Song lyrics that need definition.

[Fatstrat]

Such as Billy Joel's "And Paul is a real estate novelist, who never had time for a wife".
What IS a "Real Estate Novelist"? A novelist who sells real estate on the side? Or a real estate agent who is a novelist on the side? Or a novelist who writes about real estate? The world may never know.
Can you think of any others?

[LouieAtienza]

Paul McCartney's Biker Like An Icon... What does that mean?!

Hoe about Live's Turn My Head? "Funky temple, your dress is torn to shreds..."

[epluribus36]

"I speak of the Pompitus of love....."

I bet Stevie Guitar Miller wishes he'd never sang that line, he probably gets asked about that a lot.

[Ruppster]

ANYTHING by Yes.

[Dru Edwards]

Some of the Star Spangled Banner lyrics, for example "O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?". I just looked up the word rampart so it's more clear now.

[LouieAtienza]

Originally Posted by epluribus36

"I speak of the Pompitus of love....."

I bet Stevie Guitar Miller wishes he'd never sang that line, he probably gets asked about that a lot.

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

[ewalling]

Originally Posted by Fatstrat

Such as Billy Joel's "And Paul is a real estate novelist, who never had time for a wife".
What IS a "Real Estate Novelist"? A novelist who sells real estate on the side? Or a real estate agent who is a novelist on the side? Or a novelist who writes about real estate? The world may never know.
Can you think of any others?

That's a line that works by association, and the associations may vary from person to person.

However, the noun is 'novelist' and 'real estate' is used adjectivally, that is, it describes what sort of novelist Paul is. In this case, he isn't a 'crime' novelist or a 'historical' novelist; he's a 'real estate' one, which obviously doesn't exist in a real sense. The associations, however, are with buying and selling, money, profits, and markets. From this, we might read the line as meaning that Paul is a writer who is not motivated by artistic concerns, but by financial ones. He's a mercenary - someone who's only in it for the money.

Well, that's one interpretation. I'm sure there must be others!

[LouieAtienza]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

Some of the Star Spangled Banner lyrics, for example "O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?". I just looked up the word rampart so it's more clear now.

Back then there were still educated people that studied words. Then again, it was written during a war... I guess the meaning is more known to military people.

Kind of like Thurston Howell III in Gilligan's Island saying, "I'm feeling a bit mumsy today..."

[GCWaters]

Originally Posted by ewalling

That's a line that works by association, and the associations may vary from person to person.

However, the noun is 'novelist' and 'real estate' is used adjectivally, that is, it describes what sort of novelist Paul is. In this case, he isn't a 'crime' novelist or a 'historical' novelist; he's a 'real estate' one, which obviously doesn't exist in a real sense. The associations, however, are with buying and selling, money, profits, and markets. From this, we might read the line as meaning that Paul is a writer who is not motivated by artistic concerns, but by financial ones. He's a mercenary - someone who's only in it for the money.

Well, that's one interpretation. I'm sure there must be others!

I always interpreted that as he's a realtor who tries to write, unsuccessfully, on the side....put it in context with the other characters in the song, most of whom have been unsuccessful at life....

[ewalling]

Originally Posted by GCWaters

I always interpreted that as he's a realtor who tries to write, unsuccessfully, on the side....put it in context with the other characters in the song, most of whom have been unsuccessful at life....

Yep, could be - a sort of realtor who resents his lot in life and whose heart is in higher things

It's a good line, isn't it?

[LouieAtienza]

Originally Posted by GCWaters

I always interpreted that as he's a realtor who tries to write, unsuccessfully, on the side....put it in context with the other characters in the song, most of whom have been unsuccessful at life....

That doesn't seem to make sense, since Paul also never had time for a wife.

[Herb Hunter]

Originally Posted by GCWaters

I always interpreted that as he's a realtor who tries to write, unsuccessfully, on the side....put it in context with the other characters in the song, most of whom have been unsuccessful at life....

That is what I instantly thought when I heard the song for the first time and the context gives me rare confidence that I understood correctly.

[Herb Hunter]

Popular song lyrics are often connotative. It is what they connote, what they conjure up in one’s mind that matters. - The literal interpretation, which may not make any sense at all, can be beside the point.

[Earwitness]

It's not "realist hate novelist"?

[Herb Hunter]

Originally Posted by LouieAtienza

That doesn't seem to make sense, since Paul also never had time for a wife.

What is it about a man struggling to make a living in real estate while spending all his spare time trying to be a novelist and, therefore, having no time for a wife that doesn’t make sense to you?