What do those lyrics mean?
I think I heard the band say once in an interview that it’s simply a reference to the time on the clock: It’s twenty-five (or six) to four. So I guess the time is either 3:34 or 3:35. I have no cite for this, though, and I could be wrong.
I’ve always assumed it meant 3:35 am or 3:34 am, give or take.
(“25 to 4, or 26 to 4” = “25 or 6 to 4” (I think that’s the associateive principle)). The writer is sitting up at night, waiting for the day.
Not supposed to do this in GQ, but backing up nineiron, I read an interview with a bandmember which supports his post.
Link doesn’t work for me.
This has been discussed here before. What I recall is that is means **twenty-five or **(twenty-)six (minutes) to ( = before) four (o’clock).
Back in the day when people desperately tried to read something into such lyrics, 25 was said to be a reference to acid (LSD-25) and 6 to 4 was actually 64, another drug reference (I can’t remember what, though).
I.E., the singer was stoned.
This might get a better response in Cafe Society.
Moved to CS.
-xash
General Questions Moderator
I’m almost positive that I read that the song was inspired by the name of a restaurant in Chicago, but that may have been the result of too much substance abuse back then.
Dang, I’d always thought it more vague, more representational, i.e. 3:35 am or 3:54 am.
Y’know, after reading the reports, I almost wish the song HAD been about being stoned. Otherwise, we have a song (and a pretty long song, at that) where the singer is complaining that he’s having trouble writing a song.
Remember the 1984 like video for the song?
I think it’s funny how everyone claims NONE of the songs written back in late 60’s / early 70’s were about doing drugs. ::dubious::
And John Lennon didn’t write Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds about LSD. Uh huh.
Sigh
According to a book I recently acquired (Lennon: His Life and Work), Lennon’s son, Julian, had drawn a picture of a classmate, Lucy O’Donnell, in the sky. With diamonds. Lennon wrote the song after seeing the picture Julian drew.
I really do apologize for the hijack.
Umm… it appears ccwaterback has never heard of Jefferson Airplane, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Buffett, or The Grateful Dead.
I’m just saying he lied, that’s all.
Someone toss a song about drugs out for discussion, let’s see how many cites we get to debunk the idea.
Let’s say, songs without drugs named specifically in the title or lyrics.
OK, screw it, let me start a new thread.
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=233768