# Steely Dan's "My Old School" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 13, 2002, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steely-dans-my-old-school/142447 "2002-12-13T05:19:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steely-dans-my-old-school/142447/1 "2002-12-13T05:19:28Z")
Awesome song, but in this Steely Dan song, what is: a) What is Annendale? A college or high school, I WAG? If so, where is it located? b) What will soon be in bloom outside her window in Annendale, I believe? I can’t tell what they’re saying. (Oleanders?) c) What is a “wulverine” within the context of the lyrics? A bus line, like Greyhound, I WAG? …Never going back to my old school! Thanks, Jinx ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steely-dans-my-old-school/142447/2 "2002-12-13T05:24:53Z")
William and Mary is in Annendale. Oleanders, yes. ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steely-dans-my-old-school/142447/3 "2002-12-13T05:28:34Z")
Ok, but Wolverines in VA? Aren’t they some animal mascot of MN or WI? I don’t get this, either… Maybe they are trying to call the “Greyhound” logo a wolverine-like animal? - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steely-dans-my-old-school/142447/4 "2002-12-13T05:31:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by essvee \* > \*\*William and Mary is in Annendale. Oleanders, yes. \*\* Wait a second! William and Mary is in Williamsburg, VA! - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![Carcosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@Carcosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carcosa)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steely-dans-my-old-school/142447/5 "2002-12-13T06:05:21Z")
[http://members.aol.com/danomalley/steelydan/](http://members.aol.com/danomalley/steelydan/) I grew up around Annandale,Virginia so this mention of Annandale in “My Old School” was the subject of much debate. ---
**Author:** ![NicePete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee7513/32.png) [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steely-dans-my-old-school/142447/6 "2002-12-13T06:11:13Z")
Oleander is a flowering shrub. I always took wolverine to be preeeety much a substitute for Greyhound. ---
**Author:** ![deathawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed8c4c/32.png) [@deathawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/deathawk)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steely-dans-my-old-school/142447/7 "2002-12-13T10:37:59Z")
From the [Steely Dan](http://www.steelydan.com/faq.html) Website: “Donald Fagen meets Walter Becker at Bard College in Annandale-On Hudson, New York in 1967. Fagen, a piano player, hears someone playing blues guitar in a student lounge and decides he must introduce himself. He discovers Becker playing a red Epiphone guitar and finds that they share the same interests in music and ironic senses of humor. A partnership is born.” I had always thought of Annandale VA. till I read that. Certainly puts a whole different spin on the song. I always took the Wolverine to be a train. You can find the complete lyrics on the site as well. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steely-dans-my-old-school/142447/8 "2002-12-13T12:57:59Z")
W&M is in Williamsburg, VA Annandale refers to Annandale on Hudson, where Bard College is located. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steely-dans-my-old-school/142447/9 "2002-12-13T13:51:57Z")
**plnnr** and \*\*deathawk are correct. Becker and Fagen went to Bard. The Wolverine was a train on the old New York Central line. ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steely-dans-my-old-school/142447/10 "2002-12-13T16:37:30Z")
Hmm…they do sing “William and Mary won’t do”, so maybe they (and/or the girl they’re singing about) were once considering going there? transferring there? Well, either go to college or, run off to Gwadalajera (sp?), Mexico…? Thanks, all…I’ll have to re-listen to the song now! - Jinx ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steely-dans-my-old-school/142447/11 "2002-12-13T16:53:51Z")
A thousand pardons. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steely-dans-my-old-school/142447/12 "2002-12-13T17:19:37Z")
“Whoa, no, Guadalajara won’t do…” ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steely-dans-my-old-school/142447/13 "2002-12-13T18:11:51Z")
I have no idea where I read this, but I recall someone asking Donald Fagan about the W&M reference. His answer: “It fit the meter.” ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steely-dans-my-old-school/142447/14 "2002-12-13T18:45:38Z")
Hell, **I** play a red Epiphone. Why didn’t anyone offer **me** a music career. I was all primed! ---
**Author:** ![Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_The_Heavy)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2002, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steely-dans-my-old-school/142447/15 "2002-12-13T22:23:14Z")
Does anyone know what that sound is right after the line “William and Mary won’t do”? It sounds like someone calling my name (Sam) and really creeped me out the first few times I heard it.