Obscure song lyrics

[HarperPR]

A Whiter Shade Of Pale
Procol Harem

After hearing this song again recently, I have to ask: what's it about? Any Keith Reid fans here?

Who were the 16 vestal virgins and why were they leaving for the coast? Who was the miller and what was his tale? Who was 'wandering through my playing cards' and what's the significance?

Am I missing something? Love the song, but hey Alfie, what IS it all about?

[aspwatterson]

A Whiter Shade Of Pale
Procol Harem

After hearing this song again recently, I have to ask: what's it about? Any Keith Reid fans here?

Who were the 16 vestal virgins and why were they leaving for the coast? Who was the miller and what was his tale? Who was 'wandering through my playing cards' and what's the significance?

Am I missing something? Love the song, but hey Alfie, what IS it all about?

Loads and loads of mind boggling tangential interpretations on Internet regarding this... including old Mistlethrush unravelling correspondence. Some songs are mystical in their mystery. Stairway to Heaven included, some of Roy's lyrical lines unsolvable [except when you're high and they seem to make perfect sense in your nowhere mind!], Kaptain Beefheart, Sid Barrett, Frankie goes to Zappa and Mr. Bill's ramblings!

aw:D

[SHAUN I]

Loads and loads of mind boggling tangential interpretations on Internet regarding this... including old Mistlethrush unravelling correspondence. Some songs are mystical in their mystery. Stairway to Heaven included, some of Roy's lyrical lines unsolvable [except when you're high and they seem to make perfect sense in your nowhere mind!], Kaptain Beefheart, Sid Barrett, Frankie goes to Zappa and Mr. Bill's ramblings!

aw:D

Some excellent examples of some oldschool lyrical craftsmen there AW. I'm a big fan of all the above, I first got into Befheart at around the same time as Roy and FZ and have been a big fan of Syd Barret since my school days.

Beefhearts song titles do it for me, Big Eyed Beans From Venus, Lick My Decals Off Baby, and my alltime favourite song title Making Love To A Vampire With A monkey On My Knee - priceless..personally I love these crazy ramblings and have spent years trying to work some of them out without success I might add. I often think what in christs name were they thinking of when they put these albums out to the unsuspecting public - Barking!!

[Hex]

A Whiter Shade Of Pale
Procol Harem

After hearing this song again recently, I have to ask: what's it about? Any Keith Reid fans here?

Who were the 16 vestal virgins and why were they leaving for the coast? Who was the miller and what was his tale? Who was 'wandering through my playing cards' and what's the significance?

Am I missing something? Love the song, but hey Alfie, what IS it all about?


1. http://www.unrv.com/culture/vestal-virgins.php

(Seems there are two missing).

2. http://www.luminarium.org/medlit/miller.htm

3. http://ruthannzaroff.com/wonderland/cards3.htm

(Best bet? who knows?)

[HarperPR]

Thanks, Hex, I quite enjoyed that little trip through the Romans, Chaucer and Alice In Wonderland! But how do all these fit in the context of the song? That's what I'm grappling with. I saw on one site that there was also an additional verse at one time to the song. That was incomprehensible as well!

[SHAUN I]

I was listening to some Captain Beefheart last night and it made me think of this thread and obscure lyrics, this is a track from Trout Mask Replica. It makes Procul Harem lyrics look very sane and clear in comparison and probably most other bands, but I love the flow and style of Beefheart and spend many hours listening to his ramblings! :D

Does anyone know of other artists that come close to Don Van Vliet?

Neon Meate Dream Of An Octafish

lucid tentacles test and sleeved
and joined and jointed jade pointed
diamond back patterns
neon meate dream of an octafish
artifact on rose petals
and flesh petals and pots
fack and feast and tubes tubs bulbs
in jest incest injest injust in feast incest
and specks and spreckled spreckled
speckled speculation
fedlocks waddling feast
archaic faces frenzy
ceramic fists artificial deceased
and cists rancid buds burst
dank drum and dung dust
meate rose and hairs
meaty dream wet meate
limp damp rows
peeled and felt fields and belts
impaled on a demon
mucus mules
twat trot tra la
tra la
whalebone fields and belts
whalebone farmhouse
cavorts girdled in tatters a lite a dipped amidst
squirming serum and semen
and syrup and semen and serum
stirrupped in syrup
neon meate dream of an octafish

[Shane]

i have a soft spot for some of the lyrics on roger water's solo albums. The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking is the only one of his solo albums i would say is good, but its damn good! its often criticised for its dreary wordiness but i think many critics miss the humour in this album:

So I stood by the roadside
The soles of my running shoes gripping the tarmac
Like gunmetal magnets
Fixed on the front of her Fassbinder face
Was the kind of a smile
That only a rather dull child could have drawn
While attempting a graveyard in the moonlight
But she was impressed
You could see that she thought I looked fine
And when she turned sweeter
The reason (between you and me) was
She'd just seen my green Lamborghini

the lyrics for Perfect Sense on Amused to Death qre just strange... i particularly like the following lines which are sung by the fine-voiced woman he must have paid well to sing them:

When you add it all up
The tears and the marrowbone
There's an ounce of gold
And an ounce of pride in each ledger
And the Germans killed the Jews
And the Jews killed the Arabs
And the Arabs killed the hostages
And that is the news
And is it any wonder
That the monkey's confused
He said Mama Mama
The President's a fool
Why do I have to keep reading
These technical manuals
And the joint chiefs of staff
And the brokers on Wall Street said
Don't make us laugh
You're a smart kid
Time is linear
Memory is a stranger
History is for fools
Man is a tool in the hands
Of the great God Almighty
And they gave him command
Of a nuclear submarine
Sent him back in search of
The Garden of Eden

[pH]

Okay, I'll bite.

'Siberian Khatru' from the Close to the Edge album by Yes. I heard them play it live - twice - and I'm still none the wiser. Great gigs, though.

Siberian Khatru

Sing, bird of prey;
Beauty begins at the foot of you. do you believe the manner?
Gold stainless nail,
Torn through the distance of man
As they regard the summit.

Even siberia goes through the motions.
Hold out and hold up;
Hold down the window. outbound, river,
Hold out the morning that comes into view. bluetail, tailfly.
River running right on over my head.

How does she sing?
Who holds the ring? and ring and you will find me coming.
Cold reigning king,
Hold all the secrets from you
As they produce the movement.

Even siberia goes through the motions.
Hold out and hold up;
Hold down the window. outbound, river,
Hold out the morning that comes into view. bluetail, tailfly.
River running right over the outboard, river,
Bluetail, tailfly,
Luther, in time.
Doodndoodit, dah, dt-dt-dah.

Hold down the window;
Hold out the morning that comes into view.
Warm side, the tower;
Green leaves reveal the heart spoken khatru.

Gold stainless nail,
Torn through the distance of man as they regard the summit.
Cold reigning king,
Shelter the women that sing
As they produce the movement.
River running right on over,
Then over my head. outboard, river.

Bluetail, tailfly,
Luther, in time,
Suntower, asking,
Cover, lover,
June cast, moon fast,
As one changes,
Heart gold, leaver,
Soul mark, mover,
Christian, changer,
Called out, saviour,
Moon gate, climber,
Turn round, glider.

[HarperPR]

Okay, I'll bite.

'Siberian Khatru' from the Close to the Edge album by Yes. I heard them play it live - twice - and I'm still none the wiser. Great gigs, though.

Siberian Khatru

Sing, bird of prey;
Beauty begins at the foot of you. do you believe the manner?
Gold stainless nail,
Torn through the distance of man
As they regard the summit.

Even siberia goes through the motions.
Hold out and hold up;
Hold down the window. outbound, river,
Hold out the morning that comes into view. bluetail, tailfly.
River running right on over my head.

How does she sing?
Who holds the ring? and ring and you will find me coming.
Cold reigning king,
Hold all the secrets from you
As they produce the movement.

Even siberia goes through the motions.
Hold out and hold up;
Hold down the window. outbound, river,
Hold out the morning that comes into view. bluetail, tailfly.
River running right over the outboard, river,
Bluetail, tailfly,
Luther, in time.
Doodndoodit, dah, dt-dt-dah.

Hold down the window;
Hold out the morning that comes into view.
Warm side, the tower;
Green leaves reveal the heart spoken khatru.

Gold stainless nail,
Torn through the distance of man as they regard the summit.
Cold reigning king,
Shelter the women that sing
As they produce the movement.
River running right on over,
Then over my head. outboard, river.

Bluetail, tailfly,
Luther, in time,
Suntower, asking,
Cover, lover,
June cast, moon fast,
As one changes,
Heart gold, leaver,
Soul mark, mover,
Christian, changer,
Called out, saviour,
Moon gate, climber,
Turn round, glider.

They wrote some weird stuff!:sleep:

I worked for them for awhile many years ago - I think it was about the time Rick came back - yet again! Strange days... Remember seeing them in the round at Wembley once. Can't say I was ever a fan, and some of them weren't the easiest musos to work for. :bored:

[Barry]

Close to the Edge! Now there is a classic album, sure some of the lyrics are wierd but musically what a journey, a really powerful, emotional, amazing piece.

[Cozmik]

Close to the Edge! Now there is a classic album, sure some of the lyrics are wierd but musically what a journey, a really powerful, emotional, amazing piece.

I love Close To The Edge! It has gotta be up there in my top 10 albums. I think it was the best thing they ever did. I don't think they ever surpassed it? And they recorded it in one continuous take, rather than joining the various pieces up.

Regarding John Anderson's lyrics though? This little anecdote, may offer some insight?
A few years back. A friend of mine, who is a great keyboard player and a total Proghead. went to see an audience with Rick Wakeman,
During the gig, he would play various pieces from the course of his career and tell various muso-related stories, and, between songs, took questions from the audience.
When Rick was asked about the whole Yes thing? He said of Jon Anderson that, "(He) was a lovely guy! But? That in all his years in the music business, he had never meet someone(Anderson) who was so totally dedicated to saving the planet. Whilst totally living on another one entirely, most of the time!?

[HarperPR]

Ha, that sounds like Rick! Jon was/is, but more in the Sting category. And if you're talking carbon footprints, which of course no one was back then, forget it. He, Jon, could be a difficult character. Steve was probably the easiest to deal with.