| Billy Bragg – Greetings To The New Brunette Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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@[Nagi1995:25141] Again, sorry to be so late! You really are doing well to try and understand the complexity of these very "English" lyrics! 1). My grammar probably isn't quite good enough to tell you exactly what is going on! I think you might technically call it a presumptive past subjunctive? Essentially "if you hadn't noticed yet" means "either you have noticed, or should have noticed..." It's essentially a rhetorical not-quite-a-question, asking for a response without an actual question, and assuming an answer (i.e. that the singer's partner knows that this is true, and what the cryptic comment means!). The use of "if" is largely similar to "though", but with the sense of hoping that the singer's lover will understand his intentions. It has a sense of momentum, pushing forward (just my opinion). I think the "new brunette" idea is about someone trying to re-create themselves - trying to make a new identity. I am old enough to remember people who in the 1980s dyed their hair and seemed to "re-brand" themselves - trying to create a whole new identity. That seems like at least one understanding of what the singer is talking about. I have to say, you are dealing with very complex issues in English and lyrics. Your English and other understanding is very good! |
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| Billy Bragg – Greetings To The New Brunette Lyrics | 6 years ago |
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@[Nagi1995:24742] Hi there - a very long time after your comment! And your English is very good. There are quite a few cultural and metaphorical things happening in the text. In response to your questions 1. The singer's character is presumably out of work, and so the idea of getting up to go to work - or do anything - is not real for him: he might be tempted to stay in bed all day. 2. There's an English phrase: "don't run before you can walk", meaning: don't try something hard before you master something easy. 3. A bit more complicated! There's a story that Queen Victoria told women to "lie back and think of England", in relation to ... sexual relations. The singer is combining that with the common perception that "England" refers most often in popular speech to the football team, much more a male pursuit than a female one. 4. Again, a bit tricky. I wonder whether he is saying that when he's drunk ("wet") he will agree with his partner's hope (for marriage?). When cement is wet, you can make an impression that will last. I don't think the tattoo is significant except that it's probably her name. 5-6. This indicates their difference of faith (and maybe "class"), and perhaps people saying he's not good enough for her, especially as he a) either steals cars, or b) (more likely) in metaphor - is stuck trying the same things that don't work, year after year. 7. This is the difficult one! It could be a) that there is a new baby. I don't think so. b) that there's a new man in her life. I don't think so. c) that in the 1980s (when this song was written) most people were just discovering hair dye, and the woman might have been trying to create a new image for herself. Maybe the singer is trying to find his place in this "new image" as her partner? |
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