List of World Snooker Champions

The Joe Davis Era

1927 Joe Davis bt Tom Dennis 20–11 at Camkins Hall, Birmingham

1928 Joe Davis bt Fred Lawrence 16–13 at Camkins Hall, Birmingham

1929 Joe Davis bt Tom Dennis 19–14 at Camkins Hall, Nottingham

1930 Joe Davis bt Tom Dennis 25–12 at Thurston’s Hall, London

1931 Joe Davis bt Tom Dennis 25–21 at Lounge Billiard Hall, Nottingham

1932 Joe Davis bt Clark McConachy Aus 30–19 at Thurston’s Hall, London

1933 Joe Davis bt Willie Smith 25–18 at Billiards Centre, Chesterfield

1934 Joe Davis bt Tom Newman 25–23 at Lounge Billiard Hall, Nottingham

1935 Joe Davis bt Willie Smith 25–20 at Thurston’s Hall, London

1936 Joe Davis bt Horace Lindrum Aus 34–27 at Thurston’s Hall, London

1937 Joe Davis Horace Lindrum Aus 32–29 at Thurston’s Hall, London

1938 Joe Davis Sidney Smith 37–24 at Thurston’s Hall, London

1939 Joe Davis bt Sidney Smith 43–30 at Thurston’s Hall, London

1940 Joe Davis bt Fred Davis 37–36 at Thurston’s Hall, London

1941 – 1945 Not held due to World War II

1946 Joe Davis bt Horace Lindrum Aus 78–67 at Horticultural Hall, London

1947 Walter Donaldson Sco bt Fred Davis 82–63 at Leicester Square Hall, London

The Fred Davis Era

1948 Fred Davis bt Walter Donaldson Sco 84–61 at Leicester Square Hall, London

1949 Fred Davis bt Walter Donaldson Sco 80–65 at   Leicester Square Hall, London

1950 Walter Donaldson Sco bt Fred Davis 51–46 at Tower Circus, Blackpool

1951 Fred Davis bt Walter Donaldson Sco 58–39 at Tower Circus, Blackpool

1952 Horace Lindrum Aus bt Clark McConachy Aus 94–49    at Houldsworth Hall, Manchester

1952 Fred Davis bt Walter Donaldson Sco 38–35 at Tower Circus, Blackpool

1953 Fred Davis bt Walter Donaldson Sco 37–34 at   Leicester Square Hall, London

1954 Fred Davis bt Walter Donaldson Sco 39–21 at   Houldsworth Hall, Manchester

1955 Fred Davis bt John Pulman 37–34 at Tower Circus, Blackpool

1956 Fred Davis bt John Pulman 38–35 at Tower Circus, Blackpool

The John Pulman Era

1957 John Pulman bt Jackie Rea 39–34 in Jersey

1958 – 1963 Not held due to declining interest

1964 John Pulman bt Fred Davis 19–16 at Burroughes Hall, London

1964 John Pulman bt Rex Williams 40–33 at Burroughes Hall, London

1965 John Pulman bt Fred Davis 37–36 at Burroughes Hall, London

1965 John Pulman bt Rex Williams 25–22 in South Africa

1965 John Pulman bt Fred Van Rensburg SA 39–12 in South Africa

1966 John Pulman bt Fred Davis 5–2 at St George's Hall, Liverpool

1968 John Pulman bt Eddie Charlton Aus 39–34 at Co-operative Hall, Bolton

1969 John Spencer bt Gary Owen Wal 37–24 at Victoria Hall, London

The Ray Reardon Era

1970 Ray Reardon Wal bt John Pulman 37–33 at Victoria Hall, London

1971 John Spencer bt Warren Simpson Aus 37–29 in Sydney, Australia

1972 Alex Higgins bt John Spencer 37–32 at Selly Park British Legion, Birmingham

1973 Ray Reardon Wal bt Eddie Charlton Aus 38–32 at City Exhibition Hall, Manchester

1974 Ray Reardon Wal bt Graham Miles 22–12 at Belle Vue, Manchester

1975 Ray Reardon Wal bt Eddie Charlton Aus 31–30 in Melbourne, Australia

1976 Ray Reardon Wal bt Alex Higgins 27–16 at Wythenshawe Forum, Manchester

1977 John Spencer bt Cliff Thorburn Can 25–21 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1978 Ray Reardon Wal bt Perrie Mans SA 25–18 at  Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1979 Terry Griffiths Wal bt Dennis Taylor 24–16 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

The Steve Davis Era

1980 Cliff Thorburn Can bt Alex Higgins 18–16 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1981 Steve Davis bt Doug Mountjoy Wal 18–12 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1982 Alex Higgins bt Ray Reardon Wal 18–15 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1983 Steve Davis bt Cliff Thorburn 18–6 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1984 Steve Davis bt Jimmy White 18–16 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1985 Dennis Taylor bt Steve Davis 18–17 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1986 Joe Johnson bt Steve Davis 18–12 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1987 Steve Davis bt Joe Johnson 18–14 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1988 Steve Davis bt Terry Griffiths 18–11 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1989 Steve Davis bt John Parrott 18–3 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

The Steven Hendry Era

1990 Stephen Hendry Sco bt Jimmy White 18–12 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1991 John Parrott bt Jimmy White 18–11 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1992 Stephen Hendry Sco bt Jimmy White 18–14 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1993 Stephen Hendry Sco bt Jimmy White 18–5 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1994 Stephen Hendry Sco bt Jimmy White 18–17 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1995 Stephen Hendry Sco bt Nigel Bond 18–9 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1996 Stephen Hendry Sco bt Peter Ebdon 18–12 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1997 Ken Doherty Ire bt Stephen Hendry Sco 18–12 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1998 John Higgins Sco bt Ken Doherty Ire 18–12 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

1999 Stephen Hendry Sco bt Mark Williams Wal 18–11 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

2000 Mark Williams Wal bt Matthew Stevens Wal 18–16 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

2001 Ronnie O'Sullivan bt John Higgins Sco 18–14 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

2002 Peter Ebdon bt Stephen Hendry Sco 18–17 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

2003 Mark Williams Wal bt Ken Doherty Ire 18–16 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

2004 Ronnie O'Sullivan bt Graeme Dott Sco 18–8 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

2005 Shaun Murphy bt Matthew Stevens Wal 18–16 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

2006 Graeme Dott Sco bt Peter Ebdon 18–14 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

2007 John Higgins Sco bt Mark Selby 18–13 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

2008 Ronnie O'Sullivan bt Ali Carter 18–8 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

2009 John Higgins Sco bt Shaun Murphy 18–9 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

2010 Neil Robertson Aus bt Graeme Dott Sco 18–13 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

2011 John Higgins Sco bt Judd Trump 18-15 at Crucible Theatre, Sheffield

FACTS

·         Joe Davis was the first World Champion and holds the record for most world titles with 15 consecutively.

·         Stephen Hendry won 7 world titles in the 1990s and holds the record for the most titles won at the Crucible Theatre.

·         Steve Davis dominated the 1980s and won the world title six times.

·         Ronnie O’Sullivan is the only multiple time World Champion in the modern era who has never lost a World Championship final.

·         Alex Higgins won the World Championship in 1972 and 1982.

·         Dennis Taylor won the world title in 1985 on the last black of the deciding frame.

·         In 1989, John Parrott lost 18-3 to Steve Davis, the heaviest final defeat in modern times. Parrott returned to the final two years later and won against Jimmy White.

·         Stephen Hendry became the youngest World Champion at the final on 29^th April 1990, aged 21 years, 106 days.

·         In 1992, Jimmy White became the first left-handed player, and second overall, to record a maximum break at the World Championship.

·         Mark Williams is the first left-handed player to win the World Championship (2000).

·         Shaun Murphy is the lowest ranked World Champion ever (2005).

·         Joe Johnston (1986/1987) and Ken Doherty (1997/1998) are the only first time world champions to reach the final the following year.

Originally posted on Monday, 02 May 2011

Left-handed Snooker Players

Left-handed Snooker Players

Who Have Played in the World Championships at the Crucible

• Barry Hawkins (b. 1979)
• Andy Hicks (b. 1973)
• Mark King (b. 1974)
• Perrie Mans (b. 1940 in SA)
• Ian McCulloch (b. 1971)
• Tony Meo (b. 1959)
• Darren Morgan (b. 1966 in Wales)
• Terry Murphy (b. 1972 in NI)
• Dean Reynolds (b. 1963)
• Neil Robertson  (b. 1982 in Australia) Winner 2010
• Lee Walker (b. 1976 in Wales)
• Jimmy White (b. 1962) In 1992, became the first left-handed player, and second overall, to record a maximum break at the World Championship.
• Mark J Williams (b. 1975 in Wales) The first left-handed player to win the World Championship in 2000 and 2003
• Jim Wych (b. 1954 in Canada)

Originally posted on Monday, 02 May 2011

Order You Pot Coloured Balls in Snooker

To remember which order you pot the coloured balls in snooker, just recite this little phrase to yourself:

YOU GO BROWN BEFORE POTTING BLACK

This will give you the order of:

Yellow, Green, Brown, Blue, Pink, Black

Source: How to Develop a Perfect Memory by Dominic O'Brien

From: http://www.happychild.org.uk/acc/tpr/mne/0002snoo.htm

Originally posted on Monday, 02 May 2011

Symbolism in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Symbolism in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum

Illustrated by W.W. Denslow

1.      Broomstick          

- Energy

2.      Bucket of Water 

- A lifesaver during a drought

- The Wicked Witch's life, representing natural disaster, is ended with a bucket of lifesaving water

- A simple hoped-for remedy

3.       Colour          

- The colours of money. The Emerald City is green (or is made to appear green), the yellow brick road is gold and Dorothy's shoes are silver

4.       Cowardly Lion                          

- Politician William Jennings Bryan mocked by Republicans as indecisive or a coward

- Politicians in general

- Courage

- Populist Party

5.       Cyclone                                        

- A political revolution that would transform the drab country into a land of colour and unlimited prosperity

- Political upheaval

- Uncomfortable or unpleasant events that propel us to higher places

- We must tear down before we can rebuild

- Winds of change

6.       Dainty China Company

- Baum sold crockery when living in Chicago

7.       Dorothy Gale                             

- Naïve, young and simple - represents the American people of the 1890s

- The workers of the union

- Everyman, led astray and seeking the way back home

- Tough, brave and independent like a pioneer woman

- Frank L. Baum’s mother and wife who were both feminists

- Frank L. Baum’s determination

- Anti-colonial in rescuing the underdog with her friends

- Is imaginative and Baum used imagination after the World Fair

- Not traditional because she does not improve, she is good from the start

- The American people at their best

- Determined, resourceful, loyal

- America—honest, kindhearted and plucky

- Embodies how Americans want to see themselves

- All-American girl from the heartland, with a big heart, independence and daring

- Average rural American citizen

- Populist orator Leslie Kelsey, nicknamed 'the Kansas Tornado’

- Gale means strong wind, suggesting that Dorothy is the storm that blows over the Great Plains

- Seeker of enlightenment or redemption

- The soul and the spirit

- Dorothy's name is short for Dorothea, which means "Divine Gift" in Greek

- Theodore Roosevelt

8.       Emerald City                             

- The fraudulent world of greenback paper money that only pretends to have value

- The greenback value that is placed on gold (and for silver, possibly)

- World’s Fair in Chicago, 1893 with electricity, Ferris wheel and motion picture camera

- Washington DC

9.       Emerald Coloured Glasses

- Baum’s editorial of 1890 in which he suggested that farmers feed sawdust to their livestock after fitting the animals with green glasses to make them think that they were eating feed

10.    Emerald Palace         

- The White House

11.    (Glinda and) The Magic Book

- Baum’s interest in science

Predicts the computer

12.    Good Witch Glinda

- Exercise in treachery

- Machiavellian genius

13.    Good Witch of the South and North

- The Good Witch of the North represents northern workers and the Good Witch of the South represents southern farmers. This provides a contrast to the wicked industrialists in the east and railroad moguls in the west.

14.    Grey                                             

- Grass, sky, old age, paint

15.    Hammerheads           

- The hard-headed men who perpetuated the regional differences in the United States and kept the people of the South and the people of the North at odds with one another

16.    Journey       

- Our own spiritual quest

- Job's quest in the Old Testament

17.    Kansas         

- A Populist stronghold in the late-19th century

- There’s no place like home

- The kingdom of heaven is not a place, but a condition

- Truth is found in your own backyard

18.    Man Behind the Curtain

- Automated department store window displays

19.    Monkeys                                      

- Native Americans as a western danger

20.    Munchkins  

- The little people (enslaved by the Wicked Witch of the East)

21.    Oz                                                  

- O – Z on a filing cabinet which Baum noticed when he was a child being educated at home

- Uz was where Job lived

- Abbreviation of ounce, which is the standard unit of measure of silver and gold

- A variation of "Boz", the nickname of Charles Dickens, who was one of Baum's favourite authors

22.    Scarecrow   

- Fear from Baum’s fear of scarecrows

- Intelligence

- Midwestern farmers

- Refutation of the notion that farmers didn't have the brains to see their own best interests

- Tension between knowledge and wisdom

23.    Silver Slippers (ruby in the 1939 film version)

- The Silverite sixteen to one silver ratio (dancing down the road)

- An unrecognised viable currency of the people

- Defend our grounding ability and our feet

- Freedom and mobility

24.    Three Companions

- Job was accompanied by three companions

25.    Tin Woodman                            

- From Baum’s shop window display             

- Compassion      

- Industrial workers

- Dehumanization of industrial labour

- His rust is the depression of the 1890s that had closed many factories and left large numbers of - workers unemployed

- A hardened worker

26.    Tornado lifting and moving a house

- A story from Baum’s own newspaper, the Aberdeen Saturday Pioneer (South Dakota)

- Physical manifestation of Dorothy Gale's inner struggle for self-awareness, the result of the 'gale' winds storming through her psyche

27.    Toto              

- The physical body

- Dorothy (the spirit) and Toto (the body) together represent the whole of humanity

- Small and unnoticed but the reveals fraud

28.    Uncle Henry               

- Henry Cantwell Wallace, known as Uncle Henry, was a well known farmer and editor for a leading farm magazine in the late 1800s

29.    Wicked Witch of the East

- Industrial and banking interests, which were concentrated in the urban centres ‘back east’

30.    Wicked Witch of the West

- A figure for the actual American West

- Humorous

- Cruel natural forces that plagued farmers with cyclones, droughts and other environmental disasters

31.    Winged monkeys in the West 

- Sympathy for Native Americans of the plains

- Politicians in cartoons

32.    Winkies        

- Beyond the city, the Wicked Witch of the West had enslaved the yellow Winkies, a reference to the imperialist aims of the Republican administration, which had captured the Philippines from Spain and refused to grant them independence

33.    Wizard         

- Frank L. Baum himself, just a (good) man

- Bankers who support the gold standard and oppose adding silver

- President of the United States from 1896, Grover Cleveland, who was known as the ‘Great Obstructionist’

- Cynicism about politicians

- A different appearance for each interest and all things to all people

- Marcus Hanna, the power behind the Republican Party and the McKinley administration

34.    Wolves, Crows & Bees

- A menace to farmers in the west

35.    Yellow

Brick Road

- The gold standard

- A Populist march on Washington, DC, led by Jacob Coxey in 1893-1894, to promote his plan to put people back to work through a public works program

- The path to self-actualization

- A pilgrimage

               

From:

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – The True Story (2010) Documentary exploring the career of L. Frank Baum shown on BBC4 Thursday 28^th April 2011 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_interpretations_of_The_Wonderful_Wizard_of_Oz

http://www.turnmeondeadman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=51&Itemid=63

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Explain_the_symbols_in_The_Wizard_of_Oz_and_why_each_symbol_was_chosen

http://www.wizardofozmysteries.com/page1/symbolism.html

Originally posted on Friday, 29^th April 2011

Music for the Royal Wedding

The Royal Wedding

Prince William & Catherine Middleton

Friday 29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey

Music for the Wedding Service

As announced on 28th April 2011

P

rince William and Miss Catherine Middleton are pleased to announce the music for their Wedding Service.  The music has a largely British theme. The Couple have put considerable thought into selecting the music, and their choices blend traditional music with some newly commissioned pieces. 

Before the Service

The music before the Service will begin with a selection of organ pieces:

1. Fantasia in G (Pièce d’orgue à 5) by Johann Sebastian Bach, followed by

2. Veni Creator Spiritus by the Master of The Queen’s Music, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies;

3. Prelude on St. Columba Op. 28 by Sir Charles Villiers Stanford and

4. Sonata for Organ Op. 28 (Allegro maestoso and Allegretto) by Edward Elgar.

Following this will be seven orchestral pieces:

1. Serenade for Strings in E minor Op. 20 (Allegro piacevole, Larghetto and Allegretto) by Edward Elgar

2. Courtly Dance V: Galliard from Gloriana (Symphonic Suite) Op. 53a no. 7 by Benjamin Britten

3. Fantasia on Greensleeves by Ralph Vaughan Williams

4. Farewell to Stromness by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies

5. On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring by Frederick Delius

6. Touch Her Soft Lips and Part from Henry V Suite by William Walton

7. Romance for String Orchestra Op. 11 by Gerald Finzi

Three of these pieces – Farewell to Stromness, Touch Her Soft Lips and Part and Romance for String Orchestra Op. 11 – were played at the Service of Prayer and Dedication for The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall in 2005.  The Couple specifically chose these pieces for that reason.  The final piece of music before the Service begins continues the broadly British theme: Canzona from Organ Sonata in C minor by Percy Whitlock. 

Processional Music

The Service will begin with a Fanfare by The State Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry to mark the arrival of The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh.  The Fanfare will be followed by three Processionals.  For the Procession of The Queen, Prince William and Miss Middleton have chosen March from The Birds by Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry.  Prelude on Rhosymedre by Ralph Vaughan Williams will accompany the Procession of the Clergy, and was chosen for its Welsh echoes.  The Couple have selected ‘I was Glad’, also by Parry, for the Procession of the Bride.           

Hymns

Prince William and Miss Middleton have chosen three hymns for the Service: ‘Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer’, words by William Williams, translated by Peter Williams and others, and music by John Hughes.  The second will be ‘Love Divine All Love Excelling’, words by Charles Wesley and music by William Penfro Rowlands.  The third will be ‘Jerusalem’, by Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, words by William Blake.  All three hymns have been chosen because they are favourites of the Couple.

The Anthem and Motet

1. The Anthem, ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made’, has been composed specially for the occasion by John Rutter.  It was commissioned by Westminster Abbey as a wedding present for Prince William and Miss Middleton and will be performed by both the Choir of Westminster Abbey and the Chapel Royal Choir.  Mr. Rutter is a British composer, conductor, editor and arranger who specialises in choral music.   

2. The Anthem will be followed by the Motet ‘Ubi caritas’ by Paul Mealor, a Welsh composer, who is currently Reader in Composition at The University of Aberdeen.

Mr. Mealor’s composing studio is on the Isle of Anglesey, where Prince William and Miss Middleton live. This version of ‘Ubi caritas’ was written on Anglesey and premiered at the University of St. Andrews in November 2010. 

3. The National Anthem will be sung immediately before the Signing of the Registers.

The Signing of the Registers and the Recessional

1. During the Signing of the Registers, the choirs will sing ‘Blest pair of Sirens’, words by John Milton from At a Solemn Musick, music by Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry. 

2. Following the Signing, there will be a Fanfare by the Fanfare Team from the Central Band of the Royal Air Force.  The Fanfare, called Valiant and Brave, after the motto of No. 22 Squadron (Search and Rescue Force) was specially composed for this Service by Wing Commander Duncan Stubbs, Principal Director of Music in the Royal Air Force.

3. The Recessional, for the Procession of the Bride and Bridegroom, will be Crown Imperial by William Walton. 

4-5. Toccata from Symphonie V  by Charles-Marie Widor and Pomp and Circumstance March no. 5 by Edward Elgar will follow the Service.    

From: http://www.officialroyalwedding2011.org/blog/2011/April/28/Music-for-the-Wedding-Service

The church organ was played by Robert Quinney, a 35-year-old musician from Sheffield, who learned to play the instrument at Ecclesall Parish Church. He has been sub-organist at Westminster Abbey since 2004 and also has a career as soloist, ensemble player and music writer.

Royal Wedding Musicians

As announced on 28th April 2011

  

Two choirs, one orchestra and two fanfare teams will perform the music at the Wedding Service of Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey on April 29th. These are:

- The Choir of Westminster Abbey

- The Choir of Her Majesty's Chapel Royal, St James's Palace

- The London Chamber Orchestra

- The Fanfare Team from the Central Band of the Royal Air Force

- The State Trumpeters of The Household Cavalry

Both choirs will be under the direction of Mr James O'Donnell, Organist and Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey. The Choir of Westminster Abbey is made up of 20 boys, all of whom attend the Abbey's dedicated residential Choir School, and 12 professional adult singers, known as Lay Vicars. In addition to singing the daily choral services in the Abbey throughout the year, the choir plays a central role in the many Royal, State and national occasions which take place at the Abbey.

The Abbey's Sub Organist, Robert Quinney, will play the organ.

The Chapel Royal Choir consists of ten Children of the Chapel, boy choristers who hold scholarships at City of London School, and six Gentlemen-in-Ordinary, who are professional singers. The Chapel Royal Choir has existed since at least the Norman Conquest. The Organist, Choir Master and Composer at Her Majesty's Chapel Royal is Dr. Andrew Gant. The Choir's duties are to sing the weekly service in the Chapel Royal at St James's Palace and to perform for the Sovereign on other occasions, including at the weddings of Members of the Royal Family. The distinctive State uniforms worn by the Children date from the reign of Charles II.

The London Chamber Orchestra will be conducted by Mr Christopher Warren-Green, its Music Director and Principal Conductor. The orchestra will comprise 39 musicians located in the organ loft of the Abbey. The LCO is the longest established professional chamber orchestra in the United Kingdom, having been founded in 1921 by Anthony Bernard. The Duchess of Cornwall is a patron of the orchestra. Mr. Warren-Green has conducted numerous concerts for the Royal Family.

A Fanfare Team of seven musicians from the Central Band of the Royal Air Force will perform under the direction of Wing Commander Duncan Stubbs. The Central Band was established in 1920 and provides musical support to the Royal Air Force throughout the U.K.. In addition to their musical duties, Royal Air Force musicians also serve overseas in support of the broader Defence cause.

The State Trumpeters of The Household Cavalry comprises musicians from both The Band of The Life Guards and The Band of The Blues and Royals. The Fanfare Team of eight Trumpeters will be led by Trumpet Major Grant Sewell-Jones of The Band of The Blues and Royals. In addition to their musical duties, all Army Musicians can be called upon to act as individual augmentee soldiers in support of operations across the world.

Following the Wedding Service at Westminster Abbey, Claire Jones, the Official Harpist to The Prince of Wales will perform at the Reception given by The Queen at Buckingham Palace.

— Courtesy of St. James's Palace

From: http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/Royal+Wedding+musicians/4690082/story.html

Originally posted on Friday, 29 April 2011

Diary of a Surviving Supply Teacher: Songs About School 2

I discovered this song on a Boxer (Mike Patto and Ollie Halsall) album called Bloodletting which was released on Virgin in 1979. It originally appeared on Leonard Cohen's first album Songs of Leonard Cohen released on Columbia on 27th December 1967.

Teachers (Leonard Cohen)

I met a woman long ago
her hair the black that black can go,
Are you a teacher of the heart?
Soft she answered no.
I met a girl across the sea,
her hair the gold that gold can be,
Are you a teacher of the heart?
Yes, but not for thee.

I met a man who lost his mind
in some lost place I had to find,
follow me the wise man said,
but he walked behind.

I walked into a hospital
where none was sick and none was well,
when at night the nurses left
I could not walk at all.

Morning came and then came noon,
dinner time a scalpel blade
lay beside my silver spoon.

Some girls wander by mistake
into the mess that scalpels make.
Are you the teachers of my heart?
We teach old hearts to break.

One morning I woke up alone,
the hospital and the nurses gone.
Have I carved enough my Lord?
Child, you are a bone.

I ate and ate and ate,
no I did not miss a plate, well
How much do these suppers cost?
We'll take it out in hate.

I spent my hatred everyplace,
on every work on every face,
someone gave me wishes
and I wished for an embrace.

Several girls embraced me, then
I was embraced by men,
Is my passion perfect?
No, do it once again.

I was handsome I was strong,
I knew the words of every song.
Did my singing please you?
No, the words you sang were wrong.

Who is it whom I address,
who takes down what I confess?
Are you the teachers of my heart?
We teach old hearts to rest.

Oh teachers are my lessons done?
I cannot do another one.
They laughed and laughed and said, Well child,
are your lessons done?
are your lessons done?
are your lessons done?

Originally posted on Thursday 28th April 2011