Goodbye Yell a Big Grow

Am I the only one who has no idea what Elton John is singing? I knew I had a problem understanding the words to Rocketman. It’s not just Rocketman. I recently looked up the lyrics to Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

The first verse is fine. It’s intelligible. Then, at the chorus, it goes south.

So, goodbye yellow brick road [okay]
Where the dogs of society howl [let me know if ANYONE knew those were the words - I hear “in the dockside society house”]
You can't plant me in your penthouse [can’t trap me in your henhouse?]
I'm going back to my plough [I did get this by the “henhouse” context]

Back to the howling old owl in the woods [I got “back to the cabin, oh, out in the woods”]
Hunting the horny back toad [“hunting the honey back tow”]

Oh I've finally decided my future lies [“oh, I’m out in the side of my picture life”]

Beyond the yellow brick road

 

What do you think you'll do then? [this I can hear]
I bet that'll shoot down your plane [not “I’ll practice you down the plain?”] 
It'll take you a couple of vodka and tonics to get you on your feet again [I have usually stopped listening by this point, but then he ropes me back in with a whole verse I can understand.]

After the comprehensible verse he gets me again with:

 

Sniffing for tidbits like you on the ground [“Steppenwolf tuppence like you,” followed by warbling.]

 

Now that I have looked up the words, they’re really good. There’s a story and progression. All the stuff I love! Why would he ruin his lyrics by singing them that way - and of course I realized, they aren’t his lyrics. They’re Bernie Taupin’s lyrics. I bet Bernie’s pissed about that.

 

What’s really sad is that if I’m not actively looking at the real words, I still hear “in the dockside society house“ — it’s engraved in the neurons. Sad.

 

Comments

[Big Dot]

Of course mishearing lyrics has been a thing since forever, but even when you get them right, they often make no sense If the tune is good enough, they get away with it - and no-one can accuse Elton of not writing a good tune. I don’t think Bernie would complain much about the performance. He’s done ok out of it.

Modern poetry, dammit. Seems to me if the words sound good together, they’re let off making sense. It does bug me, always has, MA in Eng Lit notwithstanding. I never found the key to it, to my shame. But at least, in a song, the music glosses that over. It’s why I’ve listened over and over, recently, to The Stable Song from some forgettable movie. Can’t fathom it, but I love the sound of the words and music together.

[Big Dot]

Also, apparently they’re unusual in starting with the lyrics, not the music, though it seems more sensible to me. How songs get written is just another mystery to me. Seems impossible.

[TheQueen]

Big Dot - The guitar in your stable song reminds my of Sufjan Stevens and his song Casimir Pulaski Day.
I know of one Barenaked Ladies song inspired because Steven Page saw a sign for Barbecued Lamb, $4,.95, and a tune for that came into his head, just like Paul Mcartney and Scrambled Eggs leading to Yesterday.

[Big Dot]

Did you listen to the version backed by the Colorado orchestra? That’s my favourite. I don’t know that SS (unfortunate) song, I’ll look it up.

Musicians, eh? They’re a mystery to pedestrian souls like mine. But I’m glad they access that other dimension for me, by whatever means. (*cough* I believe it was toast and jam, rather than scrambled eggs. Still breakfasty though).

[Big Dot]

Yes, I like that sound. Thought that plinky-plunky thing was a banjo? But now to your superior guitar knowledge. My favourite of his is still All the Trees though.

[Arlene]

I do love Elton John. And ,I can never understand any song's lyrics. My method--just turn it up loud and howl along with the music.

[TheQueen]

Big Dot. - as it turns out I saw the official video with the orchestra. And thank you for identifying that as a banjo. I don’t have the Seven Swans album at all. I’ll have to get that. Also, I am certain it was scrambled eggs, because it rhymed with “I love your legs.”
Arlene - for me to have a full music experiences I have to have lyrics. There’s something about having more than one brain part fire at once in music that’s key. Must be why I like happy songs about sad things and why Big Dot likes the Symphony / banjo combo.

[Lynn]

Word to this. Recently the song "Crocodile Rock" came up when were were listening to music at home, and my kids asked me what he was saying, and I looked it up just to be sure, and it turned out I had NO idea. How did Elton John get so famous when he apparently can't enunciate at all?

My husband likes to listen to slow jam covers of famous upbeat pop songs by nameless people on Spotify. I would like to propose that we find some nameless interested party to re-record Elton's entire oeuvre in a slow, acoustic style so we can actually appreciate Bernie's lyrics. SHEESH.

[TheQueen]

Lynn - right? I mean, at least he would get some love back in the day when there were liner notes, but digitally no one will ever see his words. That’s sad.