Say Say Say Poem by Tom Courtney

People are saying and saying
That’s what I found out today
Did you ever notice how people keep saying
Like nothing can get in their way?

I’m just saying people keep saying
It seems like a non-ending stream
I hear it all day til my bedtime
And then it goes on in my dream

It seems there’s a lot of us saying
What it is that we’ve got on our minds
I don’t know what keeps us all going?
Perhaps that there’s something to find

What I find is that people keep saying
But my feelings express something more
There seems to be something that’s deeper
I’ve got to find what‘s at the core

Perhaps it’s a stroll in the forest
Or a nice long slow walk on the beach
I need silence from all of the saying
Some relief from the progress of speech

And I don’t always find disagreement
But there’s something I don’t understand
The way of the words is alarming
The supply far exceeds the demand

And people keep saying and saying
Perhaps it’s the way of the world
The congress keeps yea-ing and nay-ing
Conversations are hurled and swirled

But I’m beginning to see more about us
We’re expressive, loquacious – we talk
We cry scream burb gurgle and la-la
Long before we can get up and walk

Epilogue:

My essay seems to have gotten quite lengthy
I’m guilty of what I attack
Now I’ve gone and made me self-conscious
They’ll say that it’s terseness I lack