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 Misheard FB lyrics?
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Langosta
- FB Fan -

Canada
8 Posts

Posted - 06/02/2003 :  12:03:56  Show Profile  Visit Langosta's Homepage
Hi, folks.

I don't know if there's already a specific forum for this sort of thing, but here it goes, anyway.

Do any of you have any funny (or downright strange) Frank Black lyrics that you misheard? I know I have a few, the most vivid one that comes to mind is from RIVER EUPHRATES. The real lyric goes:

"Ride the Tigris down, River Eurphrates, let's ride the Tigris down, River Euprates, let's..."

For the longest time -- before I consulted a lyric sheet, that is -- I thought FB was saying:

"Ride the Tiger down, rip your baby's lips, ride the Tiger down, rip your baby's lips..."

Ouch!

PsychicTwin
* Dog in the Sand *

USA
1772 Posts

Posted - 06/02/2003 :  12:12:18  Show Profile  Visit PsychicTwin's Homepage
I think there was some kind of thread on this topic a while back...Cult of Frank & myself were talking about how we thought that he was saying "Ride the tiger down the River Euphrates"....the common consensus was that the correct line was "Ride a tire down the River Euphrates"

Now I'm confused! is it "Ride a tire down" or "Ride the Tigris down"? Both make sense.
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Broken Face
-= Forum Pistolero =-

USA
5155 Posts

Posted - 06/02/2003 :  12:28:21  Show Profile  Visit Broken Face's Homepage
i always thoguht it was ride the Tigris

-brian
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Langosta
- FB Fan -

Canada
8 Posts

Posted - 06/02/2003 :  12:30:11  Show Profile  Visit Langosta's Homepage
I wish I could remember the website where I saw the lyrics. Mind you, I don't know if the site was listing the actual lyrics or someone's attempt at a transcribing.

Ah, life on the Misinformation Highway...
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speedy_m
= Frankofile =

Canada
3581 Posts

Posted - 06/02/2003 :  13:24:16  Show Profile
I'm fairly confident it's "ride a tire". I have nothing to base this on however. Watch his mouth in the live clip I guess.
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El Barto
= Song DB Master =

USA
4020 Posts

Posted - 06/02/2003 :  14:02:34  Show Profile  Visit El Barto's Homepage
Listening to the Complete B-Sides version, it's almost crystal clear that he's saying "Ride a tire"
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Itchload
= Cult of Ray =

USA
891 Posts

Posted - 06/02/2003 :  15:24:12  Show Profile
It makes sense...he's driving his car down the gaza strip and he runs out of gas...so he's much more likely to ride a tire down the river (he'd take the tire from his out of order car) than some crazy tiger he comes across
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ObfuscateByWill
* Dog in the Sand *

USA
1887 Posts

Posted - 06/02/2003 :  18:02:01  Show Profile  Visit ObfuscateByWill's Homepage
I'd always thought it was 'tiger' too.

-

The first few times I heard 'Humboldt County Massacre' I thought it was:

"Spittin' stars and homo bars are rites of passage"

I think it's actually: "Splittin' skulls in Humboldt was a rite of passage"


*Me Fail English? That's Unpossible!
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Pioneer
- FB Fan -

213 Posts

Posted - 06/02/2003 :  18:27:52  Show Profile
Ah hah ha! Yah, I'm pretty sure you got it straight now, Obfuscate.
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Sheamus
= Cult of Ray =

Australia
345 Posts

Posted - 06/02/2003 :  21:52:53  Show Profile  Visit Sheamus's Homepage  Click to see Sheamus's MSN Messenger address
Conventional logic says it's "tyre" (I don't know if you crazy yanks spell "tyre" as "tire" or what), but then I wouldn't ever rely on conventional logic when interpreting Pixies lyrics.

That said, I do think it is "tyre" after listening to some live versions. Maybe Frank sang it as both on different occasions just to fuck with us :)

Edited by - Sheamus on 06/02/2003 21:53:46
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Langosta
- FB Fan -

Canada
8 Posts

Posted - 06/03/2003 :  06:12:19  Show Profile  Visit Langosta's Homepage
There's a chance it may be "tiger", afterall. I did a quick Google search for "Pixies lyrics", and the first two sources I checked rendered it as "Ride the tiger down, River Euphrates, let's...".

The two places I checked are pasted below. The Internet being the unreliable whore it is, I have no idea how authoritative those pages are.

http://www.leoslyrics.com/listlyrics.php;jsessionid=634B530FFD0EBFFC42B2D4D4A8E39725?hid=JZtxyl3jX%2BM%3D

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/pixies/rivereuphrates.html
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Sheamus
= Cult of Ray =

Australia
345 Posts

Posted - 06/04/2003 :  06:06:48  Show Profile  Visit Sheamus's Homepage  Click to see Sheamus's MSN Messenger address
I actually think that you can hear it both ways. Listen to it as "tiger" and it sounds like that. Listen to it as "tyre" and it sounds like that.

You can't really tell by looking at his lips in the live film clip because there is virtually no easily distiguishable difference in the lip movements associated with the 2 words.

Someone needs to ask Frank this.
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frank_black_francis
= Cult of Ray =

Canada
895 Posts

Posted - 06/04/2003 :  11:02:36  Show Profile  Visit frank_black_francis's Homepage
i always heard...."ride the tiger, down river euphrates..."....but of course, i always thought that 'i've got something against you' sounded like, "iaarrrrrr---roar----roar----aaooowww----nst--you"
....god i love that album
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VoVat
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<

USA
9168 Posts

Posted - 06/05/2003 :  11:51:35  Show Profile  Visit VoVat's Homepage  Click to see VoVat's MSN Messenger address
I think either "tire" (and yes, Sheamus, we Yanks do spell the British/Australian "tyre" as "tire") or "Tigris" would make sense. The Tigris and Euphrates are traditionally paired up, being the boundaries of ancient Mesopotamia. "Tigers" really doesn't make that much sense, but maybe it isn't supposed to. Is there any page of lyrics that have actually been confirmed by Frank?

And what IS he saying in Something Against You, and, for that matter, Rock Music?

-Nathan
And how does lemur's skin reflect the sea?
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speedy_m
= Frankofile =

Canada
3581 Posts

Posted - 06/05/2003 :  12:03:07  Show Profile
Your mouth a mile away? SUMMER.

I've got something against you...(something something) and I'll be one happy prick.

I think. That's what I sing, anyway.
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CreatureCrawling
- FB Fan -

43 Posts

Posted - 06/05/2003 :  12:37:23  Show Profile
I believe they are the following...

"Rock Music"

Your Mouth's A Mile Away [repeat about 8 times]
AHHHHHHH
I'm already gone...
Hey you know me
encatuse -- ["And I know you?"]
Your Mouth's A Mile Away
Slag

"Death To The Pixies" version of S.A.Y.

I've got something against you
I've got something against you
Here we go
I've got something against you
I've got something against you
I've got something against you
I've got something against you
I've got something against you
Oh yeah, I am one happy prick

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vilainde
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<

Niue
7441 Posts

Posted - 06/06/2003 :  01:12:02  Show Profile  Visit vilainde's Homepage
Just listened to Cult of Ray this morning and I remembered that when the album was released, I thought the "melting rock into metal" part was "mister rocking tomato". That's embarassing.


Denis
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frank_black_francis
= Cult of Ray =

Canada
895 Posts

Posted - 06/06/2003 :  03:53:16  Show Profile  Visit frank_black_francis's Homepage
holy shit....me too!!

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Douglas
= Cult of Ray =

Sweden
308 Posts

Posted - 06/09/2003 :  16:17:24  Show Profile
quote:
Originally posted by Itchload

It makes sense...he's driving his car down the gaza strip and he runs out of gas...so he's much more likely to ride a tire down the river (he'd take the tire from his out of order car) than some crazy tiger he comes across



EXACTLY! That's how I've always thought it was... never thought about Tigris though... still have to go with the 'tire'-theory.
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Sheamus
= Cult of Ray =

Australia
345 Posts

Posted - 06/09/2003 :  21:16:30  Show Profile  Visit Sheamus's Homepage  Click to see Sheamus's MSN Messenger address
It definately isnt Tigris, as there is no "S" sound on the end of the word in any version of the song I have heard.
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Cult_Of_Frank
= Black Noise Maker =

Canada
11687 Posts

Posted - 06/09/2003 :  23:10:25  Show Profile  Visit Cult_Of_Frank's Homepage
No, but tiger isn't exactly a stretch from Tigris, and would be more poetic anyway.
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El Barto
= Song DB Master =

USA
4020 Posts

Posted - 06/10/2003 :  15:36:16  Show Profile  Visit El Barto's Homepage
How the fuck do you ride a tiger down a river? Listen to the B-Sides version, I'm telling you, there's no mistaking "tire".
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PsychicTwin
* Dog in the Sand *

USA
1772 Posts

Posted - 06/10/2003 :  16:47:32  Show Profile  Visit PsychicTwin's Homepage
Barto-
"Tire" does make more sense, I've conceded that before.

But, when I thought the lyric was "tiger" I imagined someone riding a tiger down the riverSIDE, not in the river itself.
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Cult_Of_Frank
= Black Noise Maker =

Canada
11687 Posts

Posted - 06/10/2003 :  18:04:08  Show Profile  Visit Cult_Of_Frank's Homepage
quote:
Originally posted by El Barto

How the fuck do you ride a tiger down a river? Listen to the B-Sides version, I'm telling you, there's no mistaking "tire".



That's why it's poetic - ride a tiger makes no sense by itself, directly, but if you think about it, tiger is what Tigris translates to. That said, I do believe it's actually tire, but I think that "the tiger" would have been a better lyric personally.
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