Sinister: Stars of Track and Field
I really dig the song "The Stars of Track and Field", but I don't think I'm understanding much of the lyrics... I was wondering if someone could help me out with some of it: - is the "you" in the song a boy or a girl? Who is the "She"? and the "I"? I think this is deliberately ambiguous. But remember that it is 'Stars' plural, so different parts of the song may refer to different people. It is a sign of a good songwriter to be able to write in the first person but not actually refer to one's own experiences. - what is "terry underwear"? Terry is short for Terry towelling i.e. the material that 'real' ,as opposed to disposable, babies' nappies (diapers) are made of. - does "throwing discuss" and "track and field" actually refer to athletics? It would appear so. The song sounds intentionally ambiguous to me, so perhaps there is no clear explanation of it... that's fine with me, I just want to make sure I'm not missing anything because of English not being my native language... I think that's true of most of B&S's songs. E.g. the 'fox' in the snow feminine or vulpine???! -------------------------------------------------------- Mark Hester Engineering & Technology Elsevier Science Ltd The Boulevard Kidlington Oxon OX5 1GB UK Tel. +44 1865 843296 Fax +44 1865 853319 E-mail m.hester@elsevier.co.uk ----------------------------------------------------------------------- . This message was brought to you by the Sinister mailing list. . To send to the list please mail "sinister@majordomo.net". . For subscribing, unsubscribing and other list information please see . http://www.majordomo.net/sinister . For questions about how the list works mail owner-sinister@majordomo.net . Listen, this is pish, I think I'll leave -----------------------------------------------------------------------
On Mon, 23 Mar 1998, Mark Hester wrote:
I really dig the song "The Stars of Track and Field", but I don't think I'm understanding much of the lyrics... I was wondering if someone could help me out with some of it:
- is the "you" in the song a boy or a girl? Who is the "She"? and the "I"? I think this is deliberately ambiguous. But remember that it is 'Stars' plural, so different parts of the song may refer to different people. It is a sign of a good songwriter to be able to write in the first person but not actually refer to one's own experiences.
Personally, I think he's speaking to a female subject. "could I write a requiem for you when you're dead?", for example, agrees with the actual requiem, "She had the moves, etc. It went to her head" and then, later, "She had the knowledge to get her into college." I think it's a song directed towards one particular star of track and field, a female, who personifies an entire genre of athletes, the stars of track and field. I'll defend my position to the death. So there. (Actually, I'm just being melodramatic. All these mentions of Leonardo Decrapio are bringing to mind the previews of his swashbuckling new film, The Man in the Iron Mask. DeCreepio's long red hair plagues my commercial breaks between important programs, such as Dawson's Creek.) -Kristen ----------------------------------------------------------------------- . This message was brought to you by the Sinister mailing list. . To send to the list please mail "sinister@majordomo.net". . For subscribing, unsubscribing and other list information please see . http://www.majordomo.net/sinister . For questions about how the list works mail owner-sinister@majordomo.net . Listen, this is pish, I think I'll leave -----------------------------------------------------------------------
participants (2)
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Mark Hester -
Schaffenberger