Over at simply senryu, we’ve been having a discussion
today about the advice:
“if you’re walkin’ on thin ice, then you might
as well dance”
“SkaterSignNF”
I’ve been trying to locate the source of the maxim. Last
January, I posted the words to the 1972 song “Do It” by
Jesse Winchester, from the LP “Third Down, 110 to Go,”
which was my introduction to the notion:
Do It
If the wheel is fixed
I would still take a chance
If we’re treading on thin ice
Then we might as well dance
So I play the fool
But I can’t sit still
Help me get this rock
To the top of this hill
Do it
‘Til we’re sick of it
Do it ’till you can’t do it no more
Erick Houck Jr. had seen it recently and first brought
up the quote, in reaction to this dagosan senryu:
new ice
on the river –
still can’t walk on water
Matt Morden pointed to this article by a hypnotherapist,
who saw the slogan on a button. About.com says the
author is unknown. About did, however, quote this
Japanese proverb: “We’re fools whether we dance or
not, so we might as well dance.”
The Layabouts used the line repeatedly in the chorus
of their 1989 song “Thin Ice” (lyrics by Ralph Franklin),
from their “Workers of the World Relax” album.
Key West (via NH) singer-guitarist Scott Kirby named
his 1999 album “Walkin’ on Thin Ice“, and the title
song incorporates the lyric in question.
One webchat site has an entry that seems
to suggest that “Fiddler on the Roof” used
the line, but I can’t find the reference, and
am not familiar enough with the play to have
an opinion. (maybe polymath George Wallace
knows)
How about you? Do know of any use of this line
prior to Jesse Winchester’s 1972 song “Do It”? Please
email or leave a Comment, if you can help run down the
original source.
original by Arthur J. Giacalone, Esq., in full color
Central Park, NYC, ice rink, “The Gates (March, 2005)
coldest day of the year
the lone skater laps
his breath
figure skaters on lac la belle pirouetting into snow squalls
cold wind
the sweep of the speed skater’s arms
dancin’ on thin ice?
the old guy’s
doin’ The Slide
p.s. All day, while chasing the source of the “might
as well dance” quote, I’ve had this nagging thought:
Thirty-four years ago, at 21, I thought this was a
wonderful quote. Now, in my mid-50s, it seems a
bit rash — which is why I would recommend, if you
must dance, that you do The Slide and avoid jumping
up and down. Of course, getting down and rolling is
probably the safest way to go.
“snowflakeS” potluck – more thin ice
the Supreme Court upheld an Oregon law that permits doctors to prescribe medica-
tions in certain assisted suicide situations. (SCOTUSBlog explains). As often
happens when a strongly held personal belief is involved, Prof. Bainbridge seems
to have misplaced his legal analytical mind. Steve declares that he is “confused”
and cries out:
“I”m sure there’s some hypertechnical explanation for why this all makes
sense, but do we really want unelected and unaccountable judges deciding
key social issues on the basis of hypertechnicalities?”
“questionDudeS”
That’s right, a law professor overwhelmed by technicalties and distinctions.
The Court upheld a state legislative choice over a questionable regulation by the
unelected, non-expert U.S. Attorney General. If you’re not simply looking for
results-oriented judging, it seems to me that Mark Zuniga got it right at his
Hanging a Shingle weblog:
I think the important difference here is that Marijuana was
classified in the federal law as a drug that can never be pre-
scribed while the drugs used in the assisted suicides may be
prescribed for a “legitimate medical purpose.” The narrow
holding of the Court appears to be that the statute leaves the
question of legitimate medical purposes to the states. What
we don’t know is whether Congress could actually outlaw
suicide as a legitimate medical purpose. That probably is
coming.
“noyabutsSN” Matt Homann says he likes to “think Big Thoughts,” but it
always looks like he wants lawyers — under the guise of “value pricing” — to
“think Big Fees.” On Jan. 11, he pointed to the article The Price is Never Wrong,
calling it “Good practical introduction to concepts of price vs. value.” In
it, the author brags about how much easier it was to sell a seminar he gives
for $6500 than for $1500 to $2000. As I stated in “ethics aside”, and the
materials linked there, modern psychological marketing techniques may be
acceptable in some businesses, but the legal profession needs to have
higher ethical criteria. The notion of unreasonably high fees can’t be avoided
because a lawyer can fool a client into accepting the “value” of a tripled fee.
That “value billing” approach is skating on ethical thin ice, even if the lawyer
gets to dance all the way to the bank.
