Yes, we think words are the bee’s knees. We’re obsessed with opening lines. And last lines. Hell, second lines. It’s only a matter of time before someone (my money’s on me) posts a quiz of first full sentences from page 57 of novels written after 1979.*

But this week, I watched Stormy Weather (1943) and was forcibly reminded that sometimes words are insufficient and superfluous. The song is “Jumpin’ Jive,” performed by Cab Calloway’s band, and these are the Nicholas Brothers:

* (e.g., “Our mother opened her frayed wallet and wondered aloud how I’d make a living while I was writing poems.” —Mary Gaitskill, Veronica)