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The English questions thread

emergeemerge Posts: 22
edited November 2008 in Words and Music...Communication
Sometimes I sing along to a Pearl Jam CD and realise that I don't even know what certain lines mean, literally.

I know Eddie's lyrics are ambiguous and is left for the listener to interpret but that is not what I'm talking about: I mean the English itself - words or expressions.

And I'm sure I'm not the only one here so I decided to make this thread. LOL

Here goes my first question:

"I'm not my former" in Small Town.

"Born on Third, thinks he got a triple" from Bushleaguer

"Thin air"

Thanks thanks
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • redmosquito10redmosquito10 Posts: 568
    i'll give a shot at helping you out:

    "I'm not my former" : I always interpreted this as having the same meaning as if the line was "I'm not my former self". He dropped off the word self, but the meaning still holds: he is not who he used to be, and he's not the same person that his long-lost love used to know.

    "Born on third, thinks he got a triple." : This is actually a somewhat common saying. It's a reference to baseball, a triple is when you hit the ball and make it to third base safely. So this quote is basically just saying that Bush had everything in his life handed to him, and pretty much just stumbled into the presidency, but he believes that he actually earned what he has in life.

    "Thin Air" : Again, this is a somewhat common saying, but it's kind of hard to put the meaning into words. It's usually used to say that something "vanished in thin air". Basically there's no trace of that thing, it has completely disappeared. How that really relates to the concept of "thin air" I'm not sure, maybe someone else can help you out with that
    "Ah, life is a gate, a way, a path to Paradise anyway, why not live for fun and joy and love or some sort of girl by a fireside, why not go to your desire and LAUGH..."
  • mickeyratmickeyrat Posts: 38,586
    #3 or out of Thin Air as in appeared from ......
    _____________________________________SIGNATURE________________________________________________

    Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
    you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
    memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
    another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
  • halszka123halszka123 Posts: 1,109
    Thanx for the thread. Don't let it lose.
    I'm next person, who doesn't know what some expressions mean.

    For sure, whenI recall sth, I'll put it here
    Not 10c member? Have sth to say? write to me - I'll put it on the forum
    halszka123@op.pl
  • StereotypeStereotype Posts: 885
    Enmity gauged?

    Like measured hate or something?
    The worst enemies of music? Money and Mathematics. Combined with music, they both do the exact opposite of what they're supposed to do. Money makes music cheap, mathematics makes it stupid and predictable.

    ____

    Zagreb 2006/ Munich 2007/ Venice 2007/ Berlin 2009 / Venice 2010 / 2 x Berlin 2012 / Stockholm 2012 / Milan 2014 / Trieste 2014 / Vienna 2014 / Florence (EV) 2019 / Padova 2018 / Prague 2018 / Imola 2022 / Budapest 2022 / Vienna 2022 / Prague 2022 

  • mickeyratmickeyrat Posts: 38,586
    Stereotype wrote:
    Enmity gauged?

    Like measured hate or something?
    Hostility between enemys or opposing sides measured
    _____________________________________SIGNATURE________________________________________________

    Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
    you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
    memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
    another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
  • CollinCollin Posts: 4,931
    I have a question for native speakers of English who are not American, when you sing PJ songs, do you sing them with an American pronunciation?

    Can't buy what I want because it's free...
    THANK YOU, LOSTDAWG!


    naděje umírá poslední
  • CollinCollin Posts: 4,931
    October22 wrote:
    PS: Hey, Colin, is that Czech in your signature?

    Správně! It's Czech!
    THANK YOU, LOSTDAWG!


    naděje umírá poslední
  • halszka123halszka123 Posts: 1,109
    Does it mean: hope is dying last?
    Not 10c member? Have sth to say? write to me - I'll put it on the forum
    halszka123@op.pl
  • StereotypeStereotype Posts: 885
    halszka123: I think it means that too! (I don't speak Czech but Slavic language have some words similar).

    To answer Collin, although I am not native speake of English>
    I sing it the way the singer does it. So if it's with a British accent I sometimes pronounce words like that. I guess that is because I'm used to the song being sung like that.
    Otherwise when I speak with someone it's american english (well there is some of my accent since it's not my mother tounge - but of course I don't distinguish that the way you natives surely do).
    The worst enemies of music? Money and Mathematics. Combined with music, they both do the exact opposite of what they're supposed to do. Money makes music cheap, mathematics makes it stupid and predictable.

    ____

    Zagreb 2006/ Munich 2007/ Venice 2007/ Berlin 2009 / Venice 2010 / 2 x Berlin 2012 / Stockholm 2012 / Milan 2014 / Trieste 2014 / Vienna 2014 / Florence (EV) 2019 / Padova 2018 / Prague 2018 / Imola 2022 / Budapest 2022 / Vienna 2022 / Prague 2022 

  • halszka123halszka123 Posts: 1,109
    Stereotype wrote:
    halszka123: I think it means that too! (I don't speak Czech but Slavic language have some words similar).

    To answer Collin, although I am not native speake of English>
    I sing it the way the singer does it. So if it's with a British accent I sometimes pronounce words like that. I guess that is because I'm used to the song being sung like that.
    Otherwise when I speak with someone it's american english (well there is some of my accent since it's not my mother tounge - but of course I don't distinguish that the way you natives surely do).
    So, as You probably found out - i speak polish:)

    Nadzieja umiera ostatnia:)
    Not 10c member? Have sth to say? write to me - I'll put it on the forum
    halszka123@op.pl
  • catefrancescatefrances Posts: 29,003
    Collin wrote:
    I have a question for native speakers of English who are not American, when you sing PJ songs, do you sing them with an American pronunciation?

    Can't buy what I want because it's free...


    yes. im australian and i sing it like the singer. not just ed but ALL singers. tis most fun with british singers. :D
    hear my name
    take a good look
    this could be the day
    hold my hand
    lie beside me
    i just need to say
  • vedder_soupvedder_soup Posts: 5,861
    i have seen plenty of people who cannot speak a word of english, singing in perfect british or american english!

    it is amazing! they hear it that way and sing it that way, however many people with english as a second language have quite a noticable accent when they speak it.

    Take my hand, not my picture, spilled my tincture...
    2003 - Sydney x3,
    2006 - Reading Festival,
    2007 - Katowice, London, Nijmegen, Rock Werchter,
    2008 - MSG x2, Hartford, Mansfield x2, Beacon Theater,
    2009 - Melbourne, Sydney,
    2010 - I watched it go to fire!
    2011 - EV Brisbane x3, Newcastle, Sydney x3,
    2012 - Manchester x 2, Amsterdam x2, Prague, Berlin x2, Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen,
    2014 - Sydney, EV Sydney x3

    I wave to all my Friends... Yeah!
  • CollinCollin Posts: 4,931
    halszka123 wrote:
    Does it mean: hope is dying last?

    Yes, it means hope dies last. And it's true, a lot of Slavic languages are similar. I'm not a native speaker of Czech, I study it and I'm actually living in the Czech republic now. It's funny how Czechs, Slovaks, Poles, Serbs... sometimes talk to each other in their own languages and yet they seem to understand. Of course, not always and not everything, but quite a lot.

    Na zdrowie!

    Na zdravje!

    Na zdraví!
    THANK YOU, LOSTDAWG!


    naděje umírá poslední
  • corduroy85corduroy85 Posts: 139
    Collin wrote:

    Na zdrowie!

    Na zdravje!

    Na zdraví!

    На здоровье (Russian). They indeed sound the same!!!
    Don't go messing with machoes!
  • mickeyratmickeyrat Posts: 38,586
    ok folks glad you could connect. but isn't this the ENGLISH questions thread?
    _____________________________________SIGNATURE________________________________________________

    Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
    you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
    memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
    another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
  • inhiding 1976inhiding 1976 Posts: 580
    Rooney!!!!

    7-11-95, 6-14-98, 6-26-98, 6-27-98, 6-29-98, 8-17-98, 08-18-00, 8-20-00, 09-05-00, 10-7-00, 10-8-00, 10-9-00, 10-11-00, 4-21-03, 4-22-03, 4-23-03, 4-25-03, 04-26-03, 6-18-03, 6-21-03, 6-22-03, 6-25-03, 06-26-03, 10-3-04, 9-11-05, 9-12-05, 9-13-05, 5-9-06, 5-10-06, 5-16-06, 5-17-06, 5-19-06, 5-20-06, 6-23-06, 6-24-06, 6-29-06, 8-5-07, E.V. Milwaukee and Chicago night 1, 8-23-09,08-24-09, 5-7-10, 5-9-10, E.V. 6-28-011, 9-3-11, 9-4-11, 7-19-13, 10-11-13, 10-3-14, 10-17-14, 10-20-14, E.V. 04-26-16, 08-20-16, 08-22-16, 8-20-18, 8-22-18, 9-16-22, 9-18-22, 9-5-23, 9-7-23, 9-10-23
  • halszka123halszka123 Posts: 1,109
    the english question thread...hehehehe. You're right.
    But it's amazing though we are neighbours we come here on USA' forum and speak english. It will be funnier if we speak here i.e. spanish or french, don't you think?

    Słowianie czasem rozumieją się bez słów:)
    Not 10c member? Have sth to say? write to me - I'll put it on the forum
    halszka123@op.pl
  • NoOne'sRivalNoOne'sRival Posts: 299
    Take my hand, not my picture, spilled my tincture...[/quote]

    I always thought tincture was the cure for poison for some reason, ...someone probably told me that years ago, but when I lfinally ooked it up it didn't make sense... but I thought "he" was leading the way to reality, but he spilled the "remedy" ...
    "Dream the dream others then...you will be no one's RIVAL!"
    "Doo do do do doo do doo, Doo do do do doo do doo..."
  • corduroy85corduroy85 Posts: 139
    lisafitz wrote:
    Take my hand, not my picture, spilled my tincture...

    I think the line goes as follows:
    Take my hand, not my picture, - spelled my T-shirt.
    Don't go messing with machoes!
  • NoOne'sRivalNoOne'sRival Posts: 299
    corduroy85 wrote:
    - spelled my T-shirt.

    Of course, THAT SECTION of the song is not on the lyrics page, but several others all refer to the spilling of tincture


    Spelled my T-Shirt??
    "Dream the dream others then...you will be no one's RIVAL!"
    "Doo do do do doo do doo, Doo do do do doo do doo..."
  • corduroy85corduroy85 Posts: 139
    Yeah. As in that's what's written on my T-shirt.
    Don't go messing with machoes!
  • dunkmandunkman Posts: 19,646
    corduroy85 wrote:
    Yeah. As in that's what's written on my T-shirt.


    completely 100% wrong.

    It's 'spill(ed) my tincture'
    oh scary... 40000 morbidly obese christians wearing fanny packs invading europe is probably the least scariest thing since I watched an edited version of The Care Bears movie in an extremely brightly lit cinema.
  • mickeyratmickeyrat Posts: 38,586
    dunkman wrote:
    completely 100% wrong.

    It's 'spill(ed) my tincture'
    That is correct.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tincture


    So don't go spilling his drink you f'rs
    _____________________________________SIGNATURE________________________________________________

    Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
    you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
    memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
    another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
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