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Everybody Knows Poem

Decent Essays

Everybody Knows In “Everybody knows,” Cohen and Robinson paint a dark picture of the reality that surrounds human beings, which all are aware of, and yet are powerless against it. In the song/poem, they focus on the main issues that darken the society such as social injustice, corruption, and infidelity, which ultimately lead to an impending demise. In summary, "Everybody Knows" is a cynical and apocalyptic look at humanity's indifference towards worldly injustice that will culminate in the fall of humankind through the loss of our moral compass, the sacred heart.
Firstly, the speaker repeatedly uses the phrase, “everybody knows” to remind the reader about the state of human beings (Cohen and Robinson 1). It paints a normal pace or a general acceptance …show more content…

In the poem, he looks at the plight of various people such as Old Joe and concludes, “The naked man and woman are just a shining artifact of the past” (41). He considers the actions of humanity inconsequential in the end. They do not amount to a positive influence. He believes the war wastage because, in the end, the “good guys lost” (4). Consequently, because he does not believe in fairness, he argues that the results, which the society receives, are a function of the fixed fight. In his view, whether it is the father or the dog that passes away, it does not matter because “that’s how it goes” (7) The meaninglessness and fruitlessness outlook depicts his views on the apathy and indifference of humanity. It describes the life of people in the eye of destiny and fate, which is beyond their realms of control. In other words, because it does not count to care or live happily, the future is not important. After all, whether people amass material wealth or live in depression, they will all have the same horrific fate. Therefore, his apocalyptic outlook is dependent on the belief that “everybody knows that the plague is coming”

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