[Dixielandjazz] Shakespeare and the lawyers

[Jim Denham]

In message <p05100300ba263d124b33@[146.6.110.183]>, Dan Augustine 
<ds.augustine@mail.utexas.edu> writes
>>From: Anton Crouch <a.crouch@unsw.edu.au>
>>Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Shakespeare and the lawyers
>>Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2002 01:39:23 +1100
>>
>>Hello all
>>
>>Don Ingle's mentions the well known "first we kill the lawyers", and its
>>attribution to Shakespeare. We all think we understand the feelings
>>expressed by these words but what is really intriguing is that, in the
>>words' original context, the meaning is not at all straightforward.
>>
>>The reference is King Henry the sixth, part 2, Act 4, scene 2, 86 and the
>>actual words are "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers".
>>
>>The words are spoken by Dick, the butcher, as part of a commentary on the
>>rantings of the Kentish rebel, Cade. Dick is being satirical and Cade's
>>espousal of the idea can be seen as Shakespeare telling us that lawyers are
>>one of the barriers against the breakdown of civil order.
>>
>>What do the lawyers on our list think? - and no jokes about "thinking
>>lawyers" being an oxymoron, please   :-)
>>
>>All the best
>>Anton
>**-----------------------------------------------------------------------**
>    Well, i'm not a lawyer, nor do i play one on TV, but my brother is 
>a lawyer ("One skilled in circumvention of the law."--Ambrose Bierce). 
>However, he doesn't practice law (he's in the U. S. Embassy in Vienna).
>    So that allows me to ask: what OKOM songs are there relating to 
>laws, lawyers, or legal matters?  Isn't there a Hoagy Carmichael song 
>"DOCTOR, LAWYER, INDIAN CHIEF"?  Any others?  What key should a lawyer 
>song be in?  (Talk about a setup; there's gotta be a snapper for that.)
>
>    Dan

It's a pity Dick Wellstood, a practising attorney and plain-spoken man
throughout his career as a jazz pianist, is no longer around to answer.  --
Jim Denham