submissions
| Hank Williams – Jambalaya (On the Bayou) Lyrics
| 11 years ago
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I don't think Hank Williams knew (or cared) much about French/Cajun dialects. It took me some time to work out what that phrase meant - especially with the harder "ch" sound which Americans use rather than the soft French sound.
Technically, this is not Hank Williams most proficient lyricism. There is clumsy repetition of "me oh my oh" just to scan and make up the rhymes and none of the lines are particularly memorable out of context. However, the song is so evocative of the joy of a certain lifestyle that it has deservedly become a huge favourite among country and bluegrass musicians. Great song! |
submissions
| Crowded House – Weather With You Lyrics
| 11 years ago
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I think you are closer to what the song is about. There is another reference to an old jazz song in "small boat made of china..." ("I'd like to get you on a slow boat to china") which is used to evoke images of happier times before the break up. It paints a picture of someone in a room struggling with the memories it brings back.
The most unusual feature of this song is that the verses are sung in harmony and the choruses in unison - which is the reverse of normal procedure in a pop song. |
submissions
| Bob Dylan – It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding) Lyrics
| 11 years ago
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I like your take on the song - and I can't find it in me to disagree strongly with anything you have written. I see it more as a song about a moralist, who is trying to stay sane. If you spend your whole life reacting to what is stupid, brutal and limiting, you can end up being overwhelmed. You will be right on the issues, but you will struggle to feel sane and balanced. So when you add together all the absurdities and injustices which the narrator (justifiably) rails against, you end up with a portrait of a moralist going mad. For me that is what makes it so frightening and moving. |
submissions
| Bob Dylan – Mississippi Lyrics
| 11 years ago
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Yes, I like it for the same reasons. However, I think that people often over identify the Dylan narrator character in his songs with Dylan the man himself. I love the downbeat, black humour in lines like that couplet "Stick with me baby...." The first time I heard it I laughed out loud. Perhaps one of the reasons that we always assume that Bob Dylan is singing about himself is the fact that his characters stand up so well. |
submissions
| Bob Dylan – If You See Her, Say Hello Lyrics
| 11 years ago
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I agree with all you say, but I also think you can read the song both ways. On an emotional level, it resonates with me the way it does with you Jim. However, my head tells me that Gravity Dwarf may be pointing out that Dylan is not above a little self-irony. Either way, it is possibly the most moving song I have heard Dylan sing. |
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