Merz Suite

Merz Suite/Futt Futt Futt

LET US JOIN TOGETHER IN A TUNE

(Tonio K.)

come on people

come on come on

come and gather 'round

put away your knives and forks and spoons

and sit right down

lay your heads upon the railing

close your little eyes

soon you will receive our famous lexical surprise

everybody in this picture

has another face

everybody on the planet's

longing for a taste

of something slightly left of ordinary

special and unique

anything except all of this talk

about world war III

someone must have something else to say

maybe in some brand new language

chorus:

i don't know

i just don't know

es ist zimelich ungewšlnich

this is something new

but these glottal babblings are difficult to do

you wonder what can be the meaning

of a chorus such as this

well, meaning, if you'll think about it

probably don't exist

reasonable men are dangerous

remember germany

(chorus)

thank you for your kind attention

you are now dismissed

for your future musing please accept

these useful hints:

effect here in this universe is infinite, it's true

intent however seems to be reducible to two

(that's twice)

so while we sit here waiting for the proof

let us join together in a tune

UMORE (A MEMOIR DE JACQUES VACHÉ)

(Tonio K.)

umore

je suis une valise vide aussi

umore

je n'ai rien a declarer

["umore" was a phrase coined by dada prototype jacques vaché during world war I. by it he meant something approaching the point of enlightenment beyond which the futility of life becomes comic. vaché killed himself in 1919 at the age of twenty-three.]

FUTT FUTT FUTT

(Tonio K.)

this one is for mr. schwitters

this one is for kurt

e toqto to tkagoqdi

exuaigemaeo koqta merz

this one's got a snappy chorus

you can sing along

see, there is beauty even in the garbage

sing the garbage song

you just go:

futt futt futt

bah!

i am stupid

futt futt futt

bah!

i am stupid

futt futt futt

yes

i am stupid

futt futt futt futt

this one has no doubt confused you.

you are maybe hurt?

do not let this life abuse you

you are not so worthless:

(A) you're an integral and valuable

part of some master plan, or

(B) clearly as important as a dirtclod

or that can

sing it out now:

futt futt futt

bah!

i am stupid

futt futt futt

bah!

i am stupid

futt futt futt

yes

i am stupid

futt futt futt futt

[innovator in the art of collage, part-time composer, and full-time poet/archaeologist kurt schwitters petitioned for something he referred to as the merz stage. this was to be, conservatively, life enacted before a paying audience. nothing much would happen on stage; everything would (sooner or later) happen on stage. among the things kurt wrote into the "soundtrack" of his play were sewing machines singing and an organ that played the notes futt, futt, and futt.]

UMORE (A MEMOIR DE JACQUES VACHÉ)

(Tonio K.)

umore

je suis une valise vide aussi

umore

je n'ai rien a declarer