pitching lips to nowhere?

[Lindsay Martin]

In Traffic's "Paper Sun" (aaah, what a fine, fine song!),
part of the lyrics go:

But then again it's nothing
You just split when day is done
Pitching lips to nowhere, hung up on the paper sun.

I always misheard this as "Hitching lifts to nowhere", which made perfectly
good sense, but "pitching lips"?

Any idea what it means, if anything?

(Full lyrics are at http://www.stevewinwood.com/lyrics/paper_sun.shtml )

I've been happily singing along to "hitching lifts for 35 years!

Lindsay

[vaiben]

Well you're not alone, I always thought it was 'hitching lifts' too as
did whoever posted these lyrics on the web...
http://www.azstarnet.com/~bobbieg/lyrics/paper-sun.htm

[Lindsay Martin]

I first saw "pitching lips" at a guitar chords website, and though, "What
rubbish - of course it's 'hitching lifts'. " So before I e-mailed the guitar
chord guy to correct him, I checked at stevewinwood.com which is supposedly
an "official" website for Winwood. ("Pitching lips" is quoted at lots of
other sites as well, not that that proves anything of course.)

But this site you've cited looks pretty well-informed, too, and, as you say,
he's going for "hitching lifts".

I mean, "hitching lifts to nowhere" fits in perfectly with the theme of the
song, which is about the girl's dissolute lifestyle: "kicking sand from
beach to beach/ Your clothes all soaking wet" (wonderful lines!) are in a
similar vein.

Lindsay

"vaiben" <pch...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:e4051bf9.0204...@posting.google.com...

[Taliesyn]

Lindsay Martin wrote:

> In Traffic's "Paper Sun" (aaah, what a fine, fine song!),
> part of the lyrics go:
>
> But then again it's nothing
> You just split when day is done
> Pitching lips to nowhere, hung up on the paper sun.
>
> I always misheard this as "Hitching lifts to nowhere", which made perfectly
> good sense, but "pitching lips"?
>
> Any idea what it means, if anything?

It's a term used to describe ocean waves, as in surfing.

<<< Taliesyn >>>

[Lindsay Martin]

So it is!

As in this from a surfer site, describing a Californian surf:
"...overhead clean lines breaking hard, mainly top to bottom with lots of
pitching lips and quite a few barrels."
(http://area51.upsu.plym.ac.uk/~ric/ric/sessions/california98/)

There's even a surf music band called The Pitching Lips!

It's an odd phrase, though, isn't it?
"You just split when day is done,

Pitching lips to nowhere, hung up on the paper sun."

If "hitching lifts" is a mishearing, it's easy to see how it arose, because
it sounds natural in this context
(i.e. it's something she does as she splits) and it makes good sense.

Thanks for that!

Lindsay

----- Original Message -----

[vaiben]

Well for the time being I will continue to sing 'hitching lifts'.
Let's face it, there ain't much surf around the UK (except in Newquay,
Cornwall) and I'd be surprised if the Traffic boys (except Dave) would
have been familiar with the term in '67. I want a signed affidavit
from Stevie to say it's 'pitching lips' thank you very much. Otherwise
I remain sceptical!

[Taliesyn]

vaiben wrote:

It's lips to my ears. I've listened to it several times. While
"hitching" or "pitching" is debatable, because they both sound alike;
"lips" differs quite a bit from "lifts". And "lips" is definitely heard
by my ears.

And because "Pitching Lips" is found at SteveWinwood.com, the official
source for information on Steve Winwood, then that's fine by me.

<<< Taliesyn >>>

[Lindsay Martin]

I can't argue with the authority of the Winwood site, and listening to it
again in the car today it does sound like "lips".

But my first reaction was like vaiben's: it's a fairly obscure surf term,
and it sits very oddly in the context.

Hey, let's contact Steve and persuade him that "hitching lifts" is way
better than "pitching lips"! Maybe he'd change it for us!

Lindsay

"Taliesyn" wrote

> vaiben wrote:
>
> > Well for the time being I will continue to sing 'hitching lifts'.

[Taliesyn]

Lindsay Martin wrote:

> I can't argue with the authority of the Winwood site, and listening to it
> again in the car today it does sound like "lips".
>
> But my first reaction was like vaiben's: it's a fairly obscure surf term,
> and it sits very oddly in the context.
>
> Hey, let's contact Steve and persuade him that "hitching lifts" is way
> better than "pitching lips"! Maybe he'd change it for us!

There is an email address given at the official Steve Winwood site for
contacting Steve. Apparently Steve reads them himself.

So, if anyone's losing any sleep over hearing (or mis-hearing) pitching
lips, hitching lifts, or bitching stiffs... go for it! :-)

<<< Taliesyn >>>

[Bob Dierker]

"Lindsay Martin" <pop_ar...@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:<3cc7...@dnews.tpgi.com.au>...

> So it is!
>
> As in this from a surfer site, describing a Californian surf:
> "...overhead clean lines breaking hard, mainly top to bottom with lots of
> pitching lips and quite a few barrels."
> (http://area51.upsu.plym.ac.uk/~ric/ric/sessions/california98/)
>
> There's even a surf music band called The Pitching Lips!
>

The above is correct.

"That's all there is to the cosine craze." - The Beach Boys

Bobby

[Lindsay Martin]

Good suggestion!
Done!
Let you know...

"Taliesyn" wrote

> There is an email address given at the official Steve Winwood site for

> contacting Steve... go for it! :-)

[Lindsay Martin]

Got reply from stevewinwood.com webmaster pointing out that Jim
Capaldi wrote the words, and directing me to Jim's site. The only
contact link from there was to an apparently inactive forum at
All-Music Guide...

So guess I was just hitching a lift to nowhere... or was I on a
pitching lip?

Guess I'll never know!