Nope. It is a standard grammatical usage called the ellipses.
In this case, the full sentence would be something like, “The only time I feel alright is the time during which I’m by your side.”
You flunked pedanticism.
Jeez. When did I say the song was idiotic?
Pedantry.
Pedanticism is the name of the course.
Well it does sound a bit like their “For Your Love” or “Happy Together” periods.
The quoted lyric in the OP is not a “grammar problem.” It is intentionally ambiguous. That’s the whole point.
Other than the fact that there is nothing wrong with a more expansive understanding of the word “time” (as others have mentioned), both your versions also ruin the poetry of the line. “Time” sounds much better with the continuing assonance in that line (time/I//by/side) and “place” sounds, to me, out of place as a substitution. Your second version throws the meter off. It’s just right as is.
On the Sleepwalker Albumn, I believe in the song Life on the Road, which sure sounds autobiographical and non ambiguous Contains these lines:
I was standing with the punks in Praed StreetWhen a muscle man came my wayHe said, "Hey, are you gay? Can you come out and play?"And like a fool, I went and said, “Okay”
It’s a great song. Sleepwalker was the album I discovered the Kinks, and I would rank it up there in the running with Lola vs Powerman.
Impossible to tell without knowing the punctuation, so unless Victor Borge covered it, we’ll never know.
English dopers or maybe just a muswell hillbilly, what does “standing with the punk in Praed Street” mean?
I’m not English, but Praed Street is a street in London and “standing with the punks” presumably means he was standing near some punks. I don’t know if Praed Street was particularly known as a punk hangout or anything.
Not to pile on, but I like switches like that. A really good one from David Gates:
“If I could be two places at one time, I’d be with you
Tomorrow and today, beside you all the way.”
Does “punk” in this usage mean “gay”? At the time of Lola, why would Praed Street have been notable?
No WAGs please.
That line isn’t from “Lola.” It’s from the Sleepwalker album, which was released in 1977, a time lousy with punk punks.
Because they recognize superior musicians when they hear 'em? They are the Beatles, after all. They should know.
Yes, as I noted it was from Sleepwalker, but as an obvious Kinks aficionado, you would probably agree that the song is autobiographical, no? And if autobiographical, then probably predates 1977 since Ray Davies was born (I think) on 21 June 1945…
And would I be correct that you are neither English nor a Muswell Hillbilly nor were around Praed Street in 1970?. Please feel free to correct me if that’s a mistaken assumption on my part. Thanks!
No. Or at least, to be fair, I have never encountered the use of ‘punk’ to mean ‘gay’ in this country.
I don’t think this line means anything other than Lamia suggests. And I am English.
Not in the post I quoted. You asked about “the time of Lola” which was 1970 and years before the punks and years before Sleepwalker.
That’s the one and only thing I replied to. I leave the mindreading to others.
Sure they did. All four of them, at the same time.
Roses are red
Violets are blue,
i’m a schizophrenic
And so am i.