| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Monsieur |
Posted - 03/08/2006 : 01:42:40
This is one of the catchiest tunes from my childhood, and I have no idea what it is about.
Anyone knows the meaning of this song?
A man walks down the street
He says why am I soft in the middle, now
Why am I soft in the middle
The rest of my life is so hard
I need a photo-opportunity
I want a shot at redemption
Don't want to end up a cartoon
In a cartoon graveyard
Bone digger, bone digger
Dogs in the moonlight
Far away my well-lit door
Mr. Beerbelly, Beerbelly
Get these mutts away from me
You know I don't find this stuff amusing anymore
If you'll be my bodyguard
I can be your long lost pal
I can call you Betty
And Betty, when you call me
You can call me Al
A man walks down the street
He says why am I short of attention
Got a short little span of attention
And, whoa, my nights are so long
Where's my wife and family
What if I die here
Who'll be my role-model
Now that my role-model is
Gone, gone
He ducked back down the alley
With some roly-poly little bat-faced girl
All along, along
There were incidents and accidents
There were hints and allegations
If you'll be my bodyguard
I can be your long lost pal
I can call you Betty
And Betty, when you call me
You can call me Al
Call me Al
A man walks down the street
It's a street in a strange world
Maybe it's the third world
Maybe it's his first time around
Doesn't speak the language
He holds no currency
He is a foreign man
He is surrounded by the
Sound, sound
Cattle in the marketplace
Scatterlings and orphanages
He looks around, around
He sees angels in the architecture
Spinning in infinity
He says Amen! and Hallelujah!
If you'll be my bodyguard
I can be your long lost pal
I can call you Betty
And Betty, when you call me
You can call me Al
I will show you fear in a handful of dust |
| 35 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Carl |
Posted - 03/14/2006 : 14:20:27
That was one of my favorite songs as a kid, alongside Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer and The Firm's annoying Stark Trekkin'. I used to wonder about the lyrics, too. I love how Chevy Chase drops the glass through the table. Oh yeah, and remember he also appears in the video for Simon's Proof with Steve Martin!!
http://ultrawarp.com/chevy/paulsimon.htm
 pas de dutchie! |
| Daisy Girl |
Posted - 03/12/2006 : 13:16:46
funky little song but such a good tune. I am thinking it's about middle age and burnout. |
| Monsieur |
Posted - 03/11/2006 : 09:32:28
quote:
Originally posted by starmekitten
It made me laugh dear boy, I'm really not that precious at all.
OK, Mom.
I will show you fear in a handful of dust |
| hammerhands |
Posted - 03/10/2006 : 11:13:08
Argh, how can you read those lyrics and strip them of all their sexuality and humour? |
| starmekitten |
Posted - 03/10/2006 : 07:27:43
It made me laugh dear boy, I'm really not that precious at all. |
| Monsieur |
Posted - 03/10/2006 : 06:17:18
quote:
Originally posted by starmekitten
He's being sarcastic isn't he? If I were more sensitive I'd sulk.
I hope you're not too sensitive though. It was intended to make you smile, not sulk.
I will show you fear in a handful of dust |
| fbc |
Posted - 03/10/2006 : 04:49:04
I saw the "Classic Albums" programme (or something similar) about Graceland, but the only thing I remember from it was the "angels in the architecture" reference which was about glass/mirrored buildings reflecting the passers-by. |
| Monsieur |
Posted - 03/10/2006 : 03:34:09
That's the difficult part of being a mod. Don't worry, you will soon learn how to deal with all the paparazzi and sarcastic comments.
I will show you fear in a handful of dust |
| starmekitten |
Posted - 03/10/2006 : 03:15:09
He's being sarcastic isn't he? If I were more sensitive I'd sulk. |
| Monsieur |
Posted - 03/10/2006 : 03:01:03
Great analysis Tre. Wow. Someone give this girl a well paid job!
I will show you fear in a handful of dust |
| Cheeseman1000 |
Posted - 03/10/2006 : 03:00:11
So basically:
I can call you Betty
Betty when you can call me,
You can call me Ten Percenter.
 I have joined the Cult Of Frank/And I have dearly paid |
| starmekitten |
Posted - 03/10/2006 : 02:44:35
My justification of the mid-life-crisis scenario
A man walks down the street
He's realised he's getting old so takes himself out for a walk and in forest gump style keeps going
He says why am I soft in the middle, now
Why am I soft in the middle
middle aged spread
The rest of my life is so hard
after middle age is old and old is notoriusly difficult (ask ten percenter)
I need a photo-opportunity
Now that he is past it no one will want to photo him anymore and he is wistful
I want a shot at redemption
in his youth he's made mistakes and he is wondering if he has time to make up for it
Don't want to end up a cartoon
In a cartoon graveyard
I have no idea. I think it's about death.
Bone digger, bone digger
death.
Dogs in the moonlight
Far away my well-lit door
he's far from home and his walk takes him further but this existentialist contemplation is more compelling than anything else he has going on so he keeps walking like a mad old thing.
Mr. Beerbelly, Beerbelly
That happens to old people too, but I think this is another person who has dogs...
Get these mutts away from me
... who are following him and he wants them to go away
You know I don't find this stuff amusing anymore
Old people have no sense of humour
If you'll be my bodyguard
I can be your long lost pal
I can call you Betty
And Betty, when you call me
You can call me Al
This is about reaching out to make a meaningful connection. It's probably a mad old bag lady or some sort of night walker and in his wanders and wonders he's just desperate to have something with another human being. Middle aged people are concerned about this sort of thing I hear.
A man walks down the street
He says why am I short of attention
Got a short little span of attention
He's still walking and he's reflecting on the impairment of him mental facilities thanks to the aging process
And, whoa, my nights are so long
Nights tend to be long if you sit up and contemplate on things on your own.
Where's my wife and family
Whilst men can continue to produce offspring until they're dead pretty much they still suffer a sort of biological clock of the mind when all reason tells them they're probably too old to be a daddy. He lived to fast as a young man and now faces a lonely twilight. Possibly not but these sort of reflections are often miserable.
What if I die here
Miserable reflections, see?
Who'll be my role-model
Now that my role-model is
When he was a young boy he had a role model as does everyone. Mine is Bruce Campbell but I suspect that when I get old Bruce Campbell will be dead. His role model probably is much older than him so dead. Like Steve McQueen.
Gone, gone
Dead, dead
He ducked back down the alley
With some roly-poly little bat-faced girl
night walking lady, he'll bottle out and want to talk
All along, along
There were incidents and accidents
I think this is about his past sexual history actually
There were hints and allegations
ditto, but I think the hints refers to Betty, I think the bat-faced girl is betty a dodgy lady of negotiable affection who he just wants to talk to
A man walks down the street
It's a street in a strange world
Maybe it's the third world
I think the strange world is still his home but he's looking at it with new eyes
Maybe it's his first time around
he's seeing it as in *really* seeing it all for the first time.
Doesn't speak the language
doesn't understand the mundane aspects of the world he occupies now he has gone mental
He holds no currency
He is a foreign man
He's *different* now
He is surrounded by the
Sound, sound
This is meant to evoke an image not retell a fact, like...
Cattle in the marketplace
probably not actual cattle, probably more like hordes of workers making their way into meaningless jobs
Scatterlings and orphanages
I don't know what this means
He looks around, around
He sees angels in the architecture
Spinning in infinity
He says Amen! and Hallelujah!
Probably he does see these things, architecture can be very complicated and he's suffering post mid life crisis contemplation euphoria and sleep deprivation after walking all night. No wonder I say. |
| Superabounder |
Posted - 03/09/2006 : 21:55:59
There is a line in Graceland that I couldn't get enough of:
She comes back to tell me she's gone
As if I didn't know that
As if I didn't know my own bed
As if I'd never noticed
The way she brushed her hair from her forehead
And she said losing love
Is like a window in your heart
Everybody sees you're blown apart
Everybody sees the wind blow
Ahhhh. So perfect.
I tend to think of human beings as huge rubbery test tubes, too, with chemical reactions seething inside |
| HeywoodJablome |
Posted - 03/09/2006 : 19:26:00
Incidentally, one of the best songs I heard all last year was "Father Daughter" by Paul. I think they used it in a kids movie a few years back. At any rate, a beautiful tune.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
"And that's when Abe Lincoln said ..'Don't diss my homies'." |
| Monsieur |
Posted - 03/09/2006 : 10:48:26
I have so many memories of road trips with my parents...but they all have lousy soundtracks.
One of my dearest memories is circa 1989, while traveling with my parents through Switzerland. I told them I would be bored so they bought me a game of darts, with a wooden target. I kept playing with it and listening to Snap (you know, "I got the power") in my walkman. My parents knew Switzerland pretty well and the trip was supposed to show me what the country looked like, but I only remember toilets near the highway and my darts.
I will show you fear in a handful of dust |
| floop |
Posted - 03/09/2006 : 10:48:20
i think it's unfortunate that this song overshadowed the underrated "I'd prefer you not to call me Al" released around the same time |
| darwin |
Posted - 03/09/2006 : 10:43:50
quote:
Originally posted by Carolynanna
Wow, I think everyone's folks played that record growing up.
__________
Don't believe the hype.
I'm too old for that. My folks played Simon & Garfunkle, Fleetwood Mac, Joni Mitchell, and Neil Diamond's Hot August Night. |
| offerw |
Posted - 03/09/2006 : 10:42:05
Same here with the Boney M and Diamond listening family members.
Ladysmith Mambazo featured hugely on Graceland. Paul Simon made them international stars for a while. One of their main members, Jockey Shabalala died last month. He sports a huge grin on the Diamonds on the sole of her shoes vid (heh, they all do)
wilhelm |
| speedy_m |
Posted - 03/09/2006 : 10:08:59
My parents played a lot of Graceland, the Beatles and Boney M and I love them all because of that. Every memory I have a road trips as a child is related to a song from Graceland.
and you are ill prepared to fight
living in a world of soft and white
in air conditioned battle zones
I pity you!
|
| Carolynanna |
Posted - 03/09/2006 : 10:06:49
I also love Boney M because of my parents.
And Neil Diamond too.
__________
Don't believe the hype. |
| Monsieur |
Posted - 03/09/2006 : 10:04:35
quote:
Originally posted by Carolynanna
Wow, I think everyone's folks played that record growing up.
__________
Don't believe the hype.
You're all very lucky, my parents were into disco / Boney M.
I will show you fear in a handful of dust |
| Carolynanna |
Posted - 03/09/2006 : 10:02:15
Wow, I think everyone's folks played that record growing up.
__________
Don't believe the hype. |
| therewererumours |
Posted - 03/09/2006 : 07:39:26
quote:
Originally posted by speedy_m
Graceland has got to be a top ten all time album for me.
and you are ill prepared to fight
living in a world of soft and white
in air conditioned battle zones
I pity you!
My folks used to play Graceland all the time when I was growing up. Great song, great album.
|
| speedy_m |
Posted - 03/09/2006 : 07:01:56
Graceland has got to be a top ten all time album for me.
and you are ill prepared to fight
living in a world of soft and white
in air conditioned battle zones
I pity you!
|
| Monsieur |
Posted - 03/09/2006 : 02:21:27
quote:
Originally posted by starmekitten
Was it the 100 greatest pop videos program?
I think so.
I will show you fear in a handful of dust |
| Newo |
Posted - 03/09/2006 : 02:13:42
Graceland is beautiful, Call Me Al is one of those songs made a big impression on me as a kid. Too, there´s one track I love where the bass plays lead, maybe the first.
--
Gravy boat! Stay in the now! |
| starmekitten |
Posted - 03/09/2006 : 01:56:31
Was it the 100 greatest pop videos program? |
| Monsieur |
Posted - 03/09/2006 : 00:51:55
I bought Graceland yesterday. I'll try and listen to it tonight if I find some time.
Actually, I saw a part of the video on Sunday. They were showing it on tv in the UK (another shitty Canary Wharf weekend). It was some kind of tv show with music videos from the 80s - I only watched it for 10 minutes, and saw this video that I had forgotten. It reminded me of the song, so I downloaded it as soon as I came back home. It's so damn catchy!
I will show you fear in a handful of dust |
| danjersey |
Posted - 03/08/2006 : 21:04:00
anyway i think the song is about words and life with beer guts and beauty.
Signature checkbox
checked by default? |
| PixieSteve |
Posted - 03/08/2006 : 21:00:21
what
 |
| danjersey |
Posted - 03/08/2006 : 20:57:38
yeah um, i'm gonna have to go ahead and disagree.
hell lumberg f#kced her
office space get it?
uh boy |
| PixieSteve |
Posted - 03/08/2006 : 20:19:16
if a song's first line mentions a street, and the act of walking, you know it's shit, lyrically. because that's how i freestyled about a million songs as a kid.
|
| danjersey |
Posted - 03/08/2006 : 20:01:54
thank you for posting this Monsieur
the lyrics are news to me
|
| HeywoodJablome |
Posted - 03/08/2006 : 16:50:46
The bass break is indeed damn good. It's kind of a shame that Al Gore had to rape this song for his campaign though. Now it's in that category of good songs that unforunately make me think about products. I can't hear "Let the Good Times Roll" any more without thinking of toilet paper rolls going down the stairs. So now when I hear "Call me Al" I think of boring robots!
______________________________________________________________________________________________
"And that's when Abe Lincoln said ..'Don't diss my homies'." |
| zub_the_goat |
Posted - 03/08/2006 : 14:41:58
didnt they make a softmints advert with this song once? think that was the first time i heard the song! |
