Wednesday, January 30, 2008

123 Tag, I'm It

So I've been tagged. Here are the the rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book ( of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.


Had I noticed Randy's tag last evening, I would have been stuck with something out of The Algebra Survival Guide. This evening, however, I'm in luck. Earlier, I was helping my daughter find a poem to recite for her English class. The book nearest me is Garrison Keillor's anthology, Good Poems.

The fifth sentence is the first line of the final stanza of Down in the Valley, by an anonymous poet. I'm going to break the rules by posting the whole stanza.

Write me a letter, send it by mail,
Send it in care of the Birmingham jail.
Birmingham jail, love, Birmingham jail.
Send it in care of the Birmingham jail.

And I'm going to break the rules further by not tagging anyone else.

2 comments:

Randy said...

The Algebra Survival Guide? Math homework last night and English homework tonight. You are busy, aren't you?

And now I have homework: find a copy of Down in the Valley. I'm sure there must be one on the net, so I'll look for it later. At the moment, I guess my time would be better spent getting lessons in remedial "threadiquette." Once upon a time, I was a pretty god practitioner of the art. After tiring of various bullies at one particularly famous blog a couple of months ago, I started giving them back their own medicine. Hmmm. That went well. LOL! Live and learn. ("Wrestle with a pig..." and all that.) Anyway, thanks for playing along with the meme, Peter.

Peter Hoh said...

Randy, you needremedial "threadiquette"?? Am I missing something in one of the Althouse threads?

Here's Down in the Valley, which I suspect is a traditional song.

Down in the valley, valley so low,
Hang your head over, hear the wind blow.
Hear the wind blow, love, hear the wind blow.
Hang your head over, hear the wind blow.

If you don't love me, love whom you please,
But throw your arms round me, give my heart ease.
Give my heart ease, dear, give my heart ease.
Throw your arms round me, give my heart ease.

Down in the valley, walking between,
Telling our story, here's what it sings.
Here's what it sings, dear, here's what it sings,
Telling our story, here's what it sings.

Roses of sunshine, vi'lets of dew,
Angels in heaven know I love you.
Know I love you, dear, know I love you,
Angels in heaven know I love you.

Build me a castle forty feet high,
So I can see her as she goes by,
As she goes by, dear, as she goes by,
So I can see her as she goes by.

Bird in a cage, love, bird in a cage,
Dying for freedom, ever a slave.
Ever a slave, dear, ever a slave,
Dying for freedom, ever a slave.

Write me a letter, send it by mail,
Send it in care of the Birmingham jail.
Birmingham jail, love, Birmingham jail.
Send it in care of the Birmingham jail.