Of course the lyrics to WEST SIDE STORY are superb. Here, the last two lines of the intro to "America" creatively reverse the expression, "Put that in your pipe and smoke it" to rhyme "Manhattan" and "that in."
Still, it makes be a bit nutty because you wouldn't smoke a pipe before putting anything in it.
Puerto Rico, My heart's devotion Let it sink back in the ocean Always the hurricanes blowing Always the population growing And the money owing And the sunlight streaming And the natives steaming I like the island Manhattan Smoke on your pipe And put that in!
Of course the lyrics to WEST SIDE STORY are superb. Here, the last two lines of the intro to "America" creatively reverse the expression, "Put that in your pipe and smoke it" to rhyme "Manhattan" and "that in."
Still, it makes be a bit nutty because you wouldn't smoke a pipe before putting anything in it. !
You realize it is a politically incorrect ESL joke, right?
Of course the lyrics to WEST SIDE STORY are superb. Here, the last two lines of the intro to "America" creatively reverse the expression, "Put that in your pipe and smoke it" to rhyme "Manhattan" and "that in."
Still, it makes be a bit nutty because you wouldn't smoke a pipe before putting anything in it. !
You realize it is a politically incorrect ESL joke, right?
No, I didn't, and I'm amused that I never interpreted the lyric as Anita messing up the expression because of a language issue. So obvious now that you pointed it out. I hereby retract my example of a "nutty" lyric.
Back in the 70s I had seen some old clip on TV in which Steve Allen was just lambasting the idiocy of rock and roll lyrics, particularly singling out “Be Bop A Lula” or some such song and he had me fuming at his smugness even though I admired his intellect. Not long afterwards I was enjoying some TV tribute to rock and roll when my Dad came in and started watching it with me; why he would watch anything about that, I’ve no clue. He went on a rave similar to Steve Allen’s, guffawing at how stupid the songs of my generation were and it just pushed me over the edge. I yelled something to the effect “Yeah, we need some genius lyrics like ‘Hold tight, hold tight, a-hold tight, hold tight fododo-de-yacka saki, want some sea food mama!’”. We both watched the rest of the show in silence; I assume we must have reached an unspoken agreement that idiotic lyrics were not the sole property of any one particular generation. That episode helped me to be more constrained about the idiotic lyrics of my kids’ generation when they were coming of age. Still, some lyrics can make me nutty.
I'm more bothered by weird enunciation, yahoos during a song which sound more like someone in pain, along with contrary "yeahs" and "no's." But here's a lyric that probably sticks in many a craw:
AFRICA (Toto) "It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do I bless the rains down in Africa Gonna take some time to do the things we never have"
Never have done. DONE!!
Odd to be perplexed by that part of Toto's ubiquitous offering (I even heard it in a silver band performance down by our local river a few weeks ago). I doubt it would bother any British English speakers. You don't need to add "done" because the verb is represented only a few words earlier by the word "do". And it wouldn't scan. You'd have to change it to "the things we've never done".
I do get annoyed by the lyrics of "I Love it When You Call" by popular beat combo The Feeling, which goes " I love it when you call, but you never call at all." So if "you" never call, how can "I" know that "I" love it? That just doesn't make sense. It would work if only they'd bothered to write "I'd love it if you'd call..."
As noted above, Africa by Toto is one of THE WORST written songs I've ever heard, mainly for THIS BIT...
The wild dogs cry out in the night As they grow restless, longing for some solitary company I know that I must do what's right As sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti
It's actually painful, AND FUNNY, listening to him try and wrap that sentence around the tune, especially after the struggles of the previous lines. Shocking!
Yup, but...at least they're songs that we're talking about here. I don't think this thread would work with a lot of the stuff we get now, just autotuned random words sung to a groovy beat. I think I'm showing my age here
It was an evening I shared with the sun To find out where we belong From the earliest days We were dancing in the shadows More wine 'Cause I got to have it More skin 'Cause I got to eat it Inside the outside By the river Used to be so calm Used to be so sane I rushed the lady's room Took the water from the toilet Washed her feet and blessed her name More peace Is such a dirty habit
Slow down We're too afraid Let me ride Burn my eyes Let me ride It was an evening I shared with the sun To find out where we belong From the earliest days We were dancing in the shadows Slow down We're too afraid Let me ride Burn my eyes Let me ride
Let's go hang out in a mall, or a morgue A smorgasboard Let's go hang out in a church We'll go find lurch Then we'll haul ass down through the abbey Is it money, is it fame What's in a name, shame? Is it money, is it fame Or were they always this lame? It's a crazy, crazy mixed up town But it's the rattlesnake I fear In another place, in another time I'd be drivin' trucks my dear Deer Let's go hang out in a bar It's not too far We'll take my car We'll lay flowers at the grave of Jesco white The sinner's saint The rack is full and so are we Of laughing gas and ennui It's a crazy, crazy mixed up town But it's the rattlesnake I fear In another place, in another time I'd be drivin' trucks my dear I'd be skinning hunted dear Deer It's a crazy, crazy mixed up town But it's the rattlesnake I fear In another place, in another time I'd be drivin' trucks my dear I'd be skinning hunted dear Deer
