This Be The Verse
Philip Larkin

They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
___They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
___And add some extra, just for you.

But they were fucked up in their turn
___By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half the time were soppy-stern
___And half at one another's throats.

Man hands on misery to man.
___It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
___And don't have any kids yourself.

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