Accidental (?) poetry in Red Dwarf…

Like a blind old incontinent sheepdog
he’s had his day
Take him out to the barn with a double-barreled shot-gun
and blow the
mother away.

How do you do?
How do you do?
So you must be Lister
And you are too.

But I am not human
and neither are you.
And it is not our place
to judge them.
I wonder why you do.

There’s at least one other I’ve noticed but it’s not coming to me right now.

30 comments on “Dwarf Poetica

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  • Without trying to sound like too much of a git…..It doesn’t have to rhyme to be poetry.

  • @Karl: no, of course it doesn’t. I’d welcome anyone to post other forms of accidental poetry in the show as well. I’d like to see if anyone else found something.

  • “No…the “how do you do”s were spoken by the Rimmers. The other two are the Listers.”

    You’re right, of course. *Stupid mode cancel.

    The third one is great, btw.

  • It is. Infact I found the whole thing pretty amusing. Glad I didn’t come across to git-like.

    Am watching some Dwarf tonight I shall keep my ears open.

  • Actually, I was going to post a bit of Holly dialogue from Parallel Universe…the bit where he’s booting up the Hop Drive…because it’s an example of Chiasmus (a non-rhyming lyric with a reflective structure).

    But it’s such a tiny fragment that it really felt like a cheat.

  • Ah hell, I’ll post the dialogue anyway.

    Engage drive
    drive engaged.

    Initiating ignition sequence
    ignition sequence initiated.

    Each one is chiasmatic because of its reflective construction. Still, it’s far too brief and is pretty standard space-travel jargon so I can’t include it in good conscience.

  • There’s one in Series IV which I spotted yesterday, but as comments weren’t working at the time, I’ve forgotten it now.

    I don’t think they’re necessarily accidental.

  • White
    Yes
    Hole
    Right
    Spewing
    Yes
    Time
    With you
    Engines dead
    Oh
    Air supply low
    Ah
    Advise please
    Right

    Cor, it’s like something out of a GCSE anthology…

  • @ Flibble:
    Yeah, I’m not sure if they’re accidental, personally, seeing as Robert delivers his “but I’m not human” line LIKE poetry. If you can find that series IV one I’d be delighted.

    @ Seb:
    Either I’m really a nerd or really tired, but that absolutely made my day.

  • The third had occured to me, but I didn’t even notice the first two. How’s that!

  • sexually

    I realised how much that Inquisitor line was delivered like poetry today, strange coincidence.

  • If I save you
    You won’t die
    So I won’t die
    And you won’t be dead either
    And neither will I.

  • Let’s just hope
    you don’t get an overload.
    What happens if I do get an overload?
    You’ll explode.

    I’m not asking you to do
    anything I wouldn’t do.
    You?
    You’d sacrifice your life
    for the good of the crew?

  • Let’s just hope

    you don’t get an overload.
    What happens if I do get an overload?
    You’ll explode.
    I’m not asking you to do
    anything I wouldn’t do.
    You?
    You’d sacrifice your life
    for the good of the crew?

    Nice. Like this one. This is between Carol Ann Duffy and John Cooper Clarke in the GCSE poetry anthology.

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