Born to Revise

Born to (be Wild) Revise
(with apologies to Steppenwolf)

Get your red pen flowing
Deletions and insertions
Typos and poor grammar
And unwarranted aspersions

Taking care not to miss any errors
Taking care that you get it right
On-screen you can use tracked changes,
Coloured text and highlight

Editing, revision,
Checking or reviewing.
Some people say proofreading;
This is what I’m doing.

You might say that I am pedantic.
You might say that I pick at nits,
When I strain through the finest detail
and catch all the bad bits

Born to Revi-i-se!
Born to Revi-i-se!

When I’m in a restaurant
Or reading for my leisure,
A mistranslation or a typo
Can really mar my pleasure.

I will point out your basic mistakes.
I’ll correct where you get it wrong.
And if you happen to be unlucky,
I might sing you this song.

I’ve this raw, basic need.
I was born, yes, born to proofread.
I will tell no lies.
I was born to revise.

Born to Revi-i-se
Born to Revi-i-se

(Some say he has too much time on his hands)