Penny Lane (or not)
C April 24, 2005

Does anyone want to hazard a guess why, as I walk along Itaewan Street., the soul of Seoul you might say, I can't stop my mind from going through the lyrics of "Penny Lane"

In Penny Lane there is a barber showing photographs
Of every head he's had the pleasure to know.
And all the people that come and go
Stop and say hello.

You have to walk real fast, otherwise people will grab you and try to pull you into their shops, or offer you things you don't want, and then I feel guilty. As it is, a lot of people call at me while I walk by, but I wave my hand dismissively and keep walking.

On the corner is a banker with a motorcar,
The little children laugh at him behind his back.
And the banker never wears a mack
In the pouring rain, very strange.

At the very least, it builds up your quick thinking skills. You have to scan the carts, observe if there is anything you want, study it and, within a matter of seconds, decide if it is worth stopping for. If you do stop, you know that the owner isn't going to let you walk away unless you promise to come back, and even then he does so reluctantly. The shops are a little better, but even then it's hard to get out.

Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes.
There beneath the blue suburban skies
I sit, and meanwhile back

Just then something horrible smelling presents itself to my nostrils, and I realize how completely ridiculous it is that I am singing this song. But it won't... stop... PLAYING! I blame Douglas Adams. He has an essay at the beginning of The Salmon of Doubt where he talks about his love of the Beatles, and now I have that damn song stuck in my head. I actually like the song, but still...

In Penny Lane there is a fireman with an hourglass
And in his pocket is a portrait of the Queen.
He likes to keep his fire engine clean,
It's a clean machine.

Is that vaguely disturbing, or am I the only one who thinks that "cleaning your fire truck" is a sexual reference? Which reminds me, I have yet to see any prostitutes out here, although I haven't been out after dark either. Curfew is at midnight, 1 on the weekends, for all soldiers anywhere in Korea. And then there is a long list of establishments we are supposed to steer clear of. Nice of them to provide a list of fun places to go in Seoul.

Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes.
A four of fish and finger pies
In summer, meanwhile back

I'm actually starting to really like this song, but I wish my head would play something different, like Aerosmith or Whitesnake, maybe. I don't like feeling so upbeat. Here I decide to stop and check out the 007 club, since I am such a Bond fan, only to find that inside the doors is nothing but rubble, which to my mind is very disrespectful, but anyway, I press on.

Behind the shelter in the middle of a roundabout
The pretty nurse is selling poppies from a tray
And tho' she feels as if she's in a play
She is anyway.

I think that may have been a sexual reference too, but who knows. I cross the street and head back, because otherwise I could just keep walking forever. On the way back I find a Baskin Robbins, of all things, and I decide I want a scoop. My two favorite flavors are mint chocolate chip and cookie dough and I usually have trouble deciding, when too my utmost surprise I find that they have "mint chocolate cookie dough" right there beneath the green tea ice cream. It sounds weird, but I decide to risk it. It's two thousand wan for a scoop, which is roughly equal to two dollars. It's actually pretty good.

In Penny Lane the barber shaves another customer,
We see the banker sitting waiting for a trim.
And then the fireman rushes in
From the pouring rain, very strange.

I continue back, stopping briefly at the SPY club for the same reason I stopped at the 007 club, but it isn't very late yet and no one is in there. I begin to sing the song louder. When I get to the gate, I present two forms of photo ID and walk back to my house, satisfied with my excursion.

Penny lane is in my ears and in my eyes.
There beneath the blue suburban skies
I sit, and meanwhile back.
Penny lane is in my ears and in my eyes.
There beneath the blue suburban skies,
Penny Lane.