Lyrks
Lyrks
Lyrks
Cover Art

Sketch for a Financial Theory of the Self Lyrics by J.H. Prynne

Kitchen Poems

0

1. The qualities as they continue are the silk
under the hand; because their celestial
progress, across the sky, is so hopeless & so
to be hoped for. I hope for silk, always, and
the strands are not pure though the name
is so. The name is the sidereal display, it
is what we know we cannot now have.
The last light is the name it carries,
it is this that binds us to our unbroken trust.
2. So then, we should not trust the hope
that is merely a name for silk, for
purity untouched by any Italian hand.
The celestial routine is begging, & a nasty
toy at that; the stars are names and the
names are necessarily false. We choose
to believe in the flotsam, the light glance
passing and innocent because unpriced.
3. Which is grossly untrue, because we
pay for it well enough, I have squandered
so much life & good nature I could hardly
guess the account.
The numbers are out
there in the human
sky, the pure margin
which are the trust we
deserve.
And we should
have what the city does need,
the sky, if we did not so
want the need.
4. The name of that is of course money, and
the absurd trust in value is the pattern of
bond and contract and interest-just where
the names are exactly equivalent to the trust
given to them.
Here then is the purity of
pragmatic function:
we give the name of
our selves to our needs.
We want what we are.
5. And not silk except for ties, or the sky
as even for exchange, the coin of the
face we look up to as a vault ready
for trust. That much
is trickery,
but the names,
do you not
see, are just
the tricks we
trust, which
we choose.
The qualities then are a name, corporately,
for the hope that they will return to us. The
virtue in whose exercise we retain the fiction
of air, silence, fluid round the hub of the week.
6. How could this be clearer? The items are,
that we are bribes and that silk is a random but
by tradition a costly gift. Quality is habit.
7. What follows is where we are now, or where
I am. The old cry about chastity, that we are
bound by the parts of our unnatural frames.
The median condition is the city and not the travel
or the remoteness of travel, in sound. Music,
travel, habit and silence are all money; purity
is a glissade into the last, most beautiful return
8. And how much we hope for it is the primacy
of count. This is the shining grudge of numbers,
the name we will not lose to any possible stranger:
the star & silk of my eye, that will not return.
Credits
J.H. Prynne

J.H. Prynne

About “Sketch for a Financial Theory of the Self” by J.H. Prynne

Read the complete lyrics to "Sketch for a Financial Theory of the Self" by J.H. Prynne from the album "Kitchen Poems". On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Non-Music, Literature.

"Sketch for a Financial Theory of the Self" is performed by J.H. Prynne. from the album "Kitchen Poems" This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Sketch for a Financial Theory of the Self", explore more songs by J.H. Prynne using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

View all songs and biography for J.H. Prynne · Trending lyrics · Billboard Hot 100

Frequently asked questions

"Sketch for a Financial Theory of the Self" is credited to J.H. Prynne. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Sketch for a Financial Theory of the Self" appears on "Kitchen Poems".

Visit the J.H. Prynne artist page at /artist/jh-prynne for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.