YouTube Transcriptions #47 Monty Python

This is from the Monty Python film “The Life Of Brian”. It is set at the same time as the life of Jesus, in which the Roman Empire is controlling the region now known as Israel. This scene depicts a group of anti-Roman revolutionists.
The group leader is played by John Cleese, who later made Fawlty Towers (see a previous blog post).

From 0:56 the group are asked by the leader “What have they ever given us in return?” (“They” means the Romans)

Man 1: The aqueduct.
Leader (Reg): What?
Man 1: The aqueduct.
Leader: Oh, yeah, yeah they did give us that. That’s true, yes.
Man 2: And sanitation.
Man 3: Oh yeah, the sanitation, Reg. Remember what the city used to be like.
Leader: Yeah, all right, I’ll grant you the aqueduct, the sanitation, the two things the Romans have done…
Man 4: And the roads.
Leader: Well yeah, obviously the roads. I mean the roads go without saying, don’t they? But apart from the sanitation, the aqueduct and the roads…
Man 5: Irrigation…
Man 6: Medicine…
Man 7: Education…
Leader: Yeah, yeah, all right. Fair enough.
Man 8: And the wine.
Man 9: Yeah! Yeah, that’s something we’d really miss, Reg, if the Romans left.
Man 2 : Public baths.
Man 3: And it’s safe to walk in the streets at night now, Reg.
Man 9: Yeah, they certainly know how to keep order. Let’s face it, they’re the only ones who could in a place like this, ha, ha, ha.
Leader: Alright, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh water system and public health… what have the Romans ever done for us?
Man 1: Brought peace.
Leader: Oh, peace! Shut up!

Expressions used:
“I’ll grant you,” and “Fair enough,” both mean he is acknowledging a good point but begrudgingly (he really doesn’t want to).
When something “goes without saying“, it is so obvious that nobody needs to mention it. Ironically, people often use this phrase before saying it anyway. For example, “It goes without saying that if you need any help, I’ll  be pleased to do it.”