# The Men That Don’t Fit In explained — Songs of a Sourdough

> Chapter companion for Songs of a Sourdough by Robert W. Service.

## What happens

This poem describes a race of restless men who cannot settle down, breaking the hearts of their families as they roam the world. They are strong and brave but constantly seek change, making fresh mistakes and failing to achieve lasting success. Ultimately, they are portrayed as 'rolling stones' who are never meant to win, belonging to a 'Legion Lost' of misfits.

## Themes in this chapter

### The Outcast and the Misfit

The entire poem centers on men who do not fit into society, described as a 'race of men that don't fit in' and 'a man who won't fit in.'

### Loneliness and Despair

The poem conveys a sense of failure and hopelessness, with lines like 'He has failed, he has failed; he has missed his chance' and 'a hope that's dead.'

## Key lines

> There’s a race of men that don’t fit in, A race that can’t stay still; So they break the hearts of kith and kin, And they roam the world at will.

There exists a type of man who is unable to settle down, causing pain to their family as they wander endlessly.

_Introduces the central theme of restless misfits._

> He has failed, he has failed; he has missed his chance; He has just done things by half. Life’s been a jolly good joke on him, And now is the time to laugh.

He has completely failed and wasted his opportunities, doing everything half-heartedly, and now he can only laugh bitterly at the cruel joke his life has become.

_Captures the despair and resignation of the outcast._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/songs_of_a_sourdough_se/chapters/the-men-that-don-t-fit-in
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/songs_of_a_sourdough_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/songs_of_a_sourdough_se/chapters