# What songs did it take you a while to 'get?' **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 16, 2001, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-did-it-take-you-a-while-to-get/58190 "2001-03-16T05:23:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jman/32/4416_2.png) [@Jman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jman)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2001, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-did-it-take-you-a-while-to-get/58190/1 "2001-03-16T05:23:14Z")
Often, I’ll listen to a song over and over and over, and I’ll never really listen to the lyrics. Then one day, I’m in the car, and I really pay attention to the song, and I say “WOW…THAT’S what the song is about? Whoa…can’t believe I missed that until now.” I had one such epiphany while listening to “Silo Lullaby” by Toad the Wet Sprocket. (hidden track on Coil, and normal track on PS) About a month after getting Coil, I was listening to it again, and I just went: “Whoa…nuclear annihilation, and the people who press the button.” What songs did this happen to you on? Jman (another for me is “The Flag” by BNL…don’t know HOW I missed that one…just never actually heard the words…just kind of went along with the music while ignoring the lyrics, I guess) ---
**Author:** ![Montfort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Montfort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Montfort)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2001, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-did-it-take-you-a-while-to-get/58190/2 "2001-03-16T05:26:20Z")
It’s the one song I never “got” off _Presto_, which I’m sure Coldy will flame me for believing is their masterpiece. Then, about a year ago, I got it. Great song. ---
**Author:** ![Helena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c68b51/32.png) [@Helena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2001, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-did-it-take-you-a-while-to-get/58190/3 "2001-03-16T05:34:56Z")
“The Gambler.” I’d heard it a few times and knew the chorus, of course. My dad had mentioned that he liked the song. Then one day I heard it on the radio and listened to all the words. I came home and said to my dad, “That’s horrible! The guy dies on the bus!” ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2001, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-did-it-take-you-a-while-to-get/58190/4 "2001-03-16T09:06:32Z")
For years I thought “I Don’t Like Mondays” by The Boomtown Rats was about nuclear war. Not that the actual story is any more cheery, obviously. ---
**Author:** ![callie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/2acd7d/32.png) [@callie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/callie)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2001, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-did-it-take-you-a-while-to-get/58190/5 "2001-03-16T10:40:22Z")
When I was about 10 years old I use to rollerskate to the song Afternoon Delight (not sure who thats by) but I never realized until in my early 20’s that it was about sex. Just thought it was about flying in an airplane - all those jet engine sounds in that background I guess. :wally ---
**Author:** ![donkeyoatey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@donkeyoatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/donkeyoatey)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2001, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-did-it-take-you-a-while-to-get/58190/6 "2001-03-16T18:11:08Z")
that would be The Starland Vocal Band, callie ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2001, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-did-it-take-you-a-while-to-get/58190/7 "2001-03-16T19:03:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Helena \* > “That’s horrible! The guy dies on the bus!” Or train. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2001, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-did-it-take-you-a-while-to-get/58190/8 "2001-03-16T20:28:54Z")
Schubert’s “The Erl-King.” For years I thought it was a happy, peppy little thing, and then I finally read a translation from the German and realized the kid dies. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Dave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/46a35a/32.png) [@Great\_Dave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Dave)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2001, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-did-it-take-you-a-while-to-get/58190/9 "2001-03-16T20:43:09Z")
I always thought that ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ was about LSD. Then I realized it _was_ aboout LSD. I’m glad I got that straight. ---
**Author:** ![Nacho4Sara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Nacho4Sara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nacho4Sara)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2001, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-did-it-take-you-a-while-to-get/58190/10 "2001-03-16T22:21:40Z")
I’m a big Springsteen fan, and have owned the “Dancing in the Dark” cassette since I was like 7 or 8. A few years back, I bought Bruce’s Greatest Hits CD, and listened to that song 3.5 bajillion times. Finally it hit me that the song was about sex - at work one day. :rolleyes: I guess I thought they were doing the waltz in the dark, or something. Also, I thought that song “Brick” that came out a few years back, by Ben Folds Five, was a love song. Bought the CD and everything. Then I heard the lead dude say it was about an abortion! Pretty shocking. ---
**Author:** ![KJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b2d939/32.png) [@KJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KJ)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2001, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-did-it-take-you-a-while-to-get/58190/11 "2001-03-17T00:37:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BigDaddyD \* > \*\*I always thought that ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ was about LSD. Then I realized it _was_ aboout LSD. I’m glad I got that straight. \*\* Not according to [snopes](http://www.snopes.com/music/hidden/lucysky.htm). ---
**Author:** ![drewbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drewbert/32/15890_2.png) [@drewbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewbert)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2001, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-did-it-take-you-a-while-to-get/58190/12 "2001-03-17T01:38:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by callie \* > \*\*When I was about 10 years old I use to rollerskate to the song Afternoon Delight (not sure who thats by) but I never realized until in my early 20’s that it was about sex. Just thought it was about flying in an airplane - all those jet engine sounds in that background I guess. :wally \*\* It is? _cough_ ahem, I mean… Why Yes, Of Course It Is. I knew that. yick. ---
**Author:** ![sk8rixtx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/858c86/32.png) [@sk8rixtx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sk8rixtx)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2001, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-did-it-take-you-a-while-to-get/58190/13 "2001-03-17T02:57:12Z")
Godsmack’s “Voodoo” About heroin. ---
**Author:** ![R3nergy8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e99b99/32.png) [@R3nergy8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R3nergy8)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2001, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-songs-did-it-take-you-a-while-to-get/58190/14 "2001-03-17T04:52:04Z")
The song “JET” by Paul Mccartney and Wings. Now bear with me on this; for the longest time I HONESTLY thought that the song was about gays and cross dressers in the military. Its because at the time I didnt clearly hear or understand the word ‘suffragette’. 😕 “(…I thought the major was a lady suffragette…)” Thats the actual line in the song, but I always assumed he was saying: …I thought the major was a lady, suffer again… ``` Meaning of course that some dumb guy had mistaken a man for a woman, had fallen in love with her/him and was shocked to find out the truth, but decided to marry him/her anyway. Imagine MY surprise upon realizing how off I was about that!!!! :o ```