There goes my worldview

Not really. But there was this poem I heard in high school, and remembered one line to this day. Apparently I remembered it wrong. For whatever reason, I looked it up:

Stevie Smith - Not Waving But Drowning

Nobody heard him, the dead man,
But still he lay moaning:
I was much further out than you thought
And not waving but drowning.

Poor chap, he always loved larking
And now he's dead
It must have been too cold for him his heart gave way,
They said.

Oh, no no no, it was too cold always
(Still the dead one lay moaning)
I was much too far out all my life
And not waving but drowning.


Yeah. Anyway, I forgot what the poem was about. Because if I had remembered, I would have probably also remembered the line correctly. The line is "not waving, but drowning." And for years, I thought it was "not drowning, but waving".

That line (remembered wrong) has both inspired and encouraged me on many occassions. Many. I've thought about it and lived it. Yeah. So like I said - there goes my worldview.