08-13-2004, 07:43 AM | #1 |
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Join Date: February 28, 2001
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EVeryone's heard this song, right?
Chick here to listen to it. It was a song which came out in 1967 by Procol Harum. It's since been covered by Annie Lennox, Van Morrison, Moody Blues, Sarah Brightman and ATB. Lyrics are as follows: A Whiter Shade of Pale Procol Harum (Keith Reid/Gary Brooker) We skipped the light Fandango Turned cartwheels 'cross the floor I was feeling kind of seasick But the crowd called out for more The room was humming harder As the ceiling flew away When we called out for another drink The waiter brought a tray And so it was that later As the Miller told his tale That her face, at first just ghostly Turned a whiter shade of pale ------ organ solo ------ She said there is no reason And the truth is plain to see But I wandered through my playing cards And would not let her be One of sixteen vestal virgins Who were leaving for the coast And although my eyes were open They might just as well've been closed And so it was that later As the Miller told his tale That her face, at first just ghostly Turned a whiter shade of pale And so it was.... (fade) I've been listening to the Sarah Brightman vs ATB trance mix of this (which is AWESOME) and the lyrics are beginning to strike a chord with me, though at first reading they don't make ANY sense, eh. What about you guys? What do you think they mean? [ 08-13-2004, 07:46 AM: Message edited by: Memnoch ] |
08-13-2004, 08:26 AM | #2 |
Baaz Draconian
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The bit about 'the miller told his tale' is a reference to Geoffrey Chaucer, if that's any use. Also, in case you don't know, the vestal virgins were a religious order of ancient Roman women who were sworn to chastity.
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08-13-2004, 10:15 AM | #3 |
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Here's a more complete song lyric from a 'rare song lyric' website:
We skipped the light fandango turned cartwheels 'cross the floor I was feeling kinda seasick but the crowd called out for more The room was humming harder as the ceiling flew away When we called out for another drink the waiter brought a tray And so it was that later as the miller told his tale that her face, at first just ghostly, turned a whiter shade of pale She said, 'There is no reason and the truth is plain to see.' But I wandered through my playing cards and would not let her be one of sixteen vestal virgins who were leaving for the coast and although my eyes were open they might have just as well've been closed She said, 'I'm home on shore leave,' though in truth we were at sea so I took her by the looking glass and forced her to agree saying, 'You must be the mermaid who took Neptune for a ride.' But she smiled at me so sadly that my anger straightway died If music be the food of love then laughter is its queen and likewise if behind is in front then dirt in truth is clean My mouth by then like cardboard seemed to slip straight through my head So we crash-dived straightway quickly and attacked the ocean bed ----------------- As to what it means, I found this tidbit... http://www.procolharum.com/99/groom-unreality.htm "He couldn't unfortunately shed any clues on the song's lyrics which have baffled pop pickers for over 30 years. 'I have no idea at all. It never bothered me what the lyrics meant. It's a great record but not a great song. By that I mean, it hasn't really been improved on by a big artist in the same way that Aretha Franklin took Otis Redding's Respect and did a better version." and "Fisher also laughed off any higher meaning behind the song's lyrics. 'There are a lot of things you can get from the song. You could look at the mood of the piece while some people try to make sense of the words. Others try to look on it at an emotional level while some people think they can dance to it.'" So it appears there *is* no meaning to the words, LOL. [img]tongue.gif[/img] Darn those guys on mind altering drugs! [img]tongue.gif[/img] |
08-13-2004, 10:17 AM | #4 |
Banned User
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And here is a fascinating piece on someone *trying* to find meaning in the words...
http://www.constitution.org/col/jrb/...jrb_fedsoc.htm LOL |
08-13-2004, 10:25 AM | #5 |
Jack Burton
Join Date: May 15, 2001
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Hey Bren, we're still waiting for pictures [img]smile.gif[/img]
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08-13-2004, 10:42 AM | #6 |
Symbol of Bane
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I have always thought that it meant that a guy is lamenting his estrangement from his girl because he had not been paying attention to her, probably because he was doing too many drugs. Great essay, though, Lady Sendai.
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08-13-2004, 10:55 AM | #7 |
Dracolisk
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To quote the great Nabeshin in Puny Puny poemy and Excel Saga: "Narcotics explain everything!"
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08-13-2004, 11:41 AM | #8 |
Ironworks Moderator
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Yeah, I had a feeling that it was all about taking squares... [img]redface.gif[/img]
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08-13-2004, 12:23 PM | #9 | |
Very Mad Bird
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Quote:
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