Is my team plowing

When I first started reading this poem, I had absolutely no idea what it was talking about. But, as I kept reading I understood its meaning and really started to appreciate it. I liked, although it made me feel a little sad, the message of the poem.

The author uses a conversation between two friends, one alive and one dead, to illustrates that life still goes on as normal after someone dies. Although this is somewhat depressing to hear, for we hope that we do effect people enough that our death makes an impact, it is a very valid point: when we die the world keeps moving.

The second question asked by the dead man is if everyone is still playing soccer even though he is dead. The living friend answer that yes everyone is still playing, despite him. The sport isn't going to come to a halt on account of the man dying, reaffirming that life goes o after someone dies.


The stanza I found most depressing was the one that reads:

Aye, she lies down lightly,
She lies down not to weep:
Your girl is well contented,
Be still, my lad, and sleep.

I think the girl that the man is referring to is the wife/girlfriend of the man that died. The author stresses that even the people who are closest to use, like a lover, moves on with their lives after we die. I don't necessarily believe that though. While the author does have a point the life continues on, I think that most people are "content" when a loved one dies.Although, I suppose after sometime, the grief does fade to an extent and people continue with their lives.

I think that the poem concludes that the friend is now in a relationship with/sleeping with the dead man's girl because the author says "I cheer a dead man's sweetheart ,never asks me whose." He also tells the dead man to basically just lie down and let it all go multiple times during the poem because the living man is feeling uneasy about his dead friend finding out.

This poem is pretty cynical and pessimistic about human nature and death.

It also reveals the guilty conscious of  the living man enjoying the things that the dead man can't.

There is still a lot I don't entirely understand about this poem, but the message really caught my interest.