the boxer

[Nefertiti]

Hi there.

"I've squandered my resistance for a pocketful of mumbles, such are promises".

1. What does the quote above mean? Is it a common usage?


"All lies and jest, still the man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest".

2. What does the quote above mean? Is it a common usage? What does the man refer to?


"In the company of strangers
In the quiet of the railway station, runnin scared
Laying low, seeking out the poorer quarters, where the ragged people go
Looking for the places only they would know"

3. Does the quote describe the boy(writer) was trying to find a poorer place to settle down for surviving?

4. What does to 'lay low' mean? Is it a common usage?

5. Who is the subject in the quote above? --->The boy (writer)? Who was running scared, laying low, seeking out, looking for....?

6. Does 'they' refer to the ragged people?


"Now the years are rolling by me, they are rockin even me"

7. What does the quote above mean? Are 'time is rolling by sb.' and 'time is rocking even sb.' common usages?


"I'm laying out my winter clothes".

8. What does 'to lay out clothes' mean? Is it a common usage?


"In the clearing stands a boxer, and a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders of every glove that laid him down or cut him til he cried out in his anger and his shame
I am leaving, I am leaving, but the fighter still remains
Yes he still remains"

I have hard time understanding the quote above. Can you explain?

9. What does 'in the clearing' mean?

10. Do the boxer and fighter mean the same person?

11. What does 'by his trade' mean? Is it a common usage?

12. What does "he carries the reminders of every glove that laid him down or cut him til he cried out in his anger and his shame" mean? Who is he?

13. What does "I am leaving, I am leaving, but the fighter still remains
Yes he still remains" mean?
Who is I? Who is he?


Thanks a lot.



______________
The Song

I am just a poor boy and my story's seldom told
I've squandered my resistance for a pocketful of mumbles, such are promises
All lies and jest, still the man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest, hmmmm

When I left my home and my family, I was no more than a boy
In the company of strangers
In the quiet of the railway station, runnin scared
Laying low, seeking out the poorer quarters, where the ragged people go
Looking for the places only they would know

Li la li...

Asking only workmans wages, I come lookin for a job, but I get no offers
Just a comeon from the whores on 7th avenue
I do declare, there were times when I was so lonesome
I took some comfort there

Now the years are rolling by me, they are rockin even me
I am older than I once was, and younger than Ill be, thats not unusual
No it isn't strange, after changes upon changes, we are more or less the same
After changes we are more or less the same

Li la li...

And I'm laying out my winter clothes, wishing I was gone, goin home
Where the new york city winters aren't bleedin me, leadin me to go home

In the clearing stands a boxer, and a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders of every glove that laid him down or cut him
til he cried out in his anger and his shame
I am leaving, I am leaving, but the fighter still remains
Yes he still remains

Li la li...

some words' definitions: (Source: Cambridge)

quarter (AREA)
noun [C]
an area of a town where a particular group of people live or work or where a particular activity happens:
This is the bustling commercial quarter of the city.

seek sb/sth out phrasal verb [M] FORMAL
to look for someone or something, especially for a long time until you find them:
While he was at the library, Steve decided to seek out some information on accommodation in the area.

ragged
adjective
(of a person) untidy, dirty and wearing old torn clothes:
Two ragged children stood outside the station begging for money.

workman
noun [C]
a man who uses physical skill and especially his hands in his job or trade:
We'll have to get a workman in to fix the plumbing/window/roof.


squander
verb [T]
to spend or use money or supplies in a wasteful way, or to waste opportunities by not using them to your advantage:
They'll quite happily squander a whole year's savings on two weeks in the sun.
Ireland squandered several chances, including a penalty that cost them the game.


come-on
noun [C] MAINLY US INFORMAL
1 a remark that shows someone that you are sexually interested in them:
He was giving me the come-on.

[Anglika]

"I've squandered my resistance for a pocketful of mumbles, such are promises".

1. What does the quote above mean? Is it a common usage? Mumbles - the poet is using this as a synonym for false promises. If you mumble, then you are speaking in a very unclear way, probably so quietly as not to be heard. No - this is a poem.


"All lies and jest, still the man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest".

2. What does the quote above mean? Is it a common usage? What does the man refer to? The man is only hearing what he wants to hear. No - again, this is a poem.


"In the company of strangers
In the quiet of the railway station, runnin scared
Laying low, seeking out the poorer quarters, where the ragged people go
Looking for the places only they would know"

3. Does the quote describe the boy(writer) was trying to find a poorer place to settle down for surviving? He is simply looking for somewhere that he can stay in.

4. What does to 'lay low' mean? Is it a common usage? Keep out of sight, keep out of view.

5. Who is the subject in the quote above? --->The boy (writer)? Who was running scared, laying low, seeking out, looking for....? The boy is the subject.

6. Does 'they' refer to the ragged people? Yes


"Now the years are rolling by me, they are rockin even me"

7. What does the quote above mean? Are 'time is rolling by sb.' and 'time is rocking even sb.' common usages? Time is passing, and even the boy is affected by the passage of time. No - this is a poem.


"I'm laying out my winter clothes".

8. What does 'to lay out clothes' mean? Is it a common usage? Selecting them, getting them out of storage.


"In the clearing stands a boxer, and a fighter by his trade
And he carries the reminders of every glove that laid him down or cut him til he cried out in his anger and his shame
I am leaving, I am leaving, but the fighter still remains
Yes he still remains"

I have hard time understanding the quote above. Can you explain? A boxer is in the clearing, whose face carries the scars of his many years of fighting. "I" am going away but the boxer is staying.

9. What does 'in the clearing' mean? I have absolutely no idea. A claring is generally a space within a wooded area.

10. Do the boxer and fighter mean the same person? Yes

11. What does 'by his trade' mean? Is it a common usage? Boxing. This is a common phrase meaning it is what someone is trained to do.

12. What does "he carries the reminders of every glove that laid him down or cut him til he cried out in his anger and his shame" mean? Who is he? The boxer - see above.

13. What does "I am leaving, I am leaving, but the fighter still remains
Yes he still remains" mean?
Who is I? Who is he? The boy and the boxer.