The Barrytown Trilogy Read Online Free PDF Page B

is ————REVOLUTION!
    Cheers and clenched fists.
    Jimmy went on.
    —Soul is the politics o’ the people.
    —Yeeoow!
    —Righ’ on, Jimmy.
    —Our people. ——Soul is the rhythm o’ sex. It’s the rhythm o’ the factory too. The workin’ man’s rhythm. Sex an’ factory.
    —Not the factory I’m in, said Natalie. —There isn’t much rhythm in guttin’ fish.
    She was pleased with the laughter.
    —Musical mackerel, wha’.
    ———Harmonious herring.
    —Johnny Ray, said Dean, and then he roared: —JOHNNY RAY!
    —Okay —Take it easy, said Jimmy.
    —Cuntish cod, said Deco.
    ———Politics. ——Party politics, said Jimmy, —means nothin’ to the workin’ people. Nothin’. ——Fuck all. Soul is the politics o’ the people.
    —Start talkin’ abou’ ridin’ again, Jimmy. You’re gettin’ borin’.
    —Politics ——ridin’, said Jimmy. —It’s the same thing.
    —Brother Jimmy speaks the truth, said Joey The Lips.
    —He speaks through his hole.
    —Soul is dynamic. (—So are you.) —It can’t be caught. It can’t be chained. They could chain the nigger slaves but they couldn’t chain their soul.
    —Their souls didn’t pick the fuckin’ cotton though. Did they now?
    —Good thinkin’.
    —Fuck off a minute. —Soul is the rhythm o’ the people, Jimmy said again. —The Labour Party doesn’t have soul. Fianna fuckin’ Fail doesn’t have soul. The Workers’ Party ain’t got soul. The Irish people ——no. ——The Dublin people —fuck the rest o’ them. ——The people o’ Dublin, our people, remember need soul. We’ve got soul.
    —Fuckin’ righ’ we have.
    —The Commitments, lads. We’ve got it. ——Soul. God told the Reverend Ed——
    —Ah, fuck off.
    * * *
    They loved Jimmy’s lectures. His policy announcements were good too.
    —What’re they? Derek asked after Jimmy had made one of these announcements.
    —Monkey suits, said Jimmy.
    —No way, Rabbitte.
    —Yes way.
    —No fuckin’ way, Jim. No way.
    —I had one o’ them for me mot’s debs, said Billy. —It was fuckin’ thick. The sleeves were too long, the trunzers were too fuckin’ short, there was a stupid fuckin’ stripe down ———
    —I puked on mine at our debs, remember? said Outspan.
    —Some of it got on mine too, Derek reminded him.
    —Oh, for fuck sake! said Dean. —I’m after rememberin’. ———I forgot to bring mine back. It’s under me bed.
    —When was your debs? Bernie asked him.
    —Two years ago, said Dean.
    They started laughing.
    —Yeh must owe them hundreds, said Outspan.
    —I’d better leave it there so.
    —Jimmy, said James. —Are yeh seriously expectin’ us to deck ourselves out in monkey suits?
    —Yeah. ———— Why not?
    —Yeh can go an’ shite, said Billy.
    —Well said.
    —Yis have to look good, said Jimmy. —Neat ——Dignified.
    —What’s fuckin’ dignified abou’ dressin’ up like a jaysis penguin? Outspan asked.
    —I’d be scarleh, said Derek.
    Deco said nothing. He liked the idea.
    —Brothers, Sisters, said Joey The Lips. —We know thatsoul is sex. And soul is revolution, yes? So now soul is ——Dignity.
    —I don’t understand tha’, said Dean.
    —Soul is lifting yourself up, soul is dusting yourself off, soul is ——
    —What’s he fuckin’ on abou’?
    —Just this, Brother. ——Soul is dignity. ——Dignity, soul. Dignity is respect. —Self respect. ——Dignity is pride. Dignity, confidence. Dignity, assertion. (Joey The Lips’ upstretched index finger moved in time to his argument. They were glued to it.) —Dignity, integrity. Dignity, elegance. ——Dignity, style.
    The finger stopped.
    —Brothers and Sisters. ———Dignity, dress. ——Dress suits.
    —Dignity fuck dignity off dignity Joey.
    —Dignity slippers, dignity cardigan.
    —Ah, leave Joey alone, said Natalie.
    Joey The Lips laughed with them.
    Then Jimmy handed out photocopies of a picture of Marvin Gaye, in a monkey suit. That