Reading with the dolphins 3

The third and somewhat antepenultimate delphine reading is an odd one. Unless, of course, you already know that dolphins stay abreast of pop music, especially progressive rock bands from the late twentieth century.

“Here,” my preceptor handed me a page, scrawled quite legibly (and surprisingly so) on a piece of silken flotsam. By definition, I can’t say it was handwritten.

I scanned the page, and reached back to decades-old memories from my college dorm and a pair of old Jensen speakers. “You listen to this stuff?”

“Certainly. It’s a particular favorite. It’s from the last decent album recorded by the group. Alas, it was never performed live.”

As I read, my memory played.

Dark and grey, an English film, the Wednesday Play
We always watch the Queen on Christmas Day
Won't you stay?

Though your eyes see shipwrecked sailors you're still dry
The outlook's fine though Wales might have some rain
Saved again.

Let's skip the news boy (I'll make some tea)
The Arabs and the Jews boy (too much for me)
They get me confused boy (puts me off to sleep)
And the thing I hate - Oh Lord!
Is staying up late, to watch some debate, on some nation's fate.

Hypnotised by Batman, Tarzan, still surprised!
You've won the West in time to be our guest
Name your prize!

Drop of wine, a glass of beer dear what's the time?
The grime on the Tyne is mine all mine all mine
Five past nine.

Blood on the rooftops - Venice in the Spring
Streets of San Francisco - a word from Peking
The trouble was started - by a young Errol Flynn
Better in my day - Oh Lord!
For when we got bored, we'd have a world war, happy but poor

So let's skip the news boy (I'll go make that tea)
Blood on the rooftops (too much for me)
When old Mother Goose stops - they're out for 23
Then the rain at Lords stopped play
Seems Helen of Troy has found a new face again.

“Helen was truly beautiful as every Daughter of Eve is beautiful,” he mused, as if he had ever seen Helen of Troy, which is impossible. But then again, I was speaking and listening to a sea mammal, and that fact put a crimp on my incredulity.

“Beauty did not launch a thousand ships then. Beauty would not do such a thing.

"But beauty launches no ships now. 'Though your eyes see shipwrecked sailors, you're still dry.'

"That's your problem right there, in a glass darkly. It's raining at Lords."