# Are there any lip readers out there? (Elvis movie question)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-lip-readers-out-there-elvis-movie-question/1002998>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [June 17, 2024, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-lip-readers-out-there-elvis-movie-question/1002998 "2024-06-17T21:44:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Dodgy\_Dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7bcc69/32.png) [@Dodgy\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dodgy_Dude)\
**Post date:** [June 17, 2024, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-lip-readers-out-there-elvis-movie-question/1002998/1 "2024-06-17T21:44:05Z")

</div>

In the Aloha from Hawaii concert in 1973, Elvis sang An American Trilogy. About three and a half minutes into the song, he spends about ten seconds shouting something at the band.

Can someone who can read lips tell me what it is Elvis is saying?

(I’d post the song here but Straight Dope doesn’t allow such clips to be embedded. 😟)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\
**Post date:** [June 17, 2024, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-lip-readers-out-there-elvis-movie-question/1002998/2 "2024-06-17T21:47:30Z")

</div>

Please make more descriptive titles.

**Moderating**

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\
**Post date:** [June 17, 2024, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-lip-readers-out-there-elvis-movie-question/1002998/3 "2024-06-17T21:53:12Z")

</div>

Are you talking about this?

[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/0FT3SmZ_zx0/maxresdefault.jpg "Elvis Presley - An American Trilogy (Aloha From Hawaii, Live in Honolulu, 1973)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FT3SmZ_zx0&t=206)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Dodgy\_Dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7bcc69/32.png) [@Dodgy\_Dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dodgy_Dude)\
**Post date:** [June 18, 2024, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-lip-readers-out-there-elvis-movie-question/1002998/4 "2024-06-18T01:46:20Z")

</div>

Yes! I always wonder what he’s saying whenever I see this.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\
**Post date:** [June 18, 2024, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-lip-readers-out-there-elvis-movie-question/1002998/5 "2024-06-18T03:04:25Z")

</div>

“Hold it, hold it, hold it!” according to one source.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![saucywench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@saucywench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saucywench)\
**Post date:** [June 18, 2024, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-lip-readers-out-there-elvis-movie-question/1002998/6 "2024-06-18T03:07:55Z")

</div>

To me, it does not look like he is saying that.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\
**Post date:** [June 18, 2024, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-lip-readers-out-there-elvis-movie-question/1002998/7 "2024-06-18T05:39:15Z")

</div>

Before and after he does the lip curl, it sounds to me like he’s just saying “Go!”

Before that, though, he is obviously asking for a sponge.