Two Stances on Cruelty (with commentary)

Everyone always knew where Elvis stood
and how he stood, on cruelty.
Through all four verses and the chorus
he never wavered once

in his long recording
and touring career. The King
remained firmly against.

What to make, then, of the Nick Lowe
school of thought which emerged
many years later. The one that says
“you gotta be cruel to be kind”?

This would seem to run directly counter
to Mr. Presley’s position. We are tempted
to assign the moral high ground
to Mr. Presley and to cast Mr. Lowe

in a less favorable light. To be fair,
though, Mr. Lowe did add the qualifier,
“in the right measure,” which muddies
the waters a bit, but which makes clear

that Mr. Lowe had moved beyond
the question of the rightness or wrongness
of cruelty and changed the discussion into
one of degree and whether, applied

appropriately, cruelty can be put
to a good and useful end. We
could go on dissecting other
verses, liner notes etc. but I think

it’s clear there is a stark distinction
between the two philosophers.
And, so I ask most readers
to think on these things

over the coming months and years
as life presents them with situations
where the question of the propriety
of cruelty arises. But you, baby,

I’m afraid you’re gonna have to
hurry the fuck up and decide

what it is you’re gonna do
to a heart that’s true.

–May 15, 2019