| Gordon Lightfoot – Approaching Lavender Lyrics | 1 year ago |
| Lavender: A seemingly innocent but addictive substance or person. Approach at your own risk. Deceptive… you won’t understand until you are entrapped. The melody is beguiling, belying the words. | |
| Gordon Lightfoot – Carefree Highway Lyrics | 4 years ago |
| Poignant, beautiful song. To me, it evokes stepping away from past mistakes on the open road, accompanied by pangs of relief, guilt and regret. The highway is worn, but it is carefree and leads, we hope, to a new beginning. | |
| Elvis Presley – (That's What You Get) For Lovin' Me Lyrics | 4 years ago |
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Yes, this is a heartless, misogynistic song that Gordon Lightfoot, its author, will no longer perform. (Stay tuned for the “but.”) The original lyrics are even worse than Presley’s version: the first stanza states “Everything you had is gone,” which Presley’s version softens to “Everything we had is gone.” But this is still a great tune. Hard-hearted, faithless lovers will always exist, and this captures them perfectly. *I’d love to see a woman cover it.* And if you encounter a seductive sociopathic like this, run for the hills— you deserve better. Everyone who is not a sociopath deserves better. |
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| Paul Simon – Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| @[prophit1970:15236] House of Detention was also a common term for any juvenile correction facility in the middle decades of the 20th century (no gender connotation). | |
| Paul Simon – Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| @[prophit1970:15235] House of Detention was also a common term for any juvenile correction facility in the middle decades of the 20th century (no gender connotation). | |
| Paul Simon – Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| @[larnbear:15234] Interesting interpretation. | |
| Paul Simon – Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| @[ANetliner:15233] also notes: As suggested above, the involvement of the parents suggests a sexual transgression. As others have mentioned though, the crime might have been political (radical priest and Newsweek references). If the latter, the singer might be a hero, not a delinquent. | |
| Paul Simon – Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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This song is pretty straightforward. Corona is a Latino neighborhood in the New York City that has large populations from Colombia and the Dominican Republic. The neighborhood was high crime for a time because of Dominican and Colombian gangs. Hence the Latin influences on the melody and tempo, and the references to Julio and the Queen of Corona, Rosie. The singer is a young man who (perhaps with Julio as an accomplice) commits a delinquent act that could put him in the "House of Detention." There is a hint that the delinquent transgression might have been a sexual act involving Rosie. The singer is leaving Corona ("Goodbye to Rosie,") to avoid arrest and probable conviction and jail. Mama's the witness ("What Mama saw was against the law.") |
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| Paul Simon – Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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This song is pretty straightforward. Corona is a Latino neighborhood in the New York City that has large populations from Colombia and the Dominican Republic. The neighborhood was high crime for a time because of Dominican and Colombian gangs. Hence the Latin influences on the melody and tempo, and the references to Julio and the Queen of Corona, Rosie. The singer is a young man who (perhaps with Julio as an accomplice) commits a delinquent act that could put him in the "House of Detention." There is a hint that the delinquent transgression might have been a sexual act involving Rosie. The singer is leaving Corona ("Goodbye to Rosie,") to avoid arrest and probable conviction and jail. Mama's the witness ("What Mama saw was against the law.") |
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| Simon and Garfunkel – Keep The Customer Satisfied Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| @[louisvillebandman:15232]: Could very well be, although the traveling salesman/con man/drug dealer suggestions on this thread also fit very well. The 'Nam vet interpretation is poignant and original. | |
| Simon and Garfunkel – Keep The Customer Satisfied Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| @[typicaleo:15231] : Your interpretation sounds right to me. | |
| Simon and Garfunkel – Keep The Customer Satisfied Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| @[degree7:15230]: Definite possibility. Any traveling salesman who doesn't belong in a small Southern town. The use of the term "boy" raises the possibility/likelihood that the salesman is black, but I suppose it could be used against whites, too. | |
| Simon and Garfunkel – Keep The Customer Satisfied Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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@[starangel:15228] -One step ahead of the shoe shine: one step ahead of the law. -Two steps away from the county line: the sheriff's jurisdiction ends at the county line; the singer is two steps away from freedom. The song connotes the police in the U.S. South during the civil rights era of the 1960s. |
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| Simon and Garfunkel – The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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Fabulous song, an ode to a warm sunny morning. One of my favorites and puts me in a great mood whenever I hear or sing it. It's impossible to be downcast with this song in your ears. I always find the title ironic, which I assume was Simon's intent. The song connotes a joyous ramble along a cobblestoned lane. Hardly New York's 59th Street Bridge and immediate environs. (If we're looking for New York settings that might fit, Central Park, Greenwich Village, the new Hgh Line and (since its redevelopment into a chic warren of cafes) the Meatpacking District come to mind.) |
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| Simon and Garfunkel – Baby Driver Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| Sly, funny song about a young guy in lust. Great melody and beat with an all-American feel. | |
| Simon and Garfunkel – Baby Driver Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| Sly, funny song about a young guy in lust. Great melody and beat with an all-American feel. | |
| Simon and Garfunkel – Baby Driver Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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@[Deref:15227] : I think the lyric "I'm talkin 'bout your sex appeal" is correct. The song is celebrates the uncomplicated lust of young men. |
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| Simon and Garfunkel – America Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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@[bill107182:15226] : Can't let your view of Bernie Sanders and his supporters go unchallenged... : ) Bernie Sanders and his supporters fueled a national campaign on small donations and the efforts of volunteers, winning 45+% of Democratic primary voters against one of the best-known and best-financed competitors in American politics. You don't do that with laziness, and the results that Sanders achieved were all the more remarkable in light of opposition from the Democratic hierarchy and much of the mainstream media. Why was Sanders so popular? Because he cares about and focuses on the aspirations of ordinary, working Americans and wants far more of us to participate in the American Dream. I am proud to have supported this honest and transformational public servant. |
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| Simon and Garfunkel – America Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| @[juror8:15225] : The character of Elaine, with whom the hero flees (on a bus!) in the final scene of 'The Graduate' is played by Kathryn Ross. So, even if unintended, the reference to Kathy fits reasonably well. And the theme of two lovers on a bus is perfect for 'The Graduate's conclusion. | |
| Simon and Garfunkel – America Lyrics | 9 years ago |
| @[carabiner86:15220], I agree entirely with your interpretation. | |
| Simon and Garfunkel – America Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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This lovely ballad captures the bittersweet quality of the pursuit of the American Dream. We all yearn to attain the Dream, it buoys our hopes and we love our Country. But the Dream is elusive and, despite our striving, we might not attain our goal. I've got some real estate here in my bag... Real estate, especially homeownership, is the key source of security and wealth creation for Americans. Beautiful use of this song in Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign: the commercial for which it provides music is one of the most powerful American political ads since the mid-20th century. (The visual montage was recut to include provide targeted images in various regions and states.) |
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| Simon and Garfunkel – The Only Living Boy In New York Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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@[MissAnthrope:15217]-- great interpretation, really clever. The honesty line fits with Paul Varjak's sincerity about Holly and his desire to have an honest relationship with her. Let your honesty shine on me: Holly's desire to leave her past behind and go home with Paul and Cat (the outdoor cat whom Holly adopts in the final scene of the film). I, too, felt that the lyrics suggested a drug deal (in Mexico.) |
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| Simon and Garfunkel – The Only Living Boy In New York Lyrics | 9 years ago |
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Love this song. So poignant. My own interpretation of the lyrics: Tom is going to Mexico to smuggle drugs (marijuana was the big cash crop in 1970) back into the U.S, leaving his business partner in the venture back in New York. I can gather all the news I need on the weather report: If the weather's OK, Tom will be able to meet his contact without problems. I've got nothing to do today but smile: the singer can relax and get high until Tom reurns. The only living boy in New York: how the singer feels when he's high. Half of the time we're gone but we don't know here: reference to getting high Hey, let your honesty shine, shine, shine, shine... Let it shine on me: Tom, don't cross our supplier and complete the deal; come back to New York with the drugs we're going to sell... It might not be what Simon intended, but it fits pretty well with the lyrics. |
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| Simon and Garfunkel – Keep The Customer Satisfied Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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Agree that there is a definite reference to race in the lyrics: "shoe shine", "boy", "county line". The song (which I love) could refer to a black man, a civil rights worker, a salesman/con man, an itinerant worker. A drug dealer is a possibility, too. Keep the Customer Satisfied was written shortly after the civil rights era, and the wording absolutely references being run out of a county in the South. (I am old enough to remember that era.) Excellent comments from all and great site. |
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| Simon and Garfunkel – Keep The Customer Satisfied Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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Agree that there is a definite reference to race in the lyrics: "shoe shine", "boy", "county line". The song (which I love) could refer to a black man, a civil rights worker, a salesman/con man, an itinerant worker. Keep the Customer Satisfied was written shortly after the civil rights era, and the wording absolutely references being run out of a county in the South. (I am old enough to remember that era.) |
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