# Semi-annual "What in the hell does this old song mean?" thread. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 23, 2006, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-annual-what-in-the-hell-does-this-old-song-mean-thread/357892 "2006-05-23T13:41:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [May 23, 2006, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-annual-what-in-the-hell-does-this-old-song-mean-thread/357892/1 "2006-05-23T13:41:11Z")
Oldies are good. I like 'em. Classic rock, pop and soul just makes me happy. Every now and again I’m listening to some old song that I’ve listen and sang to for decades and think “What the hell does that mean?” and then I come here and ask. This time it’s Manford Mann’s Blinded By the Light (written by Bruce Springsteen, if I’m not mistaken). O.K., I know he doesn’t say 'wrapped up like a douch", yet ‘wrapped up like a duece’ doesn’t make much sense either. And what with hurlyburlies and calliopes crashing to the ground-- what does it all mean? [Here are the words. Please keep the board’s fair use policy in mind when quoting.](http://www.brucespringsteen.net/songs/BlindedByTheLight.html) ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-annual-what-in-the-hell-does-this-old-song-mean-thread/357892/2 "2006-05-23T13:49:49Z")
Not that Wikipedia is the end-all, but [here’s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blinded_by_the_Light) their take on it. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-annual-what-in-the-hell-does-this-old-song-mean-thread/357892/3 "2006-05-23T13:51:46Z")
And it’s _Manfred_ Mann. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ichbin\_Dubist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ichbin\_Dubist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichbin_Dubist)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-annual-what-in-the-hell-does-this-old-song-mean-thread/357892/4 "2006-05-23T14:04:49Z")
The meaning of this song is “I have listened to Bob Dylan’s ‘Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands’ too many times.” ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-annual-what-in-the-hell-does-this-old-song-mean-thread/357892/5 "2006-05-23T15:57:07Z")
As the wikipedia article says, “cut loose like a deuce” is one of Springsteen’s many street racing references. It refers to the Ford “deuce coupe” of the same type as that driven by the character John Milner in _American Graffiti_, and of the type immortalized by the Beach Boys in the song [“Little Deuce Coupe”](http://www.lyricsfreak.com/b/beach+boys/little+deuce+coupe_20013912.html) ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-annual-what-in-the-hell-does-this-old-song-mean-thread/357892/6 "2006-05-23T16:20:33Z")
> [@Ichbin Dubist](#): > > The meaning of this song is “I have listened to Bob Dylan’s ‘Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands’ too many times.” We have a winnah! ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-annual-what-in-the-hell-does-this-old-song-mean-thread/357892/7 "2006-05-23T17:17:54Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > This time it’s Manford Mann’s Blinded By the Light (written by Bruce Springsteen, if I’m not mistaken). Yes, Bruce wrote it. Performed and recorded it, even. IIRC, Bruce’s rendition is slighly easier to understand the words. Manfred Mann just managed to get more airplay out of their cover of the song. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-annual-what-in-the-hell-does-this-old-song-mean-thread/357892/8 "2006-05-23T17:36:58Z")
On the VH-1 Songwriters show featuring Bruce, he commenting on how Mann blew the line - but that Bruce benefitted because so many kids thought he was saying something dirty that it increased the buzz and sales that the song got. He also re-stated the point **spoke-** made - it was meant to be about a deuce coupe… ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2006, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-annual-what-in-the-hell-does-this-old-song-mean-thread/357892/9 "2006-05-23T18:33:40Z")
What? We’re referencing Wikipedia over [The Master’s own words on the subject](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_148.html)! :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Available\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@Available\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Available_Jones)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2006, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-annual-what-in-the-hell-does-this-old-song-mean-thread/357892/10 "2006-05-24T04:23:51Z")
I heard a well-known NY metro area DJ (I forget who) say that early in his career, for some songs Springsteen just tried to cram as many words into the lyrics as possible, and meaning was secondary. The lyrics to “Growing Up” are fairly wordy too. ---
**Author:** ![Available\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@Available\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Available_Jones)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2006, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-annual-what-in-the-hell-does-this-old-song-mean-thread/357892/11 "2006-05-24T04:26:09Z")
As for “what the heck does this song mean” I have wondered that about every David Bowie song I’ve ever heard. Talk about obtuse lyrics! ---
**Author:** ![DfrntBreign](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@DfrntBreign](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DfrntBreign)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2006, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/semi-annual-what-in-the-hell-does-this-old-song-mean-thread/357892/12 "2006-05-24T04:30:19Z")
> [@Available Jones](#): > > As for “what the heck does this song mean” I have wondered that about every David Bowie song I’ve ever heard. Talk about obtuse lyrics! What’s obtuse about “Let’s Dance”? 🙂