# Did you actually listen to the words of the song? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 15, 2007, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-actually-listen-to-the-words-of-the-song/415712 "2007-08-15T19:41:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-actually-listen-to-the-words-of-the-song/415712/81 "2007-08-17T00:31:41Z")
[QUOTE=Fugazi] One of my favorite examples of this it the song One by U2. Just listening to the chorus it sorta sounds like a sweet song about togetherness. Until you read lyrics like: You act like you never had love And you want me to go without and: You gave me nothing Now it’s all I got and my personal favorite: You ask me to enter But then you make me crawl And I can’t be holding on To what you got When all you got is hurt [/QUOTE] I remember Bono saying anything that “One” was supposed to be about an AIDS victim trying to reconcile with his parents, who loved him but disapproved of him. The message seems to be, “You SAY you love me, you SAY you want us together again, but your disapproval is killing me… and it’s making it almost impossible for me to come back to you, even though I need you desperately.” ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-actually-listen-to-the-words-of-the-song/415712/82 "2007-08-17T00:38:45Z")
I’ll weigh in on the Lola lyric. What I thought it was: I’m not the world’s most passionate man But what I know what I am and what I am is a man And so was Lola. Yeah, I went the Popeye route. ---
**Author:** ![threeorange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@threeorange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threeorange)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-actually-listen-to-the-words-of-the-song/415712/83 "2007-08-17T01:18:03Z")
I’m surprised that noone has mentioned this one yet. A lot of people get warm fuzzies at a **Green Day** song whose refrain ends with the line: _“I hope you had the time of your life”_ And they’re apparently not tipped off by the fact that the song’s title is **Good Riddance**. ---
**Author:** ![Fugazi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f08c70/32.png) [@Fugazi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fugazi)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-actually-listen-to-the-words-of-the-song/415712/84 "2007-08-17T01:20:12Z")
[QUOTE=astorian] I remember Bono saying anything that “One” was supposed to be about an AIDS victim trying to reconcile with his parents, who loved him but disapproved of him. The message seems to be, “You SAY you love me, you SAY you want us together again, but your disapproval is killing me… and it’s making it almost impossible for me to come back to you, even though I need you desperately.” [/QUOTE] Oh wow. I never knew that. Re-reading the lyrics with that in mind it makes sense. It’s very good at conveying someone who’s bitter about their relationship. I just thought it was lovers, but both work. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-actually-listen-to-the-words-of-the-song/415712/85 "2007-08-17T01:22:00Z")
[QUOTE=threeorange] I’m surprised that noone has mentioned this one yet. A lot of people get warm fuzzies at a **Green Day** song whose refrain ends with the line: _“I hope you had the time of your life”_ And they’re apparently not tipped off by the fact that the song’s title is **Good Riddance**. [/QUOTE] The nicest, sweetest break up song ever, that’s Good Riddance. ---
**Author:** ![Velma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/85e7bf/32.png) [@Velma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velma)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-actually-listen-to-the-words-of-the-song/415712/86 "2007-08-17T01:41:27Z")
[QUOTE=Fugazi] Oh wow. I never knew that. Re-reading the lyrics with that in mind it makes sense. It’s very good at conveying someone who’s bitter about their relationship. I just thought it was lovers, but both work. [/QUOTE] Mary J Blige does a cover of it with Bono and she interprets it as being about her relationship with her estranged father, and that works too. Part of the reason I like the song is it can be taken more than one way. \*\*olivesmarch \*\* > [@](#): > > Now that is just creeping me out. Chalk that up as ‘‘ignorance I would have rather not fought.’’ > > /perfect example of what the OP was referencing I first took it as just a guy trying to seduce a girl too, taking a nice walk around the lake. It gets creepier and creepier as the song goes on. Don’t be afraid I don’t mean to scare you Do you wanna die, etc. What’s funny is it took me playing Guitar Hero to realize how disturbing it could be. ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-actually-listen-to-the-words-of-the-song/415712/87 "2007-08-17T01:55:46Z")
[QUOTE=Biggirl] I’ll weigh in on the Lola lyric. What I thought it was: I’m not the world’s most passionate man But what I know what I am and what I am is a man And so was Lola. Yeah, I went the Popeye route. [/QUOTE] People, have you tried listening to the song? To me the lyrics are really quite clear. “..I’m glad Im a man and so is Lola.” youtube link if you don’t have it: ![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/IMsnqQHOwFg/maxresdefault.jpg)https://www.youtube.com/embed/IMsnqQHOwFg?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-actually-listen-to-the-words-of-the-song/415712/88 "2007-08-17T01:56:23Z")
[QUOTE=MissGypsy] > [@Antinor01](#): > > For me it was All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You by Heart. I loved that song for years and then actually paid attention to it. :eek: I never noticed that before, and that song was part of the background soundtrack to my teen years. I read the lyrics, and you’re right, but what an odd thing to write a song about. [/QUOTE] Surprised you both never realised. Not only are the lyrics fairly clear and simple but they even acted out the scenario in the video clip. I remember seeing it every week until it left the charts, so I never had any doubts about what the song was trying to say! [QUOTE=Randy Seltzer] Death Cab for Cutie’s song _I Will Follow You Into The Dark_, while romantic, is not a good wedding song. The song is about the guy’s promise that he’ll kill himself if his lady dies. And yup, my sister attended a wedding a few weeks ago and this was the song for the First Dance. [/QUOTE] Hahaha, seriously? That’s beautiful. A song that starts out the very first verse with the lines: _Love of mine Someday you will die But I’ll be close behind_ is never going to make my list of Top Wedding Songs of All-Time. On the other hand, I had Every Breath You Take played at my wedding reception because it amused me to play a stalker-song that so many other people had mistaken for a love song over the years. ---
**Author:** ![DataZak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ea666f/32.png) [@DataZak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataZak)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-actually-listen-to-the-words-of-the-song/415712/89 "2007-08-17T02:11:24Z")
I have a feeling that Whitney Houston’s “Saving All My Love For You” was probably thought of as one of the most romantic songs _ **EVAH** _. Never mind that it’s about a woman who’s having an affair with a married man. ---
**Author:** ![aktep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-actually-listen-to-the-words-of-the-song/415712/90 "2007-08-17T02:24:23Z")
My girlfriend in high school once made a mix tape for me, with “liner notes” about each song. One was **"Unanswered Prayers", Garth Brooks** - You’re my unanswered prayer, … \* [blah blah something sappy here] \* The song is about a guy that meets his old high school girlfriend many years later and realizes that they weren’t right for each other after all. It actually described our relationship pretty well, but I don’t think it’s what she meant. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-actually-listen-to-the-words-of-the-song/415712/91 "2007-08-17T05:07:22Z")
[QUOTE=threeorange] I’m surprised that noone has mentioned this one yet. A lot of people get warm fuzzies at a **Green Day** song whose refrain ends with the line: _“I hope you had the time of your life”_ And they’re apparently not tipped off by the fact that the song’s title is **Good Riddance**. [/QUOTE] Which made it all the more horrifying when Jeanie Boulet sang it to Anspaugh’s son after he died under her care in that episode of ER. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-actually-listen-to-the-words-of-the-song/415712/92 "2007-08-17T05:19:58Z")
I just listened carefully to “Lola” and confirmed that I hear: _Well, I’m not the world’s most masculine man But I know what I am And I’m glad I’m a man And so is Lola_ I thought it was the ambiguity that makes the song brilliant. Well, it’s much less subtle in the earlier portions of the song, but still… It’s a great song. Also seconding or thirding Linda Ronstadt. She carried off “Different Drum” with no problem at all. Love her. ---
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-actually-listen-to-the-words-of-the-song/415712/93 "2007-08-17T06:54:19Z")
[QUOTE=SSG Schwartz] If that is the case, then why is the line: I initially saw it your way, \*\*Wisp \*\*, but then that would mean, either, it is difficult to love a man who constantly pisses you off and thinks she should get over it, or it’s difficult to love someone who loves someone who is always angry. [/QUOTE] I took that song to mean it was the WOMAN that was struggling with something such as alcoholism. Constant drunkenness was the “angry all the time.” “Loving a man shouldn’t have to be this rough” meant he somewhat blamed himself and felt partly responsible for his wife’s shortcomings. “Splitting image of you when you were young” referred to his kids and how vibrant the wife was when they first met, before the alcoholism took over. ---
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-actually-listen-to-the-words-of-the-song/415712/94 "2007-08-17T07:00:36Z")
Adding my own…my mom always thought the David Lee Murphy song was _Dust on the Bible_. In that respect she thought it was a good God fearing song about someone rediscovering God… > [@](#): > > There might be a little dust on the bible > But don’t let it fool ya about what’s inside > There might be a little dust on the bible > It’s one of those things that gets sweeter with time It wasn’t until a good 2 years after the song was released she found out that the lyrics were “Dust on the **BOTTLE**!” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-actually-listen-to-the-words-of-the-song/415712/95 "2007-08-17T08:33:52Z")
A friend of mine who is a DJ once told me he had a couple request the Beatles’ [Oh Darling](http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Oh-Darling-lyrics-The-Beatles/BA96E863ED260A1248256BC20015990D) at their wedding. I asked him if they had ever heard the song before. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-actually-listen-to-the-words-of-the-song/415712/96 "2007-08-17T11:59:45Z")
Re Lola, I hear “I know what I am, I’m a man, I’m a man, and so’s Lola.” I think it’s one of the greatest songs of all time, and the lyrics have a lot to do with that. ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-actually-listen-to-the-words-of-the-song/415712/97 "2007-08-17T12:48:10Z")
[QUOTE=Dung Beetle] Re Lola, I hear “I know what I am, I’m a man, I’m a man, and so’s Lola.” I think it’s one of the greatest songs of all time, and the lyrics have a lot to do with that. [/QUOTE] What version of the song do you have? I’m listening to the version on Lola vs Powerman and the Money-go-round, and it is really obvious that he sings “glad”. He sings it rather clearly with a long L-sound. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-actually-listen-to-the-words-of-the-song/415712/98 "2007-08-17T12:58:11Z")
> [@](#): > > It wasn’t until a good 2 years after the song was released she found out that the lyrics were “Dust on the BOTTLE!” I’m afraid I am also guilty of that misunderstanding. But, you know… I was 12 or so. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-actually-listen-to-the-words-of-the-song/415712/99 "2007-08-17T13:02:25Z")
[QUOTE=mr. jp] What version of the song do you have? I’m listening to the version on Lola vs Powerman and the Money-go-round, and it is really obvious that he sings “glad”. He sings it rather clearly with a long L-sound. 😕 [/QUOTE] Perhaps you should take a gander at either kissthisguy dot com or misheard lyrics. Not everybody hears the same things. In fact, that’s what this whole thread is about-- misunderstanding the meaning of songs. And honestly, is there that much of a huge difference in meaning between “I’m a man, I’m a man” and “I’m glad I’m a man”? Granted, “I’m not the world’s most masculine man” is a heck of a lot more consistent-- and funnier-- than “I’m not the world’s most passionate man” but since many, MANY people heard it different it could be that these particular lines are not the most clearly sung lines in the history of music. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-actually-listen-to-the-words-of-the-song/415712/100 "2007-08-17T13:53:06Z")
What I hear in **Lola** : _I know what I am and **I’m glad I’m a man** and so is Lola_ The beauty of the line rendered that way is the double meaning. Is Lola also glad the singer’s a man? Or is the singer telling us that Lola is also a man? And the humorous double meaning is what confirms for me that’s the way Davies wrote it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-actually-listen-to-the-words-of-the-song/415712.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-you-actually-listen-to-the-words-of-the-song/415712.md?page=6)