New text to an old song... You know what they say about Molly Malone and her actual profession...
Don't know if 'shoddy' is a word to be used for people. Yet it was the only thing which fitted and rhymed with 'body'
Hm... Seems I'm slowly becoming a feminist. Or perhaps a Victorian...
One the one hand the Wallen are a curious thing, which tourists seem to like and
local people don't care very much about. Yet when you think
about it, it's terribly sad that such things happen (and are legalized)...
Upon Amsterdam's Wallen
At the home of the fallen
There once lived a girl, called sweet Molly Malone
She there sold her body
To men cheap and shoddy
For some guilders and hard drugs
Alive, alive oh
And sure it was no wonder
She did her job yonder
For so did her mother and sisters before
They there sold their body
To men cheap and shoddy
For some guilders and whiskey
Alive, alive oh
She died of an overdose
And never again rose
And that was the end of sweet Molly Malone
Now her ghost has no body
She haunts men cheap an shoddy
No more guilders, just euros
Alive, alive oh
|
Written by tpowell (105 comments posted) 8th November 2007 |
Hi maus
What a sad poem, poor Molly. You really are turning into a feminist I think!
Tracey.
ps I think you can describe these men as 'shoddy'. |
Written by Fledermaus (3490 comments posted) 8th November 2007 |
Thanks Tracey.
The tune is of course that of 'Molly Malone', the fishmonger from Dublin, whose deadly 'fever' may actually have been something quite different... Different age, different country, same story.
Legal or not, I can't imagine whores being happy with their jobs. Yet as even some of Amsterdam's local politicians seem to visit the Wallen for other reasons than just 'watching monkeys', I don't think they will ask themselves what brings people to do it in the first place... |
HI Fledermaus
Written by jean.day (2366 comments posted) 9th November 2007 |
I sang along as I read it, and it scanned pretty well, except in the real song, you have a chorus repeating Alive- alive, Oh between each verse.
Anyway, I enjoyed reading it, and think that perhaps Holland's choice of how to handle the situation is better than the transport of young girls from Eastern Europe to live in Britain like slaves - which we seem to have here. |
Written by Fledermaus (3490 comments posted) 9th November 2007 |
Thanks Jean.
You're probably right.
I'm not from Amsterdam, so to me those streets are probably just as exotic as to foreigners. As the quickest road to Chinatown leads right through the red light district, I walked through those alleys a few times, but never felt unsafe or bothered.
Legalizing prostitution probably caused them to be more open and I think the police could check things more easily, so that's a good thing indeed. Yet I still find it hard to believe that many of these women do that work voluntarily. The thing it most reminds me of is a zoo... |
Written by Phil (6963 comments posted) 9th November 2007 |
Shoddy is fine - in fact it's probably a pretty good fit. I've never been to Amsterdam, but probably agree that it's a better system than we have. However, legalized it may be - but I'm sure that doesn't put a halt to all abuse.
I'm with you. Hard to imagine what drives women to this. Easy to make a list - just hard to imagine being in that awful situation.
Phil. |
hi
Written by maipenrai (784 comments posted) 9th November 2007 |
| Fledermaus, liked this a lot, a good write, one of my favourite songs is about Amsterdam=The Port of Amsterdam, great song |
Written by Fledermaus (3490 comments posted) 9th November 2007 |
Thanks Phil.
In Amsterdam it's realy strange: The red light district is also the main tourist centre and everything is done very openly. Somehow the result is that it doesn't seem like a bad neighbourhood.
Yet there must still be a lot of despair behind those windows. |
Written by Fledermaus (3490 comments posted) 9th November 2007 |
Thanks maipenrai.
It is wonderful city. Strange, but wonderful... |
Written by maipenrai (784 comments posted) 9th November 2007 |
| love the place, made a mistake one time, travelled from Hannover to watch Man U nied play Ajax only to get into Central Station and find it was the time the BIG SHIPS were in port, could not get a hotel for love nor money ( did in the end but thats a long and very funny story) to make it worst we missed the bloody game?? |
Written by Fledermaus (3490 comments posted) 10th November 2007 |
Hi maipenrai.
When you mentioned big ships I almost feared you had ended up in the wrong city. Ajax and Feijenoord (Rotterdam) are like Celtic and Rangers where their fans are concerned  |
Written by maipenrai (784 comments posted) 10th November 2007 |
| Sorry Fledermaus-Sailing Ships |
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