# Songs you didn't "get" as a kid **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 20, 2010, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-didnt-get-as-a-kid/536775 "2010-04-20T18:04:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-didnt-get-as-a-kid/536775/101 "2010-04-22T12:35:43Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > As a kid I never knew that “Afternoon Delight” was about sex. You mean it’s not about an ice cream cone on a hot day? That’s what my parents told me. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-didnt-get-as-a-kid/536775/102 "2010-04-22T12:39:55Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > Christian fundamentalists say it’s about the Church of Satan. Apparently on the back or inside cover there’s a woman who they say is witch. In an interview Glenn Frey said it was just some woman they got off the street to be in the picture. She \*is \*kinda creepy looking, but the view of her is too small to really determine much. [Close up.](http://www.itwillpass.com/HotelCaliforniaAlbumBackCover2Head.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-didnt-get-as-a-kid/536775/103 "2010-04-22T12:47:27Z")
> [@ministryman](#): > > Lola… and \*\*comes to grips \*\*with it. I see what you did there. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus\_alba](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quercus_alba/32/4061_2.png) [@Quercus\_alba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus_alba)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-didnt-get-as-a-kid/536775/104 "2010-04-22T12:54:20Z")
[Here’s one](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8tdmaEhMHE) that Lawrence Welk apparently “didn’t get”. 😃 (If you watch it to the end–and I’d hardly blame you if you didn’t!–he refers to it as a “modern spiritual”…well, I suppose…) Also, ever since our local paper wrote about someone else’s problem hearing CCR’s “Bad Moon Rising”, I can’t help but hear “There’s a bathroom on the right” everytime it comes on… :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Perciful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Perciful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Perciful)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-didnt-get-as-a-kid/536775/105 "2010-04-22T13:21:41Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > You mean it’s not about an ice cream cone on a hot day? That’s what my parents told me. That is what I was told too… :smack: ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-didnt-get-as-a-kid/536775/106 "2010-04-22T13:28:14Z")
“Jack and Diane” (John Cougar Melonhead": …“lil ditty 'bout Jack and Diane” -"…suckin on chili dogs outside the tasti freeze…Jack’s got his hand between her knees" - “(unintelligible)…Jack says, c’mon lets shake trees”? All of a sudden, Diane is pregnant, and Jack has blown his chances for a football scholarship. Shotgun wedding ensues, and Jack and Diane realize that their lives suck (and will suck forever)-“two American kids, doin the best they can”. Do Jack and Diane commit suicide? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-didnt-get-as-a-kid/536775/107 "2010-04-22T13:30:37Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > Christian fundamentalists say it’s about the Church of Satan. Apparently on the back or inside cover there’s a woman who they say is witch. In an interview Glenn Frey said it was just some woman they got off the street to be in the picture. [Here](http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Evils%20in%20America/devils_music.htm) is a hilarious website on Satanism in rock music. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-didnt-get-as-a-kid/536775/108 "2010-04-22T13:34:23Z")
This was a song that went completely over my head when I was a kid. In reading the lyrics, I STILL don’t completely understand it, but the refrain: **Popsicle toes. Popsicle toes are always froze. Popsicle toes. You’re so brave to expose all those popsicle toes**. I assume this is about toe sucking, which was not something I understood as a kid. I’m not even sure when this song came out, but when I read the lyrics this morning, it still makes me go :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-didnt-get-as-a-kid/536775/109 "2010-04-22T13:49:37Z")
> [@ministryman](#): > > and comes to grips with it. So to speak. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-didnt-get-as-a-kid/536775/110 "2010-04-22T13:55:41Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > “Jack and Diane” (John Cougar Melonhead": > ..“lil ditty 'bout Jack and Diane” > -“..suckin on chili dogs outside the tasti freeze..Jack’s got his hand between her knees” > > - “(unintelligible)..Jack says, c’mon lets shake trees”? > All of a sudden, Diane is pregnant, and Jack has blown his chances for a football scholarship. Shotgun wedding ensues, and Jack and Diane realize that their lives suck (and will suck forever)-“two American kids, doin the best they can”. > Do Jack and Diane commit suicide? “dribble off those Bobby brooks, let me do what I please” HTH ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-didnt-get-as-a-kid/536775/111 "2010-04-22T13:56:54Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > “Jack and Diane” (John Cougar Melonhead": > ..“lil ditty 'bout Jack and Diane” > -“..suckin on chili dogs outside the tasti freeze..Jack’s got his hand between her knees” > > - “(unintelligible)..Jack says, c’mon lets shake trees”? > All of a sudden, Diane is pregnant, and Jack has blown his chances for a football scholarship. Shotgun wedding ensues, and Jack and Diane realize that their lives suck (and will suck forever)-“two American kids, doin the best they can”. > Do Jack and Diane commit suicide? Are you asking for an explanation — or telling us what you thought when you were a kid? ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-didnt-get-as-a-kid/536775/112 "2010-04-22T14:12:17Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > Are you asking for an explanation — or telling us what you thought when you were a kid? Yes! Is this interpretation correct? Are Jack and Diane hopeless cases? Does their future life suck? ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-didnt-get-as-a-kid/536775/113 "2010-04-22T14:14:21Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > This was a song that went completely over my head when I was a kid. In reading the lyrics, I STILL don’t completely understand it, but the refrain: > > **Popsicle toes. > Popsicle toes are always froze. > Popsicle toes. > You’re so brave to expose all those popsicle toes**. > > I assume this is about toe sucking, which was not something I understood as a kid. I’m not even sure when this song came out, but when I read the lyrics this morning, it still makes me go :dubious: The simplest explanation is usually the correct one. It’s about how his lady friend has feet that are always cold. That’s it. I love the part of the song where he describes her body as South America. Best use of Tierra del Fuego in a song, ever. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-didnt-get-as-a-kid/536775/114 "2010-04-22T14:30:31Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Yes! Is this interpretation correct? Are Jack and Diane hopeless cases? Does their future life suck? Their life is just like most people, which is never as good as it was when they were 16. ---
**Author:** ![ministryman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@ministryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ministryman)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-didnt-get-as-a-kid/536775/115 "2010-04-22T14:36:23Z")
> [@corkboard](#): > > I see what you did there. At least somebody besides the singer got it…:smack: ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-didnt-get-as-a-kid/536775/116 "2010-04-22T15:28:58Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > **Popsicle toes. > Popsicle toes are always froze. > Popsicle toes. > You’re so brave to expose all those popsicle toes**. > > I assume this is about toe sucking, which was not something I understood as a kid. I’m not even sure when this song came out, but when I read the lyrics this morning, it still makes me go :dubious: Maybe if I were into toe sucking, this might be my interpretation. But I’m not, and I never thought the song was more than a clever lyric about cold feet in bed and a clever mapping of her body to a continent. ---
**Author:** ![Indyellen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/indyellen/32/4176_2.png) [@Indyellen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indyellen)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-didnt-get-as-a-kid/536775/117 "2010-04-22T16:36:14Z")
One I didn’t understand until I was much older, but not due to misheard lyrics, is _Margaritaville_. Why the heck would someone wander around looking for a lost shaker of salt? What does THAT have to do with anything? ---
**Author:** ![thinksnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thinksnow/32/2849_2.png) [@thinksnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thinksnow)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-didnt-get-as-a-kid/536775/118 "2010-04-22T16:41:37Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > You know your man is workin’ hard > He’s worth a deuce First thing I thought was “You need to appreciate that your man is doing what he can, he’s working hard. He’s worth a shit.” ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-didnt-get-as-a-kid/536775/119 "2010-04-22T16:54:57Z")
> [@Indyellen](#): > > One I didn’t understand until I was much older, but not due to misheard lyrics, is _Margaritaville_. Why the heck would someone wander around looking for a lost shaker of salt? What does THAT have to do with anything? Can’t make a decent margarita without salt. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-didnt-get-as-a-kid/536775/120 "2010-04-22T17:32:38Z")
The Beatles “Lovely Rita” As a kid, I had no idea what a meter maid was. I assumed that it was a sort of cleaning lady that came out to clean the sidewalks and dust off the parking meters. When riding around in the backseat of my parent’s car, I was always on the lookout for Cinderalla-type girls polishing the meters, but never saw any. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-didnt-get-as-a-kid/536775.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-you-didnt-get-as-a-kid/536775.md?page=7)