Three Hour Theology
Published May 10, 2004
This is a mix tape I made a couple of years ago, now, around the time Kate and I got married. The title refers to a mandatory discussion of Catholic doctrine that we had to go to in order to get married in a church. I made the tape, and then left it in the tape deck of my parents' minivan, which we had borrowed for one or another of the post-wedding moves. My dad really liked the tape, so I let him keep it, and until now, I haven't gotten around to making a copy.
Because I'm bored, and because most of these songs are reasonably comprehensible, I'll do this LiveJournal style, and post lyrics rather than song titles. I don't expect this will have much success, given that some of the songs are a little obscure, but I'm easily amused, and this is all about me.
(Of course, this is kind of a problem, as I can't very well add Amazon links to the post without giving some of the songs away... What to do, what to do? Well, I'll post it sans links, and add them later, if anybody guesses any of the songs...)
Side One:
- 1) "Some are mathematicians, some are carpenters' wives."
- 2) "I remember Christmas in the blistering cold, in a church on the Upper West Side."
- 3) "See the oil fields at first light."
- 4) "With fingerlnails that shine like justice, and a voice that is dark like tinted glass."
- 5) "Your grandsons, they won't understand."
- 6) "She left me roses by the stairs, surprises let me know she cares."
- 7) "We asked for Mojo Nixon, they said 'He don't work here.'"
- 8) "There will be no flowers flowing in the light that passes through me."
- 9) "It's just the way that you talk, like it ain't no thing."
- 10) "Let's bulldoze our way to a brand new peace accord."
- 11) "I wish the ape a lot of success, I'm sorry my apartment's a mess."
- 12) "Most of all, my God, how does she make her eyes do that?"
- 13) "I never know the perfect time to hit the bedroom light."
- 14) "And I may seem all right and smile when you leave, but my smiles are just a front."
Side Two:
- 15) "I need something strong to distract my mind. I'm gonna look at you 'til my eyes go blind."
- 16) "Patchouli oil, and motor oil, and you knew all the words."
- 17) "The way that you sleep is the image I'll keep always on the edge of my mind."
- 18) "Sam Cooke didn't know what I know."
- 19) "Lost his mind from the TV, now he's playing God."
- 20) "We're loyal, like brothers, just us versus all the others."
- 21) "And if I ever get another chance, I'd still ask her to dance."
- 22) "Left my baby and it feels so bad, I guess my race is run."
- 23) "I was riding hard to meet her, when a shot rang out behind."
- 24) "I could hide out under there."
- 25) "Why do tomorrow, what you could never do?"
- 26) "Someone's blasting me with hate and bass, sending dirty vibes my way."
- 27) "Flags, rags, ferry boats, scimitars and scarves, every precious dream and vision underneath the stars."
(Most of these are from memory, with a few things checked by Googling. I can't claim 100% accuracy for any of them.)
(A version of this was originally posted to Uncertain Principles.)
- Three Hour Theology
- Published: May 10, 2004
- Type:
- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: Adult Alternative, Music: Alternative Rock, Music: Classic Rock and Oldies, Music: Country and Americana, Music: Indie Rock, Music: Pop, Music: Punk Rock, Music: Hip-hop, Music: Rock, Music: Roots Rock
- Writer: Chad Orzel
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Comments
15 is something by Sheryl Crow. Don't remember the title.
9. then the morning comes - smash mouth.
6. all the small things? Blink 182
14 is Macy Gray "I try".
I think I know 21 but I am not a hundred percent so I'll let someone else fill it in. I actually love this and play it quite often..lines from a song, guess the song. Going in late today so thanks for keeping me busy:)
OK then, I'll spot you on a couple here, so's you can put in the danged links.
Done.
15 is something by Sheryl Crow. Don't remember the title.
She did a version of it, but it's a Dylan song.
I think I know 21 but I am not a hundred percent so I'll let someone else fill it in.
Next line is: "'Cause she kept me waiting." I probably should've put that in from the beginning, to narrow things down more.
15 is Sheryl Crow's Mississipi Lyrics on the Globe sessions Album. BC made that easier. Though I have thought more about Sheryl Crow today than I ever have since she came into public consciousness:) I knew I had that one in my head.
I still can't remember 21. I think I have the Oil Fields one but I am not a 100 percent sure either. I've gone from going in late to not going in at all so I am loving lounging around doing fuck all but trying hard not to cheat(though how I would do that I don't know:) and figure out the songs on my own.
Sorry, meant to say, Chad made that easier with saying it was a Dylan song. Still struggling with 21..anymore tips on the rest? I am too ashamed to tell you how long I have been on this site staring at these lyrics racking what little is left of my brain:)
Ones that are obvious to dopey me:
11 "Gorilla, You Ain't Nothin' but a Big Ol' Desperado" By Warren Z. Vaughn
15 "Mississippi" by Dylan
4 "Short Skirt" by Cake
16 "My Old Friend" by John Hiatt
18 "Sleepwalker" by Wallflowers
27 "Whole of the Mooon" by the Waterboys
22 "I Fought the Law" Bobby Fuller Four
25 "Troubled Times" by Fountains of Wayne
I further divine that you were born in 1970. Correct?
Clubhousecancer, thank you for that. You have eased the burdemn on my brain. God knows I would never have come up with most of that..LOL. The only ones I might have arrived at after more mental torture would be 18 and 25. I got 15. After that, I draw a complete blank:) Okay, so how many do we have left now?!;)
Might I add I only got 15 because I know it as a Sheryl cover of a Dylan song not that I ahve ever heard Dylan's version. Plus, why would he be born in 1970? I don't understand. I was born only 6 years after him and I am tearing my hair out here.
.....and my puter dyslexia is worsening..ahve=have. Okay, I'll take a break and have a ciggi and tea. Hopefully by then someone will complete the rest. yes. that is how jobless I am today:)
It's just a guess based on the songs he chose. I'm not sure being younger or older makes this little test any harder.
#5 is the Strokes "Last Nite." See here's the thing: I DO know how to find all the lyrics, so does this meta skill/knowledge count more than readily identifying the lyrics from inside my head (maybe five of them)? Does the "bush" of knowing how to fish count for more than a few fish in the hand? That is the ultimate question.
Well, I'm sure with a little googling, anyone could decipher these, which would sort of destroy the purpose. Which is just amusement, I suppose.
And 17 is the Old 97s.
22 "I Fought the Law" Bobby Fuller Four
It's the Clash version, which fits better with the previous song.
I further divine that you were born in 1970. Correct?
Close. 1971.
I'm impressed.
I DO know how to find all the lyrics, so does this meta skill/knowledge count more than readily identifying the lyrics from inside my head (maybe five of them)?
Actually, one of them is really hard to find. I Googled to check the lyrics for the most obscure song on the tape, and it wasn't on any of the big lyrics sites. There was one fan site that had lyrics, but they were generated by somebody transcribing the song, and their version of the line I quote makes even less sense than what I hear.
Tell me which one and I'll find it
Okay, can you please tell me how to find the lyrics? What website? Plus, the "thrill" is in knowing them yourself either immediately or after much thought a.k.a mental torture. I am sure they can be searched on the net but there's nothing I hate more than searching for info. I have lost a laptop because of carrying out my rage on my poor laptop due to lack of success during a particular search. I have rarely ever searched for anything since then. Unless ofcourse I'm told exactly where to find it:) Like you kind folks are about to tell me where I would find lyrics:) though I will never "cheat" and will only use it for general enquiry not when this "huge" task has been set...got anymore tracks Chad?:) I don't know how sad this is but I am loving this "little" task. It's something friends and I often engage in and I can not wait to hit them with your lyrics here:)
Oh, and I give up..what is 21?
Searching shouldn't be particularly frustrating. We can use #21 as an object lesson. Go to Google or Yahoo or whatever search engine, put in this:
lyrics, "And if I ever get another chance, I'd still ask her to dance"
Using Yahoo (it's my home page) every one of the first 20 returns says Blink 182 "The Rock Show." I am guessing that is the correct answer.
Google's return is actually less focused until you change the "get" as Chad has it to the "got" of the actual lyric, and then the return is virtually identical. Give Yahoo points for finding what I meant rather than exactly what I said.
:) Thank you for killing two birds with one stone, Eric. Much appreciated:)
No prob
Tell me which one and I'll find it
#10.
And yes, #21 is "Rock Show" by Blink-182. "Get" is a typo for "got."
I am stumped on #10 - are those the actual lyrics?
I am stumped on #10 - are those the actual lyrics?
That's how I hear it, at least.
Another line:
"You're a prima ballerina, I'm a collapsing iron lung. You let disaster come between us, now I'm a poet on the run."
http://users.abac.com/lassie/asterisk.htm
Only found this one after searching on one part of the lyrics, though. Halo Benders is the band.
Wow, good job Mike, I worked on that one for at least 1/2 hour and couldn't find anything. Way to go!
Add your comment, speak your mind
(Or ping: http://blogcritics.org/mt/tb/15563)
It's really not good to post stuff here without Amazon links. It throws off our flow and all.
OK then, I'll spot you on a couple here, so's you can put in the danged links.
1) Of course, "Tangled Up in Blue" by Dylan
2)"New York New York" by Ryan Adams
3) "Beautiful Day" by U2
7) "Punk Rock Girl" by the Dead Milkmen
23) "Jeannie Needs a Shooter" by Warren Zevon
26) "Rockin' the Suburbs" the Ben Folds classic