The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Thou dawdl'd not bringing me fro Æther to Nether,
Still, duringly cling I on to this heather -
Dew-scentéd blossom; thou wast pristine,
The sweven of thee ne'er will I cede, my colleen.
Drat this creature of memories ill,
Foolhardy and fey I may be, yet him I shall quell.
'Vaunt! - Devil tyne -
Wadst thou wane fore'ermae;
Daunt - sinsyne thence,
Ta'en as a dint, Angélique?
Perforce and grinningly shall I maim in the vie -
Alas dastard! - hanging by the noose die.
'Vaunt! - Devil tyne -
Wadst thou wane fore'ermae;
Daunt - sinsyne thence,
Ta'en as a dint, Angélique?
'Come not wont to this uncouth Devil!,
Lest to a Devil thou wilt translate...my Angel.
'Vaunt! - Devil tyne -
Wadst thou wane fore'ermae;
Daunt - sinsyne thence,
Ta'en as a dint, Angélique?
Still, duringly cling I on to this heather -
Dew-scentéd blossom; thou wast pristine,
The sweven of thee ne'er will I cede, my colleen.
Drat this creature of memories ill,
Foolhardy and fey I may be, yet him I shall quell.
'Vaunt! - Devil tyne -
Wadst thou wane fore'ermae;
Daunt - sinsyne thence,
Ta'en as a dint, Angélique?
Perforce and grinningly shall I maim in the vie -
Alas dastard! - hanging by the noose die.
'Vaunt! - Devil tyne -
Wadst thou wane fore'ermae;
Daunt - sinsyne thence,
Ta'en as a dint, Angélique?
'Come not wont to this uncouth Devil!,
Lest to a Devil thou wilt translate...my Angel.
'Vaunt! - Devil tyne -
Wadst thou wane fore'ermae;
Daunt - sinsyne thence,
Ta'en as a dint, Angélique?
Lyrics submitted by TheUnholyMaster
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I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
I've translated the song as best I can. Of course you must take into account the context of the song to pinpoint exactly what some of the words truly mean (where they may mean something else), and I suppose only the song writer knows that. Therefore I have presumed what the context is from what I could find of the words meaning, and that presumption is that the song is about someone mourning the loss of his love to another man. As I said this may not be accurate, but here is what I could gather;
You didn't dawdle bringing me from heaven to hell Still, I cling hard to this heather Dew-scented blossom; you were perfect, I'll never forget the vision of you, my maiden Damn this creature of bad memories I may be foolhardy and crazy, but I will vanquish him
Boasting - Perish, Devil I would have you diminish forever Discouraged since that time Taken as a blow, Angélique?
By force and with a grin on my face I shall injur (him) in the fight Alas coward! - die by the noose (possibly a reference to suicide)
Boasting - Perish, Devil I would have you diminish forever Discouraged since that time Taken as a blow, Angélique?
Do not accustom yourself to this crude Devil Or you shall become a Devil yourself...my Angel
Boasting - Perish, Devil I would have you diminish forever Discouraged since that time Taken as a blow, Angélique?
I have posted a (non-scholarly) translation of the lyrics as well as a little of my interpretation there of. I hope you might like to see my version. I found yours after I did my own for a friend, so I added mine just for comparison's sake. ^_^<3
I have no idea...yet I adore the song...it sounds great :) Would you please tell me what do you think of it?
I have posted a (non-scholarly) translation of the lyrics as well as a little of my interpretation there of. I hope you might find it of assistance. Draig has posted one as well.
Where can we get a good Old English translation? :-)
I have posted a (non-scholarly) translation of the lyrics as well as a little of my interpretation there of. I hope you might find it of assistance. Draig has posted one as well.
It's amazing how difficult it is to find out what all of these words mean.
[Did I just sound as illiterate as I thought I did?]
I have posted a (non-scholarly) translation of the lyrics as well as a little of my interpretation there of. I hope you might find it of assistance.
Given that the album draws from a variety of folk lore, it could be based on the story of Marie-Joseph Angelique (known as Angelique) who was a Portuguese born black slave who was accused of burning down her owners home. It may be from the point of view of her lover, Claude Thibault. In reference to the noose, she was trialled and hung. A long shot?
Angelica is also the name of the protagonist of Ludovico Ariosto's "Orlando furioso". I don't know what it exactly has to do with the song, though. XD
Raymond said that the last stanza means something like "don't become fond of this devil, or you'll turn into one yourself", whereas in the previous stanza there is no suicide. Also, the speaker is a male character. Draig did a great job, really. :-)
Ah, I'd forgotten: " 'vaunt" is short for "avaunt", which means "(go) away!". Had it been "vaunt", it wouldn't have had the apostrophe before it. ;-)
Theatre of Tragedy is mostly in Old/Middle English, the following is my non-scholarly translation of the text of the song, with interpretative notations. Though there is another translation available I have made mine available as well in the hope of furthering conversation about this song. <3
"![Thou dawdl'd not] bringing me fro %[Aether] to ^[Nether]," ~![You did not hesitate] to bring me from %[clear upper air, can refer to heaven] ~to ^[under the earth's surface, can refer to hell, hel, or similar location]
"Still, duringly cling I on to this $[heather] -" ~Even now, with endurance I hang on to this $[heather normally refers to small ~pink-purple flowers common on heathes in England and Scotland, though it ~can also refer to a a color which is flecked or mottled that seems out of place ~here. It may be worth noting that white heather refers to protection in some ~versions of Floriography.]
"Dew-scented blossom; thou wast pristine," ~Flower smelling of dew; you were pure/untainted,
"The sweven of thee ne'er will I cede, my colleen." ~The dream of you I will never give up, my Irish girl.
"Drat this creature of memories ill," ~Damn/Confound this animal/created being/beast of bad memories,
"Foolhardy and @fey I may be, yet #[him I shall quell]." ~Foolish and @fey has several meanings, the one that seems to me to fit best ~here is "fated to die" since it implies the speaker is aware the fight he ~contemplates is deadly dangerous, it could also mean 'under a spell' ~(Angelique's maybe?) or supernatural in the way of elves or fairies (which ~seems out of place here, to me.) I may be, but #[I will defeat him]
Chorus: *'Vaunt! - Devil ![tyne] - ~Go away!(abbreviated from Avaunt) - Devil ![tyne can mean a sharp pointy ~part, prickle, or as a verb "to lose", I lean to the second meaning in ~command, similar to. "Just lose already, Devil!"]
*Wadst thou ^[wane] fore'ermae; ~Were you ^[wane can mean "diminishing" in modern english, but means ~"thinking, judging" in mid-English, either makes a certain amount of sense, I ~do think I lean towards diminishing though, because of the following line] ~forever more;
*Daunt - $[sinsyne] #[thence], ~Overcome with fear - $[from that time] #[from that time/place, I lean towards ~place for this one]
*Ta'en as a dint, Angelique? ~Taken (here abbreviated) as a blow (or injury, maybe as insult), Angelique?
"Perforce and grinningly shall I maim in the vie -" ~Necessarily and happily I will do physical injury [to him] in the fight -
"^[Alas] &[dastard!] - hanging by the noose die." ~^[expression of dismay] &[sneaking coward] - perish from being hung .
Chorus
" 'Come not wont to this uncouth Devil!," ~ Become (abbv.) not [do not become] accustomed to this unrefined Devil.
"Lest to a Devil thou wilt translate...my Angel." ~Unless to a Devil you will change into ... my Angel.
Chorus
I've tasked ChatGPT with translating the original text to modern English, and here is what it came up with:
"Thou didst not hasten to bring me from the heavens to the underworld, Still, I steadfastly cling on to this heather - Dew-scented blossom; you were pure and innocent, I will never give up the dream of you, my dear.
Cursed is this creature of haunting memories, Foolish and otherworldly I may be, yet I will conquer him.
'Go away! - Devil be gone - Would you vanish forever; Tremble - henceforth then, Taken as a blow, Angélique?
By necessity and with a grin, I shall inflict harm in this life - Alas, coward! - hanging by the noose, I'll face death.
'Go away! - Devil be gone - Would you vanish forever; Tremble - henceforth then, Taken as a blow, Angélique?
'Do not come near this strange Devil!, Lest you become a Devil yourself... my Angel.
'Go away! - Devil be gone - Would you vanish forever; Tremble - henceforth then, Taken as a blow, Angélique?"