The Shame of Going Back
Fortune's Trial: Navigating Life's Setbacks with Dignity
Lyrics
When you've come to make your fortune, and you haven't made your salt,
When you've tried to make your fortune but failed to achieve even basic success or sustenance.
And the reason of your failure isn't anybody's fault-
The failure is not attributed to anyone's fault.
When you haven't got a billet, and the times are very slack,
When you don't have a job, and economic conditions are unfavorable.
There is nothing that can spur you like the shame of going back;
Experiencing the strong motivation driven by the shame associated with returning without success.
Chorus:
Chorus - Referring to the humiliating experience of returning home without any money.
Crawling home with empty pockets, Going back hard-up;
Describing the act of coming home without financial success.
Oh! it's then you learn the meaning of "humiliation's cup".
Reflecting on the profound sense of humiliation during this return.
When the place and you are strangers and you struggle all alone,
Being in an unfamiliar place, facing challenges alone, and longing for the familiar.
And you have a mighty longing for the town where you are known;
Feeling out of place with shabby clothes and an uncertain future.
When your clothes are very shabby, and the future's very black,
Expressing the emotional pain caused by the shame of being in such a situation.
There is nothing that can hurt you like the shame of going back
Highlighting the emotional impact of the shame associated with returning home in such a condition.
Going home with empty pockets, Going back hard-up;
Reiterating the experience of going home without money and the resulting hardship.
Oh! it's then you learn the meaning of "humiliation's cup".
Emphasizing the profound humiliation felt during this return.
When we've fought the battle bravely and are beaten to the wall,
Reflecting on the impact of societal judgment and sneers when one faces defeat.
'Tis the sneer of man, not conscience, that makes cowards of us all;
It's not conscience but the scorn of others that can make individuals feel like cowards.
And while you are returning, oh! your brain is on the rack,
During the return, the person's mind is tortured, and the heart is overshadowed by the shame.
And your heart is in the shadow of the shame of going back.
Describing the heavy emotional burden of the shame associated with returning empty-handed.
When a beaten man's discovered with a bullet in his brain,
Highlighting a scenario where a defeated person, rather than facing shame, chooses a tragic end.
They post-mortem him, and try him, and they say he was insane;
Society may label such cases as insanity, but often it's the shame that led to their tragic decision.
But it very often happens that he'd lately got the sack,
Many times, the person's downward spiral is linked to the shame of losing their job.
And his onward move was owing to the shame of going back.
Connecting the person's tragic choice to the shame of going back.
Going home with empty pockets, Going back hard-up;
Repeating the experience of going home without money and the resulting hardship.
Oh! it's then you learn the meaning of "humiliation's cup".
Reiterating the profound humiliation felt during this return.
Ah! my friend, you call it nonsense, and your upper lip is curled--
Addressing those who dismiss such experiences as nonsense, emphasizing their lack of real trouble.
You have had no real trouble in your passage through the world;
Pointing out that true understanding comes when fortune turns against them.
But when fortune rounds upon you and the rain is on the track,
Describing the bitter realization of the shame when faced with adversity.
You will learn the bitter meaning of the shame of going back;
Stating that real learning comes when experiencing the bitterness of going back.
Going home with empty pockets, Going back hard-up;
Reiterating the experience of going home without money and the resulting hardship.
Oh! it's then you taste the poison in "humiliation's cup".
Emphasizing the taste of poison in the metaphorical "humiliation's cup."
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