# Nothing Ever Comes to No Good Up On Choctaw Ridge (Mysteries in pop music) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 14, 2007, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-ever-comes-to-no-good-up-on-choctaw-ridge-mysteries-in-pop-music/430012 "2007-12-14T17:31:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![SSG\_Schwartz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SSG\_Schwartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SSG_Schwartz)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-ever-comes-to-no-good-up-on-choctaw-ridge-mysteries-in-pop-music/430012/81 "2007-12-16T00:54:14Z")
[QUOTE=Peter Morris] … I’m a man, and so is Lola. [/QUOTE] It is not quite that clear if you look at the proceeding line. _Well Im not the worlds most masculine man But I know what I am and Im glad Im a man And so is lola_ Lola may be a man, or Lola may be glad the singer is a man. SSG Schwartz ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-ever-comes-to-no-good-up-on-choctaw-ridge-mysteries-in-pop-music/430012/82 "2007-12-16T00:55:25Z")
But she \*talks \*like a man. And the singer had never kissed a \*woman \*before. Boys will be girls. No, there’s no doubt as to what the song means. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-ever-comes-to-no-good-up-on-choctaw-ridge-mysteries-in-pop-music/430012/83 "2007-12-16T00:57:28Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] Was he from the House of Lords? [/QUOTE] [His father was](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominick_Browne%2C_4th_Baron_Oranmore_and_Browne) ---
**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:** [December 16, 2007, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-ever-comes-to-no-good-up-on-choctaw-ridge-mysteries-in-pop-music/430012/84 "2007-12-16T03:56:03Z")
> [@](#): > > I always figured it was gay sex, which was “against the law” in many states back then – and that the Mama Pajama caught them in bed; they hung out at the schoolyard at some other time. But alternate explanations are always arguable. I figured that with Paul and Julio being the lovers, it was obvious the sex was gay (unless they were having a threesome with Rosie). But why would two boys having sex make the cover of Newsweek? ---
**Author:** ![anyrose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/54ee81/32.png) [@anyrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anyrose)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-ever-comes-to-no-good-up-on-choctaw-ridge-mysteries-in-pop-music/430012/85 "2007-12-16T03:59:28Z")
[QUOTE=Little Nemo] I figured that with Paul and Julio being the lovers, it was obvious the sex was gay (unless they were having a threesome with Rosie). But why would two boys having sex make the cover of Newsweek? [/QUOTE] when I first heard the song, I was thinking the boys were doing drugs. ---
**Author:** ![Caractacus\_Pott](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@Caractacus\_Pott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caractacus_Pott)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-ever-comes-to-no-good-up-on-choctaw-ridge-mysteries-in-pop-music/430012/86 "2007-12-16T12:52:27Z")
[QUOTE=Chez Guevara] _Someone left the cake out in the rain and I don’t think that I can take it 'cause it took so long to bake it and I’ll never have that recipe again Oh, no!_ [ul] [li]Who left the cake out in the rain?[/li][li]Did they do it on purpose, or what?[/li][li]It’s just a cake. Why did it take so long to bake it?[/li][li]What happened to the recipe?[/li][li]Why the angst? It’s just a cake.[/li][/ul] I could say more. [/QUOTE] Does anyone know if this was ever an accepted dessert storage practice in Westlake in the late 60s? Another song says “It never rains in Southern California,” so I guess you could just leave cakes lying around outside worrying about them getting waterlogged.\* **Che** , those questions popped into my head when I read the OP. Let me add another: Couldn’t the singer just head to the nearest Ralphs to pick up another one, or two if the weather looked bad? There are now 3 Ralphs with bakeries within 2 miles of Macarthur Park, open 24 hours a day, raining or not. That’s not counting any Alpha Beta’s or Lucky’s that may have been around. Here’s another question: Did the singer not know about the ever popular [Tupperware cake keeper](http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Tupperware-Cake-Keeper_W0QQitemZ120198629619QQcmdZViewItem). Geez, we have the technology, people, just use it, dammit!!! Or was the singer such a loser that s/he couldn’t even get invited to a Tupperware party? That’s almost sadder than the watersoaked cake hysteria. Maybe s/he had a neurosis about burping plastic storage containers. Just like an onion, the more questions you ask, the more you find. - Bugs and small children would be hazards, I’d presume, but not rain. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-ever-comes-to-no-good-up-on-choctaw-ridge-mysteries-in-pop-music/430012/87 "2007-12-16T13:32:45Z")
[QUOTE=Caractacus Pott] Does anyone know if this was ever an accepted dessert storage practice in Westlake in the late 60s? Another song says “It never rains in Southern California,” so I guess you could just leave cakes lying around outside worrying about them getting waterlogged. [/quote] I think we can safely conclude that storing cakes in an external environment should not be attempted without first obtaining a reliable weather forecast for the immediate locality. Such forecasts should clearly exclude those given in song lyrics. Furthermore it should be noted that MacArthur Park was melting in the dark at the time, causing all the sweet, green icing to flow down from the top of the cake. I regard this as the strangest weather phenomenon ever witnessed by Man, with the possible exception of the time when it was raining men (Hallelujah). > [@](#): > > Couldn’t the singer just head to the nearest Ralphs to pick up another one, or two if the weather looked bad? There are now 3 Ralphs with bakeries within 2 miles of Macarthur Park, open 24 hours a day, raining or not. That’s not counting any Alpha Beta’s or Lucky’s that may have been around. If Ralphs sells cakes with sweet green icing on top then I couldn’t agree more. > [@](#): > > Here’s another question: Did the singer not know about the ever popular [Tupperware cake keeper](http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Tupperware-Cake-Keeper_W0QQitemZ120198629619QQcmdZViewItem). Geez, we have the technology, people, just use it, dammit!!! That would depend on the size of the cake. The cake keeper featured in the link measures a mere 9 1/2" x 13 1/2" x 4". Inexplicably we are not given the cake dimensions in the song lyric which, in my view, is an oversight of cake-like proportions. > [@](#): > > Just like an onion, the more questions you ask, the more you find. Tell me about it. We’d better not read the [full lyric](http://www.risa.co.uk/sla/song.php?songid=13834) otherwise we’ll be here all day. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-ever-comes-to-no-good-up-on-choctaw-ridge-mysteries-in-pop-music/430012/88 "2007-12-16T17:18:38Z")
[QUOTE=Peter Morris] But she \*talks \*like a man. And the singer had never kissed a \*woman \*before. Boys will be girls. No, there’s no doubt as to what the song means. [/QUOTE] Not [here,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lola_%28song%29) at any rate. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-ever-comes-to-no-good-up-on-choctaw-ridge-mysteries-in-pop-music/430012/89 "2007-12-17T14:43:17Z")
[QUOTE=Peter Morris] … I’m a man, and so is Lola.Just what are the other 45 ways to leave your lover? [/QUOTE] Well one of them is to be caught down by the school yard with that slugabed Julio. ---
**Author:** ![wonderlust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonderlust/32/7237_2.png) [@wonderlust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonderlust)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-ever-comes-to-no-good-up-on-choctaw-ridge-mysteries-in-pop-music/430012/90 "2007-12-17T16:53:03Z")
Gods!, but **marque\_elf** would have loved this thread! I think we pretty well learned where Hey, Joe was going with that gun in his hand… ---
**Author:** ![Siege](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@Siege](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siege)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-ever-comes-to-no-good-up-on-choctaw-ridge-mysteries-in-pop-music/430012/91 "2007-12-17T17:20:41Z")
[QUOTE=pepperlandgirl] The final verse was about all the holes they counted at Blackburn Lancashire, and how they planned to fill the holes. [/QUOTE] This isn’t a question, but it’s something I’ve always wondered about. You see, my dad grew up near Blackburn, Lancashire. What are those holes? Mines? Something else? ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-ever-comes-to-no-good-up-on-choctaw-ridge-mysteries-in-pop-music/430012/92 "2007-12-17T17:37:11Z")
[QUOTE=Siege] This isn’t a question, but it’s something I’ve always wondered about. You see, my dad grew up near Blackburn, Lancashire. What are those holes? Mines? Something else? [/QUOTE] From [this site](http://www.guardian.co.uk/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-20318,00.html): > [@](#): > > It was John Lennon’s idea to write this song by combining ideas taken from the newspapers. He and Paul scanned the Dail Mail for Jan 17th, 1967 and their eye caught the following short article: “There are 4000 holes in the road in Blackburn Lancashire, one twenty-sixth of a hole per person, according to a council survey. If Blackburn is typical then there are over two million holes in Britain’s roads and 300 000 in London.” ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-ever-comes-to-no-good-up-on-choctaw-ridge-mysteries-in-pop-music/430012/93 "2007-12-17T17:44:00Z")
[QUOTE=Krokodil] What does “Doo Wah Diddy” mean? [/QUOTE] If you don’t know by now, [don’t mess with it!](http://www.shoppalstores.com/ShopPal_Assets/js/popup.html?http://www.shoppalstores.com/fatfreddy/image//zap_1_6th.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-ever-comes-to-no-good-up-on-choctaw-ridge-mysteries-in-pop-music/430012/94 "2007-12-17T18:22:38Z")
[QUOTE=maggenpye] Where \*do \*you go to my lovely, when you’re alone in your bed? And what method of locomotion does it entail? Sasha Distel seemed to think it involved a childhood in the back streets of Naples, do you time travel? Is the bed a TARDIS? [/QUOTE] Wow, a Peter Sarstedt reference! I love that song. Now, did Bob Dylan kill Mister Gray and then his wife? Or was he really just lucky? ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-ever-comes-to-no-good-up-on-choctaw-ridge-mysteries-in-pop-music/430012/95 "2007-12-17T19:08:02Z")
In _Paradise by the Dashboard Light_, why does the horny kid try a squeeze play with two out? No wonder the poor doofus can’t score without signing his life away! ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-ever-comes-to-no-good-up-on-choctaw-ridge-mysteries-in-pop-music/430012/96 "2007-12-17T19:20:07Z")
Has this one been mentioned yet? In Tom Waits’ creepy “What’s He Building in There?” you get a lot of bizarre clues, but you never find out what he is building in there, ---
**Author:** ![wonderlust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonderlust/32/7237_2.png) [@wonderlust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonderlust)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-ever-comes-to-no-good-up-on-choctaw-ridge-mysteries-in-pop-music/430012/97 "2007-12-17T19:20:21Z")
Why on earth did Neil Young shoot his baby, down by the river? So what, if she could drag him over the rainbow. Is that reason enough? Hey Joe caught his old lady messin’ ‘round, messin’ 'round town, but I think Neil Young has a pretty poor excuse. Why are so many guys shooting their women down, down to the ground? ---
**Author:** ![Grits\_and\_Hard\_Toast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Grits\_and\_Hard\_Toast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grits_and_Hard_Toast)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-ever-comes-to-no-good-up-on-choctaw-ridge-mysteries-in-pop-music/430012/98 "2007-12-17T21:55:15Z")
I have one that I have always wondered about. Freda Payne’s Band of Gold You took me from the shelter of a mother I had never known Who loved any other We kissed after taking vows But that night on our honeymoon We stayed in separate rooms Then later: Hoping soon that you’ll walk Back through that door And love me like you tried before All I can think of is that Encyte hadn’t been invented yet, the guy couldn’t do it, so walked out on her… And I thought that it was confirmed that it was James Taylor that was so vain. And are these true: Seasons in the Sun= a guy on death row I Think We’re Alone Now= gay teenagers ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-ever-comes-to-no-good-up-on-choctaw-ridge-mysteries-in-pop-music/430012/99 "2007-12-18T04:18:55Z")
[QUOTE=RealityChuck] Is Lola female or male? [/QUOTE] Yes. _Why_ did no-one seem to pay the drillin’ in the wall any mind? Was it so common in a saloon? What is Norwegian Wood exactly? ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-ever-comes-to-no-good-up-on-choctaw-ridge-mysteries-in-pop-music/430012/100 "2007-12-18T07:01:23Z")
[QUOTE=Grits and Hard Toast] I have one that I have always wondered about. Freda Payne’s Band of Gold You took me from the shelter of a mother I had never known Who loved any other We kissed after taking vows But that night on our honeymoon We stayed in separate rooms Then later: Hoping soon that you’ll walk Back through that door And love me like you tried before All I can think of is that Encyte hadn’t been invented yet, the guy couldn’t do it, so walked out on her… [/QUOTE] Try the punctuation a little differently. You took me from the shelter of a mother. I had never known or loved any other. We kissed after taking vows But that night on our honeymoon we stayed in separate rooms. My take on it has always been that she was shy and scared because she had no experience, maybe she pushed him away, and that he had no patience. She’s hoping he’ll come back and give her another chance. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-ever-comes-to-no-good-up-on-choctaw-ridge-mysteries-in-pop-music/430012.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nothing-ever-comes-to-no-good-up-on-choctaw-ridge-mysteries-in-pop-music/430012.md?page=6)