That Don't Fit In (Robert Service)
Great poem.
I prefer to keep an open mind,....but not so much that my brains fall out.- Carl Sagan
Your brain is like an umbrella. It only works when it's open- Someone Smart
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Your brain is like an umbrella. It only works when it's open- Someone Smart
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- nrip4life
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Re: The Men That Don't Fit In (Robert Service)
a feeling few "know" well....yet so many "well" know..lol thanks for sharing
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Re: The Men That Don't Fit In (Robert Service)
Robert Service is a favourite of mine but I disagree with his conclusions It is the men who don't fit in who lead the way to better things.Traditions dead hand slows down progress all too often. Dare to be different
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Re: The Men That Don't Fit In (Robert Service)
Nice poem. I am not familiar with Robert Service, though this appears a good tribute to the man.
It, however, does not fit in with this forum really and would suggest moving it to the Tributes forum.
Tom
It, however, does not fit in with this forum really and would suggest moving it to the Tributes forum.
Tom
"Whispers of Love" a book of poetry expressing love of the heart and spirit is released worldwide on August 11, 2009. Visit my home page at
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- moonflower
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Re: The Men That Don't Fit In (Robert Service)
i dont know of Robert Service but i like this poem very much!..
Re: The Men That Don't Fit In (Robert Service)
I love this poem. In a way there's lines in it that remind me of me.
If they just went straight they might go far;
I used to often lose interest in things even if they were going well. Not any more though.
I expect most people see parts in this poem that fit in with their lives and that's why it's such a good poem.
reverse phone detective | magic of making up
If they just went straight they might go far;
I used to often lose interest in things even if they were going well. Not any more though.
I expect most people see parts in this poem that fit in with their lives and that's why it's such a good poem.
reverse phone detective | magic of making up
Re: The Men That Don't Fit In (Robert Service)
Wow! All I can say is, Wow! At first i could have sworn you were talking about me.
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- Eternum 1
- Black Ferret Poet
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Re: The Men That Don't Fit In (Robert Service)
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