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song oracle
- FB Fan -
88 Posts |
 Posted - 12/17/2003 : 04:58:02
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Today's random song of the day is Sir Rockaby.
What do you think of it?
lyrics
You''ve got a sad face
You don''t show it
And you''re smiling it, too
Even in deep, deep outer space
There''s something for you
I''m Sir Rockaby
And rockin'' I am
The world is a rock that''s
Spinning so fast
It''ll give you jim-jams
I''m just a real love diplomat
Won''t give you no flim-flams
I''m Sir Rockaby
And rockin'' I am
How many stars girl
Can you both count
And then classify?
I''m standing here in this big swirl
Singing this lullaby
I''m Sir Rockaby
And rockin'' I am
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andyn
- FB Fan -
United Kingdom
169 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2003 : 05:16:18
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| Love it, particularly for rhyming "jim-jams" with "flim-flams". |
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Jettison
- FB Fan -
USA
228 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2003 : 05:25:21
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amazing song...
one of my top five favorites.
i love the 'how many stars...' verse.
www.thecroakers.com |
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Jayhawk
- FB Fan -
80 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2003 : 05:59:32
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| I've always loved this one since the first time I heard it. |
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STITCHES
= Cult of Ray =
USA
915 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2003 : 06:24:05
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a great song. I especially love the 3rd vers with the line about stars
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MAMASAYMAMASAMAMACOOSA |
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Cult_Of_Frank
= Black Noise Maker =
Canada
11687 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2003 : 06:46:24
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Yeah, a fantastic song.
 "Join the Cult of Frank / And you'll be enlightened" |
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two reelers
* Dog in the Sand *
Austria
1037 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2003 : 07:34:01
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all-time-classic. no need to say more.
hmhm...there is the short story "sir rockaby" by nobel-prize winning author samuel beckett. it's about an old lady who is sitting in a rocking chair and thinks about her life and things and stories which happened in it.
sometimes i think fb is somehow influenced by beckett. like in beckett stories, counting & classifying is a reoccuring theme in frank's songs (monkey, lalalove you, solid gold, headache, st. francis dam disaster, u-mass,...).
also, in general there is some similiar use of abstractification (?; sorry, i'm not native english) in the lyrics. beckett is directly mentioned in 'blast off'. 'two reelers' makes me always think of 'waiting for godot', don't know why.
just a thought. |
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Adnan_le_Terrible
* Dog in the Sand *
France
1973 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2003 : 07:39:01
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The oracle obviously made a mistake this time. I mean, how can someone possibly say anything else then "it's a fantastic song" when talking about "Sir Rockaby". I think that along with "Speedy Marie", this is the finest Frank's love song ever (including the Pixies period). It is so simple and yet so rich and poetic. I like the line "Even in deep, deep outer space/There's something for you" but everything else is just perfect.
A question for you native english speakers : could you explain me the jim-jams / flim-flams stuff. I would really be grateful to you...
 "I met a man/ he was a good man" |
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ramona
"FB Quote Mistress"
USA
3988 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2003 : 07:43:51
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It's such a pretty song. Frank sings a lullaby!
I especially like -
How many stars girl
Can you both count
And then classify? |
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STITCHES
= Cult of Ray =
USA
915 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2003 : 07:45:39
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amen, ramona
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MAMASAYMAMASAMAMACOOSA |
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Dallas
= Cult of Ray =
USA
725 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2003 : 07:46:14
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Great tune.
A flim-flam is like a con or a trick. Jim Jams is I guess a worried or jittery feeling. Maybe nervousness is a better way to put it, if in fact nervousness is a word. |
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Frog in the Sand
-+ Le premiere frog +-
France
2715 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2003 : 07:53:04
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| A cool, classy song. I like it but I still wonder what it's about ("I'm just a real love diplomat / Won't give you no flim-flams" ???). The Earth? the Sun? Could anyone tell me?... |
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Frog in the Sand
-+ Le premiere frog +-
France
2715 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2003 : 08:00:44
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| OK, I've just read Dallas and Two Reelers' replies. Things are (a bit) clearer now... |
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benji
> Teenager of the Year <
New Zealand
3426 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2003 : 08:06:00
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quote:
Originally posted by Dallas
Jim Jams is I guess a worried or jittery feeling.
where i come from "jim jams" is short for pyjamas.....
read into that what u will. |
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Field Hockey Players
- FB Fan -
USA
19 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2003 : 08:26:40
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I have to be honest here, although its a very pretty song and the lyrics are cool (love the space themes), this has never been one of my favorites. Maybe its because I just can't wait to get to Two Reelers and Freedom Rock. Perhaps its just the position on the album that has hurt Sir Rockaby's status in my mental all-time ranking of Frank Black tunes. When I listen to it separately from the album...I can kind of get into it more.
I clearly seem to be in the minority. Adnan, I would never have thought to make any comparison with Rockaby and Speedy Marie (which I agree is a masterpiece...maybe my all-time favorite FB song). Diversity just makes me happy inside. |
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Cult_Of_Frank
= Black Noise Maker =
Canada
11687 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2003 : 09:36:42
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quote:
Originally posted by benji
quote:
Originally posted by Dallas
Jim Jams is I guess a worried or jittery feeling.
where i come from "jim jams" is short for pyjamas.....
read into that what u will.
Yeah, actually, that's what I thought, too... pj's. How it's possible that New Zealand and Canada share some slang, I'm not sure, but...
"Join the Cult of Frank / And you'll be enlightened" |
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STITCHES
= Cult of Ray =
USA
915 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2003 : 09:43:42
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you always have to throw the fact that your canadian into everything dont you??!?!?!?!?
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MAMASAYMAMASAMAMACOOSA |
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Carolynanna
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
Canada
6556 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2003 : 09:46:06
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Someone's a bit paranoid,
better lay off the pipe. |
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Brackish Boy
- FB Fan -
Sweden
34 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2003 : 12:02:10
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| Yes.. truly a wonderful song...in my head I used to connect it to some scene in "The Meaning of Life" by Monty Pyton...If they could replace Eric Idle with Frank singing "Sir Rockaby" in that scene...that would be the greatest video ever made.. |
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Jason
* Dog in the Sand *
1446 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2003 : 16:43:16
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A fine song. This and "Stupid Me" strike me as being written in the spirit of the 50s. It's a love song and it's also cosmic. 50s rock and doo wop ballads often refer to stars and nighttime, angels, heaven.
Frank used to introduce this song as stage as saying it was their "most rockin' song". To me, he was referring to the 50s influence. |
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mereubu
= FB QuizMistress =
USA
2677 Posts |
Posted - 12/17/2003 : 17:22:14
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quote:
Originally posted by two reelers
all-time-classic. no need to say more.
hmhm...there is the short story "sir rockaby" by nobel-prize winning author samuel beckett. it's about an old lady who is sitting in a rocking chair and thinks about her life and things and stories which happened in it.
sometimes i think fb is somehow influenced by beckett. like in beckett stories, counting & classifying is a reoccuring theme in frank's songs (monkey, lalalove you, solid gold, headache, st. francis dam disaster, u-mass,...).
also, in general there is some similiar use of abstractification (?; sorry, i'm not native english) in the lyrics. beckett is directly mentioned in 'blast off'. 'two reelers' makes me always think of 'waiting for godot', don't know why.
just a thought.
Actually, it's a play, and it's simply called Rockabye. We had a thread once (so long ago that it's been archived) about Frank and Beckett--I'll see if I can dig it up.
This is just such a beautiful little song. I heard it first on the Hello Club recording (I had a subscription at the time) which was released before Teenager of the Year. I think that version is still my favorite (love that harmonica) but the album version is lovely too. The Hello version is on my daughter's bedtime tape and she loves it.
"I joined the Cult of Frank / And all I got was this lousy icon" |
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two reelers
* Dog in the Sand *
Austria
1037 Posts |
Posted - 12/18/2003 : 02:23:22
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quote:
Originally posted by mereubu
quote:
Originally posted by two reelers
all-time-classic. no need to say more.
hmhm...there is the short story "sir rockaby" by nobel-prize winning author samuel beckett. it's about an old lady who is sitting in a rocking chair and thinks about her life and things and stories which happened in it.
sometimes i think fb is somehow influenced by beckett. like in beckett stories, counting & classifying is a reoccuring theme in frank's songs (monkey, lalalove you, solid gold, headache, st. francis dam disaster, u-mass,...).
also, in general there is some similiar use of abstractification (?; sorry, i'm not native english) in the lyrics. beckett is directly mentioned in 'blast off'. 'two reelers' makes me always think of 'waiting for godot', don't know why.
just a thought.
Actually, it's a play, and it's simply called Rockabye. We had a thread once (so long ago that it's been archived) about Frank and Beckett--I'll see if I can dig it up.
This is just such a beautiful little song. I heard it first on the Hello Club recording (I had a subscription at the time) which was released before Teenager of the Year. I think that version is still my favorite (love that harmonica) but the album version is lovely too. The Hello version is on my daughter's bedtime tape and she loves it.
"I joined the Cult of Frank / And all I got was this lousy icon"
would be very interested in that thread... yeah, you are right, beckett's thingy is just called rockabye and is a play. eventually, i heard the song before which made me buy the book with that story/play in it. |
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billgoodman
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
Netherlands
6221 Posts |
Posted - 12/18/2003 : 02:59:47
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the line: How many stars, girl, can you both count and then clasify?
is purely genius. One of my favourite lines ever
 "I joined the Culf of Frank/ And now I do not know what...to do" |
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benji
> Teenager of the Year <
New Zealand
3426 Posts |
Posted - 12/18/2003 : 03:05:41
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quote:
Originally posted by Cult_Of_Frank
quote:
Originally posted by benji
quote:
Originally posted by Dallas
Jim Jams is I guess a worried or jittery feeling.
where i come from "jim jams" is short for pyjamas.....
read into that what u will.
Yeah, actually, that's what I thought, too... pj's. How it's possible that New Zealand and Canada share some slang, I'm not sure, but...
"Join the Cult of Frank / And you'll be enlightened"
I had never heard of it before my wife told me....it's awfully cute if u ask me...
but now that i think about it, i have a vague recollection of her telling me a canadian friend introduced 'jimjams' to her....
so think you can take credit for this one dean. |
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ivandivel
= Cult of Ray =
394 Posts |
Posted - 12/18/2003 : 07:59:40
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quote:
Originally posted by ramona
It's such a pretty song. Frank sings a lullaby!
I especially like -
How many stars girl
Can you both count
And then classify?
i once swore that if a woman recited that verse i'd marry her. |
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