This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
I was just thirty-four years old and I was still wandering in a haze
I was wondering why everyone I met seemed like they were
Lost in a maze
I don't know why I thought I should have some kind of
Divine right to the blues
It's sympathy not tears people need when they're the
Front page sad news.
The incense burned away and the stench began to rise
And lovers now estranged avoided catching each others' eyes
And girls who lost their children cursed the men who fit the coil
And men not fit for marriage took their refuge in the oil
No one respects the flame quite like the fool who's badly burned
From all this you'd imagine that there must be something learned
Slit skirts, Jeanie never wears those slit skirts
I don't ever wear no ripped shirts
Can't pretend that growing older never hurts.
Knee pants, Jeanie never wears no knee pants
Have to be so drunk to try a new dance
So afraid of every new romance
Slit skirts, slit skirt
Jeanie isn't wearing those slit skirts, slit skirt
She wouldn't dare in those slit skirts, slit skirt
Wouldn't be seen dead in no slit skirt
Slit skirts, slit skirt
Jeanie isn't wearing those slit skirts, slit skirt
She wouldn't dare in those slit skirts, slit skirt
Wouldn't be seen dead in no slit skirt
Romance, romance, why aren't we thinking up romance?
Why can't we drink it up true heart romance
Just need a brief new romance
Let me tell you some more about myself, you know I'm sitting at home just now.
The big events of the day are passed and the late TV shows have come around.
I'm number one in the home team, but I still feel unfulfilled.
A silent voice in her broken heart complaining that I'm unskilled.
And I know that when she thinks of me, she thinks of me as him,
But, unlike me, she don't work off her frustration in the gym.
Recriminations fester and the past can never change
A woman's expectations run from both ends of the range
Once she walked with untamed lovers' face between her legs
Now he's cooled and stifled and it's she who has to beg
Slit skirts, Jeanie never wears those slit skirts
And I don't ever wear no ripped shirts
Can't pretend that growing older never hurts
Knee pants, Jeanie never wears no knee pants
We have to be so drunk to try a new dance
So afraid of every new romance
Slit skirts, slit skirt
Jeanie isn't wearing those slit skirts, slit skirt
She wouldn't dare in those slit skirts, slit skirt
Wouldn't be seen dead in no slit skirt
Slit skirts, slit skirt
Jeanie isn't wearing those slit skirts, slit skirt
She wouldn't dare in those slit skirts, slit skirt
Wouldn't be seen dead in no slit skirt
Romance, romance, why aren't we thinking up romance?
Why can't we drink it up true heart romance
Just need a brief new romance
I was wondering why everyone I met seemed like they were
Lost in a maze
I don't know why I thought I should have some kind of
Divine right to the blues
It's sympathy not tears people need when they're the
Front page sad news.
The incense burned away and the stench began to rise
And lovers now estranged avoided catching each others' eyes
And girls who lost their children cursed the men who fit the coil
And men not fit for marriage took their refuge in the oil
No one respects the flame quite like the fool who's badly burned
From all this you'd imagine that there must be something learned
Slit skirts, Jeanie never wears those slit skirts
I don't ever wear no ripped shirts
Can't pretend that growing older never hurts.
Knee pants, Jeanie never wears no knee pants
Have to be so drunk to try a new dance
So afraid of every new romance
Slit skirts, slit skirt
Jeanie isn't wearing those slit skirts, slit skirt
She wouldn't dare in those slit skirts, slit skirt
Wouldn't be seen dead in no slit skirt
Slit skirts, slit skirt
Jeanie isn't wearing those slit skirts, slit skirt
She wouldn't dare in those slit skirts, slit skirt
Wouldn't be seen dead in no slit skirt
Romance, romance, why aren't we thinking up romance?
Why can't we drink it up true heart romance
Just need a brief new romance
Let me tell you some more about myself, you know I'm sitting at home just now.
The big events of the day are passed and the late TV shows have come around.
I'm number one in the home team, but I still feel unfulfilled.
A silent voice in her broken heart complaining that I'm unskilled.
And I know that when she thinks of me, she thinks of me as him,
But, unlike me, she don't work off her frustration in the gym.
Recriminations fester and the past can never change
A woman's expectations run from both ends of the range
Once she walked with untamed lovers' face between her legs
Now he's cooled and stifled and it's she who has to beg
Slit skirts, Jeanie never wears those slit skirts
And I don't ever wear no ripped shirts
Can't pretend that growing older never hurts
Knee pants, Jeanie never wears no knee pants
We have to be so drunk to try a new dance
So afraid of every new romance
Slit skirts, slit skirt
Jeanie isn't wearing those slit skirts, slit skirt
She wouldn't dare in those slit skirts, slit skirt
Wouldn't be seen dead in no slit skirt
Slit skirts, slit skirt
Jeanie isn't wearing those slit skirts, slit skirt
She wouldn't dare in those slit skirts, slit skirt
Wouldn't be seen dead in no slit skirt
Romance, romance, why aren't we thinking up romance?
Why can't we drink it up true heart romance
Just need a brief new romance
Lyrics submitted by ButNeverOutgunned, edited by Sturvis
Slit Skirts Lyrics as written by Peter Dennis Blandfor Townshend
Lyrics © Spirit Music Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
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This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
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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/
Plastic Bag
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“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
This is a phenomenal song, and I'm surprised there's only 1 comment, but I digress. Solo Pete seems almost depressed and sometimes confused, perhaps his sexuality at times. I read that he had a difficult childhood, and recently there were allegations of child pornogrophy charges that were dropped thankfully. Anyway, this is a powerful song about someone who doesn't love him as much as before, or has grown tired of him and the lyrics are scathing. Finally, my favorite part is the guitar fade at the end of the song.
@Flyersfan Great comment. The guitar solo and fade out at the end has always blown me away. Thanks for noticing.
@Flyersfan beautifully summarized and I agree-this is a phenomenal song. <br />
This, like the songs "Empty Glass" and "Another Tricky Day" are brilliant pieces from his painful spin-out period of 1978-1981 when he was deeply in debt and losing everything with drinking and drugs. He was starting to endure separation from his wife Karen (named "Jeannie" here), and feeling very alone. Though he was well on his way to cleaning up his life upon this album's release, the song was written during a very bottomed out period, and very fascinating and sad at the same time. I love Pete for his honesty in songwriting, and this is a shining example.
I recognize most of the general references in this song, but one has me puzzled: does anyone know what he means by "men not fit for marriage took their refuge in the oil"?
The line about refuge in the oil is an allusion to masturbation, baby oil..well, you get it...I know...but Townshend has made such references in the past (Pictures of Lilly, from The Who),
To become a roughneck on an oil rig in the North Sea.
My own interpretation is that men who are not fit subjects for marriage take their refuge in the oil of Holy Orders, the rite through which men become priests... I've known so many priests, brothers, ministers who were simply unfit as marriage partners.<br /> <br /> I do acknowledge both of the previous interpretations as potentially sound, though.<br /> <br /> Cheers!
I'm pretty sure this wan't as cryptic as some would assume.<br /> I would say that it means that men not fit for marriage went to work on oil rigs, which is grueling work that is not conducive to family life.<br /> Someone who worked on an oile rig wouldn't have much time or energy to think about family life. <br /> <br /> I don't think it had anything to do with masturbation. That's over thinking it in a Freudian sense.
@naomid Skinning the mule...
@naomid
@naomid <br /> And girls who lost their children for the men that fit the coil. The coil is an IUD.<br /> Men not fit for marriage took their Refuge in the oil.<br /> This refers to the oil industry in particular working with offshore oil drilling company. These men work 6 to 8 months at a time, without leave. <br /> It's not a 9 to 5 job of a family man.<br /> Put them together. <br /> Men who fit an IUD<br /> ( men who do not want children are unable to make commitments)<br /> Men not fit for marriage took their refuge in the oil<br /> ( worst case scenario these type of men we'll take a job where they are unable to be a husband or a father)<br /> I saw it on an interview regarding the album, right from the horse's mouth, Pete Townsend himself.
@naomid I agree that that line of the song refers to men who are fit for marriage take their refuse
Refuge in the oil of the sacrament of holy orders, the priesthood.
@naomid Sorry for the late reply. My understanding is he was talking about men that married fast then went to work the north sea oil rigs so weren't there for their new wives. .
@naomid These answers are all way overthinking this. It isn\'t some exotic reference to working on oil rigs to escape a spouse. That makes no sense because the rest of the song isn\'t so specific as to be talking about oil rigs. It is about the disillusionment with growing older and apart from your lover. "Refuge in the oil" refers to the man being unfit for marriage, unhappy, and taking refuge in getting drunk. "Oil" as in "well oiled".
@naomid These answers are all way overthinking this. It isn\'t some exotic reference to working on oil rigs to escape a spouse. That makes no sense because the rest of the song isn\'t so specific as to be talking about oil rigs. It is about the disillusionment with growing older and apart from your lover. "Refuge in the oil" refers to the man being unfit for marriage, unhappy, and taking refuge in getting drunk. "Oil" as in "well oiled".
@naomid These answers are all way overthinking this. It isn\'t some exotic reference to working on oil rigs to escape a spouse. That makes no sense because the rest of the song isn\'t so specific as to be talking about oil rigs. It is about the disillusionment with growing older and apart from your lover. "Refuge in the oil" refers to the man being unfit for marriage, unhappy, and taking refuge in getting drunk. "Oil" as in "well oiled".
@naomid These answers are all way overthinking this. It isn\'t some exotic reference to working on oil rigs to escape a spouse. That makes no sense because the rest of the song isn\'t so specific as to be talking about oil rigs. It is about the disillusionment with growing older and apart from your lover. "Refuge in the oil" refers to the man being unfit for marriage, unhappy, and taking refuge in getting drunk. "Oil" as in "well oiled".
@naomid These answers are all way overthinking this. It isn\'t some exotic reference to working on oil rigs to escape a spouse. That makes no sense because the rest of the song isn\'t so specific as to be talking about oil rigs. It is about the disillusionment with growing older and apart from your lover. "Refuge in the oil" refers to the man being unfit for marriage, unhappy, and taking refuge in getting drunk. "Oil" as in "well oiled".
@naomid The UK oil industry was booming with jobs in the North Sea in the late 1970s.
This song is SO terrible, but I still love it at the same time! It's about a guy's girlfriend who's getting tired of him!
My favorite song from Chinese Eyes. This song has two hooks and is a great example of song structure to anyone in Music Theory.
Oddly enough this song is not about his wife Karen. In La Jolla I think, he talks to the crowd and says he wasn't even awake during the period of Chinese Eyes but was then prepared (c. 2001) to own a few lines!!
IMHO, Slit Skirts is a metaphor for Karen’s (Pete's estranged wife) unhappiness with their marriage and relationship as it was affected by Pete constantly working and creating in his studio (burning the midnight oil), and not being fully available as a husband and father. Going into the relationship, she knew who he was; their first date was an early Who performance at a club. But that life ultimately turned out not to be what she wanted or thought it would be. Thus, she didn’t wear that “slit skirt.” And Pete was always Pete, doing what he was meant to do. And Pete didn’t wear ripped shirts as that would indicate his being less than who he was/is.
@DebboraghS Nope. In his interview he shared how jealous she became of his love for music. After the joy of marriage faded she grew bitter of his passion for creativity and art, a talent she didn't possess.