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The Old Laughing Lady Lyrics
Don't call Pretty Peggy,
She can't hear you no more.
Don't leave no message
'Round her back door.
They say the Old Laughing Lady
Been here before.
She don't keep time
She don't count score.
You can't have a cupboard
If there ain't no wall.
You got to move
There's no time for you to stall.
They say the Old Laughing Lady
Dropped by to call.
And when she leaves
She leaves nothing at all.
See the drunkard of the village
Falling on the street.
Can't tell his ankles
From the rest of his feet.
He loves his Old Laughing Lady
Cause the taste is so sweet.
But his Laughing Lady's loving
Ain't the kind he can keep.
There's a fever on the freeway
Blacks out the night.
There's a slipping on the stairway
Just don't feel right.
And there's a rumbling in the bedroom
And a flashing of light.
Here's the Old Laughing Lady
Everything is all right.
She can't hear you no more.
Don't leave no message
'Round her back door.
They say the Old Laughing Lady
Been here before.
She don't keep time
She don't count score.
If there ain't no wall.
You got to move
There's no time for you to stall.
They say the Old Laughing Lady
Dropped by to call.
And when she leaves
She leaves nothing at all.
Falling on the street.
Can't tell his ankles
From the rest of his feet.
He loves his Old Laughing Lady
Cause the taste is so sweet.
But his Laughing Lady's loving
Ain't the kind he can keep.
Blacks out the night.
There's a slipping on the stairway
Just don't feel right.
And there's a rumbling in the bedroom
And a flashing of light.
Here's the Old Laughing Lady
Everything is all right.
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Any kind of addiction can be the "old laughing lady"
That is 100% correct. Anything else is completely over thinking it.
That is 100% correct. Anything else is completely over thinking it.
Could The Old Laughing Lady represent death?
@Neiltone It's the only answer that fits all the verses. The means can be addiction, but that doesn't fit "You can't have a cupboard...".
@Neiltone It's the only answer that fits all the verses. The means can be addiction, but that doesn't fit "You can't have a cupboard...".
I think ruarchitect is right on.
The Laughing Lady: What a great symbol of addiction. First it is fun and the lady is laughing with you. Soon though you come to need her and her laughter turns to a taunting laughter at you. Later her laughter becomes a sadistic cackle at what she has done to you.
Verse 1 Pretty Peggy is probable a young addict who has overdosed.
Verse 2 Probablly refers to the homless addict that has lost everything to addiction.
Verse 3 The hopeless addict that will never quit even though they know it will kill them in the end.
Verse 4 The addicted driver who drives home every night, stumbles upstairs in a stuper and fights with their spouse. Eventually shooting or killing them and not even caring as long as they have their drug of choice.
Hay I can see that, first a car is fun, later you depend on it and think it is the greatest thing in the world, later you find out you had no clue what a real car could do.
Hay I can see that, first a car is fun, later you depend on it and think it is the greatest thing in the world, later you find out you had no clue what a real car could do.
@JimmiP I think Pretty Peggy refers to his wife at the time "Peggy". She evidently overcame some kind of addition. "don't call pretty Peggy, she can't hear you no more"
@JimmiP I think Pretty Peggy refers to his wife at the time "Peggy". She evidently overcame some kind of addition. "don't call pretty Peggy, she can't hear you no more"
The old laughing lady is a prostitute, emotionless, void of feeling and incapable of love or any form of human connection.
cheap fortified wine
The Old laughing lady is something that is fucked up! Shitty life stuff that always comes around - booze - ex relations etc.. she's sure to be coming around - one way or another...'everything is alright ' - its ok - is the way life is...she'll be around anyway. oh... too bad...life is a....
The Old Laughing Lady was a character on the label of a bottle of alcohol.
The old laughing lady is death!
That's what I've always thought, too, although it could be addiction of one kind or another, also. We all know Neil has written about that since (Needle & the Damage Done). Maybe "Lady" was a precursor to "Needle"?
That's what I've always thought, too, although it could be addiction of one kind or another, also. We all know Neil has written about that since (Needle & the Damage Done). Maybe "Lady" was a precursor to "Needle"?
I agree that there seems to be a theme of addiction, but do we all forget that his wife is Pegi? As in "Don't call pretty Pegi"? Where might she fit in?
Nope....Neil didn't marry Pegi until 1978. He was with actress Carrie Snodgress until 1975.
Nope....Neil didn't marry Pegi until 1978. He was with actress Carrie Snodgress until 1975.