It Couldn't Be Done
by Edgar Albert Guest
About the Author
It Couldn't Be Done
Somebody said that it couldn’t be done
But he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it!
Somebody scoffed: “Oh, you’ll never do that;
At least no one ever has done it;”
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat
And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it.
There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure,
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing
That “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it.
Interpretation of Key Lines
"He started to sing as he tackled the thing..."
The singing represents that he had a positive attitude as he went about doing the thing that "couldn't be done."
"Without any doubting or quiddit'"
This line mean that he believed in himself and didn't try to work around the situation.
"He buckled right in..."
"Buckled" here means he applied himself with vigor.
"He took off his coat and he took off his hat"
This adds to the effect that the character is a real, ordinary person. It also means that the person didn't waste any time after being told it couldn't be done and got right to doing the thing.
"There are thousands to prophesy failure"
There are many people who will predict that you will not succeed.