WeenieCampbell.com
Country Blues => Country Blues Lyrics => Topic started by: GhostRider on August 31, 2006, 12:11:01 PM
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Hi:
There's my go at the lyrics to this tune. There's a fair amount of stuff I can't figure out. Any help would be much appreciated.
Another tune about the wayward holy man.
https://youtu.be/ayQPqJwvJ5M
.MP3 attached
Preacher's Blues
Hi Henry Brown (with Charley Jordan)
1932
Standard tuning, Key of E
Capo III (G)
Instrumental intro (8 bars of I chord)
1) If you wanna hear, preacher cus, bake the bread, sweet mama, save him the crust.
Lord, If you want, hear preacher cus.
Just bake a bread sweet mama, doh, and save no crust.
2) Preacher in the pulpit, bible in his hand, sister in the corner cryin' "that's my man".
Ehhh, preacher in the pulpit, bible in his hand.
Well it's sister in the corner, cryin, "that's my man".
3) Preacher come to your house, yes, seem to rest his hat, next thing he want to know, sister, where's your husband at?
Well he, preacher come to your house, Lord, he seem to rest his hat.
Next thing he want to know, tell me where's you husband at?
4) Come in here, then shut my door, (??????) things you did, night before.
Well, come in here, please, shut my door.
Please, (?????) for me (???) night before
5) See that preacher walkin', down the street, thinkin' of mess with every sister he meet.
Want you to see that, walkin' down the street.
Well he's thinkin' go bed with every sister he meet.
6) Preacher, preacher you, nice and kind, when I catch you at that, house of mine.
Eh, swear you nice and kind.
Well I better not catch you at that, that house of mine.
Outro
Praise the Lord,
Alex
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Hi, Alex.
I think verse 3 is:
"Preacher come to your house, y'ask him to rest his hat...
Verse 4:
"Come in here, then shut my door, (*) things you did, night before.
Well, come in here, Lord, please shut my door.
Want you to preach the same text to me, preached the night before.
(The * in the first line is, I think, a bit of a garble of "want you to preach the same text to me". It's a lot to fit into a few beats. ;))
Verse 5:
Where you have "thinkin' of mess" and "thinkin' go bed", I hear "thinkin' the matter" in both places. But I don't feel really confident with this one.
Verse 6: I think Brown sings "better not catch you at that house of mine" in both lines.
Hope this helps, or at least doesn't hinder.
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dang - just beat me on the "preach the same text". Yes, the first line is a variation of the same. (that's the lyric pattern through the whole song, just two lyric lines repeated)
For the first verse I've got:
If you wanna hear preacher cuss, bake the bread sweet mama and s___ in the crust
Lord if you want to hear a preacher cuss
Just bake your bread sweet mama, Lord and spit in the crust
tom
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FWIW this is what I hear:
Come in here *Elder* and shut my door,
Want you to preach the same text you did the night before,
Come in here *Elder* and please shut my door,
Want you to preach the same text for me [you] preached the night before.
See that preacher walkin' down the street,
[He's] thinkin' of messin' with every sister he meet,
When you see that preacher walkin' down the street,
Well he's thinkin' of messin' with every sister he meets.
I hear an "L" (a lateral) as in "Elder"--it works contextually, but I'm not sure--maybe the power of ellipsis and suggestion at work here.
As I recall, Mike Stewart and Stephan Michelson did this back in the 60's on their "Deadly Duo" LP on Adelphi. (I just checked--here's the link to Stefan's page:
http://www.wirz.de/music/american.htm
It came with liner notes and perhaps a lyric sheet, but I don't have the LP at hand. Maybe someone else can check.
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OK, spit wasn't right - I was going too fast. But "save him the crust" doesn't make sense to me (why will that make him cuss?). After listening again I am ~75% sure it's "bake the bread sweet mama and stave in the crust". It's more clear the 2nd time. Given what I am sure it means to bake the bread, I know staving in the crust would make me cuss :o BTW, I have no better alternative, but "doh"? Homer Simpson meets the country blues?
I notice you haven't edited "preach the same text". Definitely what I hear. And "elder" has very strong possibilites, realizing that the woman is talking to the preacher in this verse, i.e someone in a position of (supposed) respect.
Thanks - great song, lots of fun.
tom
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But "save him the crust" doesn't make sense to me (why will that make him cuss?)
To leave him the crust would mean eating the bread and leaving the preacher whatever's left over.
Sometimes bread is bread.... and sometimes it ain't. I don't think Henry's talking about Pillsbury products.
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these songs'll drive you nuts - I swear I can hear it one way perfectly and then listen again five minutes later and hear it completely differently! The mind is a fickle thing. Fine, I'll defer to "save him the crust". I still think its a strange metaphor, given that I obviously agree that the bread in question was not baked by Pillsbury... Just thinking too hard. I tend to do that...
tom
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...these songs'll drive you nuts--..... Just thinking too hard. I tend to do that...
Welcome to the club, my friend. As the old saying goes, "You can overthink any problem and overwrite any topic."--advice I always try to bear in mind (along with Bo Carter's Advice). Now I got to get back to over-listening--if there is such a thing!
Stu
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Hey, guys:
Thanks for all the great suggestions on "Preacher's Blues. I have incorporated most of them in the amended text below. Changes are in italics.
Preacher's Blues
Hi Henry Brown (with Charley Jordan)
1932
Standard tuning, Key of E
Capo III (G)
Instrumental intro (8 bars of I chord)
1) If you wanna hear, preacher cuss, bake the bread, sweet mama and, save him the crust.
Lord, If you want, hear preacher cuss.
Just bake a bread sweet mama, doh, and stave in the crust.
2) Preacher in the pulpit, bible in his hand, sister in the corner cryin' "there's my man".
Ehhh, preacher in the pulpit, bible in his hand.
Well it's sister in the corner, crying, "there's my man".
3) Preacher come to your house, y' askin' to rest his hat, next thing he want to know, sister, where's your husband at?
When a, preacher come to your house, Lord, ask him to rest his hat.
Next thing he want to know, tell me where your husband at?
4) Come in here, then shut my door, want to preach the same text you did, night before.
Well, come in here, lo, please, shut my door.
Want you to preach same text for me preached, night before
5) See that preacher walkin', down the street, thinkin' of mess' with ev' sister he meet.
Want you to see that, walkin' down the street.
Well he's thinkin' of messin' with every sister he meet.
6) Preacher, preacher you, nice and kind, better not catch you at that, house of mine.
Eh, swear you nice and kind.
Well I better not catch you at that, that house of mine.
Outro
How's that look?
Note: edited to reflect Unkie Bud's and ghe and blueshome's comments below.
Alex
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1) If you wanna hear, preacher cus, bake the bread, sweet mama and, stave in the crust.
Lord, If you want, hear preacher cus.
Just bake a bread sweet mama, doh, and stave in the crust.
I really think it's "save him the crust" not stave in. Also cuss with an extra 's'. :P As a further note, is it really 'doh' or 'Lord' pronounced 'd Lo'? Is Henry Brown a precursor to Homer Simpson?
3) Preacher come to your house, y' ask him to rest his hat, next thing he want to know, sister, where's your husband at?
Well he, preacher come to your house, Lord, ask him to rest his hat.
Next thing he want to know, tell me where your husband at?
In the second line above it's "When a preacher come to your house..." (When a-a-a-a-ay...)
5) See that preacher walkin', down the street, thinkin' of mess with ev' sister he meet.
Want you to see that, walkin' down the street.
Well he's thinkin' go bed with every sister he meet.
First line it's "thinkin' of messin' ", though it happens quickly.
Second line: "When you see that..."
Last line is IMO "Well he's thinkin' o' messin' with every sister he meet." Repetition from the first line makes sense. The o' is sung as more of an o-o-h...
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I really think it's "save him the crust" not stave in. Also cuss with an extra 's'. :P As a further note, is it really 'doh' or 'Lord' pronounced 'd Lo'? Is Henry Brown a precursor to Homer Simpson?
OK, I'll go with this
3) Preacher come to your house, y' ask him to rest his hat, next thing he want to know, sister, where's your husband at?
Well he, preacher come to your house, Lord, ask him to rest his hat.
Next thing he want to know, tell me where your husband at?
In the second line above it's "When a preacher come to your house..." (When a-a-a-a-ay...)
I'll go with this, too
[
5) See that preacher walkin', down the street, thinkin' of mess with ev' sister he meet.
Want you to see that, walkin' down the street.
Well he's thinkin' go bed with every sister he meet.
First line it's "thinkin' of messin' ", though it happens quickly.
Second line: "When you see that..."
Last line is IMO "Well he's thinkin' o' messin' with every sister he meet." Repetition from the first line makes sense. The o' is sung as more of an o-o-h...
I'm sure he says mess, and I'm sure he means messin', as you state.
In the second rep, I just don't hear the same. will continue to listen.
Thanks Unkie Bud,
Alex
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Glad to be of help Alex :-)
I'm looking for the words to "Nut Factory Blues". I've got some of them, but Henry Brown's diction gets a little muddy in places. Anyone out there have any ideas?
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Lefty:
Post what you have and a less that 1000Kb MP3 of you can. We need some place to start from.
Alex
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Lefty:
Post what you have and a less that 1000Kb MP3 of you can. We need some place to start from.
Alex
OK. I don't know offhand how I'd go about pulling the track off the CD I have and making it into an MP3 to post here, but I can try to put up what lyrics I've managed to figure out.
https://youtu.be/EMhmIjAMt3A
Nut Factory Blues (by Charley Jordan and "Hi" Henry Brown) from "The Essential Charley Jordan.
Verse 1:
(I cant make out the first two lines at all yet)
Well, its down in the basement(?)
Where the women do meet.
Verse 2:
Down in the basement(?)
Where they work so hard (X2)
And its all on account of
Their husbands ain't got not jobs
Verse 3:
On Saturday Evenin'
When they draw their pay (X2)
When they don't draw nothin'
Their husbands done throwed (drove?) them away
Verse 4:
Some draw (??)
Some draw nothin' at all
Some draw (??)
Some draw nothin' at all
When they don't draw nothin'
Their Husbands bust 'em in the jaw
Verse 5:
Down on Franklin Avenue
Jellybeans standin' to and fro (X2)
Y'hear one Jellybean ask the other one
"Which way did my good girl go?"
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Lefty, you've got most of it right:
Down on Deep Morgan, just about 16th Street,
Well it's down on Deep Morgan, just about 16th Street
Well it's down in the basement, where the women do meet
Down in the basement, where they work so hard,
Well it's down in the basement, where they work so hard,
Well it's all on the count of they husbands ain't got no jobs.
Saturday evening, when they draw their pay
On Saturday evening, when they draw their pay
When they don't draw nothin', they husbands done drive them away.
Some draw a check babe, some draw nothin' at all
Cryin some draw a check lord, some draw nothin' at all
When they don't draw nothin', they husbands bust 'em in the jaw.
Down on Franklin Avenue, jellybeans standin' to and fro
Oh down on Franklin Avenue, jellybeans standin' to and fro
Well you hear one jellybean ask the other one, which a-way did my good girl go?
Chris
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Thanks for the help, Chris. Guess my ears are better than I thought, 'cause I was sorta taking a shot in the dark on a coupla those lines. :D
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I've noticed that this song is in the track list of The Essential Charley Jordan set, but the track that actually plays is a repeat of "Titanic Blues" from the first disc. Anyone know where I can actually hear *this* tune on CD? Something about the sound of either Henry's vocals, or how his and Charley's guitars sound together has me hooked :)
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To add on to my post above, I've been listening to this tune off and on all day (it's just so darn groovy, I can't help it LOL), and thought it'd be awesome to try to learn the guitar part, or at least the chords. Anybody have any suggestions or tabs to share? I would appreciate it very much.
Thanks,
Chris (Lefty)
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Hello all,
Been giving this tune a listen lately and was wondering if someone with ears far superior to mine could help decipher the words that seem somewhat garbled to me. Here's what I have so far:
(.....Lordy), send me a teasin' brown (x2)
Can't send me a teasin'... fetch me your angel down
Build me a scaffold 14 stories high
So I can see my sweet mama, she comes passin by
Train Time now, baby. Track's all outta line (x2)
I gotta see my sweet mama, if i hafta ride the blind.
I Went to (the ol'/your) station, looked up on (the ol'/your) board (x2)
(cant get this last line)
I'm gonna build me a scaffold 14 stories high (x2)
So I can see my sweet mama when she comes passin' by
Strangely enough, I started out hearing very little of this, but after listening a few times while typing this post, a good bit of it became clear. Appears to have gone from most of the song to a few words in the first verse and the last line in the fourth. Of course, I may well be mistaken in parts of the rest.
I welcome your thoughts.
Lefty/Chris
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A partial suggestion for the last line of the fourth verse"
"I had your (?) ready to me, just to (buy the?) (?)"
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Thanks for the input, DJ. Been trying to get a clear read on that line for days now and something just may have come clear to my ear this last time I listened. I heard it as:
I asked the operator, (do he run to....)
Still not 100% though. If it is that or something close, I'm willing to guess and say the last word or so is a city, as if he's asking the conductor if the train's going his way.
Any other thoughts out there? :)
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I hear the first two lines respectively as
Lord good lordy...
Prayed unto the lordy...
and that last line I agree with "I asked the operator" but I hear
"I asked the operator, show me ????? on board"
Chris
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Many thanks Chris,
Gave it another go just now and my brain *wants* to hear:
"I asked the operator show me a brown skin gal on board", or
" ..does he go to Baton Rouge"
Neither of those quite fit though. Its striking me that Henry was one of those who had an odd accent...or at least it seems that way in this tune. He's pretty clear in the rest of em, that I can tell (except for Hospital Blues, maybe. Haven't taken a crack at that one yet.)
Gonna satisfy my ear on this one yet :D
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I've listened and listened to that problem line and still get nothing. That's one whupped record, and combined with Hi Henry Brown's vocal style, you've got quite a task on your hands, Lefty. Chris's suggestion sounds close to me. I wonder if looking at similar verses from other songs might help jar something loose.
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Hmmm... Maybe "I asked the operator show me how to buy that road"?
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May be beatin' the proverbial dead horse here, but I said I was gonna try to satisfy my ear on this one :)
After a few more attempts at figuring out the little snippet I can't quite get, I'm starting to hear:
"I asked the operator (to) show me, run to (???)"
All I can tell for sure is that the (???) part sounds like 2 words, but what they are hasn't hit my ear clearly enough to figure out yet. I may've mentioned this a couple of posts ago, but I'm a bit more sure about it now, whereas then, I was just throwing it out there.
Tried a web search on the phrase to see if there were similar lyrics out there (which I'm sure there are), but found nothing, unfortunately.
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After listening to this tune at times to the point of obsessing on the lyric I'm missing, (It's so doggone catchy, just like the others :) ) I think I've finally got it:
"I asked the operator, show me..(do he) run to (my) rider's door"
The words in parens are just there to attempt to make what I'm hearing make grammatical sense. Perhaps I'm hearing something that's not there, though.
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The original post is so old no one may care any longer, but I figured I'd add this for any newcomers. In listening to the song today, I'm almost certain that the phrase in the second verse is "there's my man" rather than "that's my man."
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I agree, ghe, it's "there's my man". Welcome to WC, btw.
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Plus "askin' to rest his hat"
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I'm a St. Louis girl, and love Charley Jordan and the history of blues and jazz in our city. Deep Morgan is in North St. Louis. This muddy way of talking is just a St. Louis thang. Our way of speaking is as muddy as the Mississippi River that we live on.
I got a lot of the same lyrics ya'll have except some little tweeks here and there. This is what I got...
'Nut Factory Blues' Charley Jordan and Henry Brown (1932) Blues Guitar Legend
Down on deep Morgan
Down about 16th Street
Raised down on deep Morgan
Down about 16th Street
Well... it's down in our basement
Where they women do meet
Down in our basement
Where they work so hard
Well it's down in our basement
Where they work so hard
Well it's all on account that they husbands ain't got no job
Saturday evenin'
When they draw they pay
Ohhhh... on Saturday evenin'
When they draw they pay
When they don't draw nothin' else
Husbands gon' drive them away
Some draw a check, babe
Some draw nothin' at all
Some draw a check, Lord
Some draw nothin' at all
When they don't draw nothin' else
Husbands bust them in the jaw
Down on Franklin Avenue
Jellybeans standin' to and fro
Oh...Down on Franklin Avenue
Jellybeans standin' to and fro
Well...you hear one Jellybean ask the other one
"Which a-way did my good girl go?"
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Welcome to Weenie Campbell, STLchick! That "our" basement in "Nut Factory" is a good catch.
All best,
Johnm
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Hi all,
In Hi Henry Brown's "Preacher Blues", at http://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=2579.msg19676#msg19676 (http://weeniecampbell.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=2579.msg19676#msg19676) , in the fifth verse, I think the lyric is:
See that preacher walkin' down the street, HE'S FIXIN' TO mess with every sister he meets
WHEN YOU see that, walkin' down the street
Well, HE'S FIXIN' TO mess with every sister he meets
All best,
Johnm
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Hi all,
I thought it would be worth trying to get the lyrics to Hi Henry Brown's "Skin Man Blues", since it is the only one of his songs for which we don't have the lyrics transcribed at this point. Brown was joined by Charley Jordan on second guitar, as he was on all of his tracks, and both guitarists play out of E position in standard tuning, as they did on all of the tracks, as well. I'd appreciate corroboration/correction of the bent bracketed place in the lyrics and anywhere else that you think I've got it wrong. Here is the song:
https://youtu.be/Gf8UFZ9c4q4
Skin man's hollerin', passin' right by my door
Well, the skin' man's hollerin', passin' right by my door
Well, he's hollerin' "Skin!", everywhere he goes
Some bags are a nickel, son, some bags a dime
Some bags are a nickel, son, some bags a dime
Some bags are sellin' to that teasing brown of mine
Well, it's skins, oh skins, skins, skins, skins, skins
Well, it's skins, it's skins, skins, skins, skins
I'm goin' away, oh skins, but I'm comin' back again
Yond' skin man, hangs by your door
You oughta stop those skin men from passing by your door
And they holler, "Skin!", everywhere they go
Let me tell you, what the skin mens will do
Oh, let me tell you, what the skin mens will do
Well, they sell your wife skins and take her away from you
All best,
Johnm
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Hi all,
There are two Hi Henry Brown/Charley Jordan titles we've never gotten the lyrics for, "Hospital Blues" and "Brown Skin Angel". Musically, they're very much of a piece with the other four titles the duet recorded, with both guitarists playing in E position in standard tuning and using substantially the same accompaniment for all of the songs. Here is "Hospital Blues":
https://youtu.be/Cd_NIQjrmAw
INTRO
Undertaker's got ways like, uh, water running down the street
Undertaker's got ways like water running down the street
Well, he go to the hospital and, begs for the womens and men
Undertaker went to the hospital and, fell down upon his knees
Undertaker went to the hospital and, fell down upon his knees
Well, he begged the doctor to, give him a body, if he pleased
Doctor looked at the undertaker and I swear he begin to smile
Doctor looked at the undertaker and I swear he began to smile
"If you give me a body, I swear I'll give you a five."
Doctor looked back at the undertaker, swear he began to grin
Doctor looked back at the undertaker, swear he begin to grin
"If you give me a body, I'll swear I'll give you a ten."
Number Two Hospital, babe, ain't no place for me
No, Number Two Hospital, babe, ain't no place for me
Well, if you carry me to Number Two Hospital, Lord knows I was sick
All best,
Johnm
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I may be stating the obvious, but does anyone else hear the makings of Lane Hardin's Hard Time Blues in these Hi Henry Brown songs?
It would make sense chronologically--it looks like the Henry Brown / Charley Jordan duets were cut in 1932, which would have given Hardin 3 years to come up with his stripped down version of the basic arrangement that Brown and Jordan used in their songs.
There's been a lot of discussion on this forum over the years about Lane Hardin, but I didn't find anything that mentioned Hardin/Brown/Jordan in the same post.
Lindy
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Hi all,
I believe the last remaining Hi Henry Brown/Charley Jordan duet to be transcribed for this thread is "Brown Skin Angel", which seems like it should be titled "Brownskin Angel". The only copy of this that I have been able to find is pretty whupped, so I'd appreciate help where indicated by bent brackets in the transcription.
INTRO
Lord, Good Lordy, send me a teasing brown
Well Lord, Good Lordy, send me a teasing brown
Can't send me a teasing, fetch me a angel down
Build me a scaffold, fourteen stories high
Gonna build me a scaffold, fourteen stories high
So I can see my sweet mama, she comes passin' by
It's train time now, baby, tracks all out of line
Sayin' it's train time now, babe, tracks all out of line
I'm gon' see my sweet mama, have to ride the blinds
I went to your station, and I, looked up on your board
I went to your station, I, looked up on your board
I asked the operator to show me, just who got on board
I'm gonna build me a scaffold, fourteen stories high
I'm gon' build me a scaffold, fourteen stories high
So I can see my sweet mama as, she comes passin' by
Edited 4/12 to pick up corrections from banjochris
Edited 4/12 to pick up line from Johnm
All best,
Johnm
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The first two missing lines are "looked up on your board," with board pronounced "boid" for some reason. The tagline I can't get. That record is a mess sonically speaking!
PS I think you mean "now" in 3.1, just a typo.
Chris
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Thanks for the help, Chris--that gets us closer. I'll get that line in and fix the typo. It really is a mess, isn't it?
All best,
Johnm
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It really is a mess, isn't it?
Worse than static, it's like part of the groove is missing!
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Hi Chris,
I've been listening to that missing stretch in the tagline, and I'm wondering if it could be
I asked the operator to show me, JUST WHO GOT ON BOARD
What do you think?
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It sounds to me that's what he meant to say, Johnm, but he swapped the G and B to get "just who bought on gourd" which just doesn't make sense. Again, two very indistinct voiced plosives.
And I'm reminded of Alice Kramden who told Ralph after he was on a TV quiz show, "Of course I was proud, Ralph, I'm the wife of the man who brives a dus."
Wax
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Hi Chris,
I've been listening to that missing stretch in the tagline, and I'm wondering if it could be
I asked the operator to show me, JUST WHO GOT ON BOARD
What do you think?
That sounds good to me!
Chris
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I'm not hearing the spoonerism you noted, Wax, it sounds like to me like he sang what I heard, and it sounds like it works for you, Chris. I'll go with that "just who got on board". Thanks for re-listening.
All best,
Johnm