Saturday, June 4, 2011

Lyrical observation

The other day I heard the song Penny Lane on the radio. It's one of those songs I've heard many times, but don't really know the lyrics to. This time, I heard the words, "Four of fish and finger pies" clearly, and though I haven't any idea what it really means, in the past what I heard was "for a pishandpinger pie." Hey, the Beatles' lyrics were always inscrutable, supposedly filled with hidden meanings, and frankly, I never cared a whit about them, but when I heard the words "fish and finger pie," I realized that there must have been many lyrics I had heard which I couldn't have understood. When I was a little kid, I didn't know British slang, nor did I know anything about British food.


Giving it some thought, I realized that there is no such thing as a "fish and finger pie." What does it mean? Ah, "four of fish," is British slang for four pennies worth of fish, and "finger pie" is slang for teenaged sexual fumbling. So, it's a cute little play on words. 


I googled "inscrutable 60's lyrics" and found that Louie Louie is #1 with a bullet. I've heard so many covers of this song, all of them lyrically absurd, but when I just gave the Kingsmen's original song a listen, I can understand why it got the most hits. Here's what I just heard, and have remembered:


Louie Louie oh baby the way I go
Louie Louie oh baby the way I go


My little girl is waiting for me
Ketchup Jim is fantasy
Say I dream about all alone
And never now I wait at home. . .


For nights and nights I say you see
Make up girl a fantasy
My arms my tail my dreams be there
My girls a roll are in her hair. . .


Sig a maker the moon above
A perfect long a baby love
I'll shake her hand her arm again
I love her eyes I believe amen


That's with listening. If I think about it, here's what happens:


 "Louie Louie, oh baby, the I go. 
Louie Louie oh baby the way I go. ."


Louie Louie oh baby the way I go now


yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah


Louie Louie Oh baby the way I go 


Nyeh nyeh nyeh nyeh 
nyeh nyah nyeh nyeh


Nyeh nyeh nyeh nyeh
The fantasy.
I make or break her
My arms you see


Louie Louie oh baby the way I go" 


Etcetera. I really haven't a clue, and can't remember anything except, "Louie Louie Oh Baby The Way I Go."


What do you hear? No cheating! Do not read below the video.





What I've discovered, is that if I read the lyrics of a song, I can then hear the right words (though with this song, it's still a stretch).


Amazingly, according to the "official" lyrics, it isn't even "the way I go."


Here they are:


"Louie Louie, oh no
 Me gotta go
Aye-yi-yi-yi, I said
Louie Louie, oh baby
Me gotta go


Fine little girl waits for me
Catch a ship across the sea
Sail that shit about, all alone
Never know if I make it home.


Three nights and days I sail the sea
Think of girl, constantly
On that ship, I dream she's there
I smell the rose in her hair.


Okay let's give it 'em right now!


See Jamaica, the moon above
It won't be long, me see me love
Take her in my arms again
Tell her I'll never leave again.


Let's take it on outta here now
Let's go!"


I had written a completely different post earlier today, and accidentally deleted it. In that post, I analyze some Rolling Stones and Slipknot lyrics. Well, I'll leave that to another day. It was an even longer, and more complex post.

Yes, even listening to light music on the radio spurs long tangential thoughts. That's just the way I am. Uh huh. I like it.

That's the way, uh huh, uh huh, I like it. Duh duh duh duh duh. Louie louie, oh baby, the way I go. Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah.  


1 comment:

Jtowns said...

I have such a hard time understanding lyrics I tend to not even pay attention to them unless they break into my thoughts for some reason. Then I end up having to look them up.

I feel like most of the meaning musicians might be trying to convey is completely lost on me.