??? "Rooms to let fifty cents" ???
lrcite
Tonight I heard a song on the radio with the phrase "rooms to let fifty
cents"
What does it mean to let a room and where does that term come from?
Thanks in advance for comments and help, Lee and Kathy
Tony Cooper
"lrcite" <lrc...@excite.com> wrote in message
news:zxbR8.29889$xy.90...@twister.socal.rr.com...
That's "King of the Road" by Roger Miller, isn't it? You must have been
listening to a "Golden Oldies" station. See
http://www.leoslyrics.com/listlyrics.php?sid=%A9G%E3iv%25(%C8 for the
fully lyrics of this song about a hobo and all will be explained. If
not, it means a renting a cheap hotel room for the night.
--
Tony Cooper aka: Tony_Co...@Yahoo.com
Provider of Jots & Tittles
Robert Lipton
lrcite wrote:
That's Roger Miller's "King of the Road." Miller turned out humrous,
country-themed songs, including the 'Hampsterdance song" (I doubt it was
called that, but I'm sure you've gone to www.hampsterdance.com , even
though it is a bloated shadow of its former self), and "You Can't Roller
Skate in a Buffalo Herd"
Anyway, to answer your question, that line means you can rent a room for
half a buck. It would have been "rooms to let for fifty cents each"
but that wouldn't have fit the scansion. Whether that's by the day,
week or month, that was a good rate even the song was written.
Bob
lrcite
Thanks for your response. Do you know where the word came form? What is the
words origin. I am only familiar with the word rent.
Lee and Kathy
"Robert Lipton" <bobl...@nyc.rr.com> wrote in message
news:3D15BD10...@nyc.rr.com...
>
>
> lrcite wrote:
>
> > Greetings,
> >
> > Tonight I heard a song on the radio with the phrase "rooms to let fifty
> > cents"
> >
> > What does it mean to let a room and where does that term come from?
> >
> > Thanks in advance for comments and help, Lee and Kathy
>
>
> > Anyway, to answer your question, that line means you can rent a room for
> half a buck. > Bob
>
Pat Durkin
>
> Thanks for your response. Do you know where the word came form? What
is the
> words origin. I am only familiar with the word rent.
>
> > > Greetings,
> > >
> > > Tonight I heard a song on the radio with the phrase "rooms to let
fifty
> > > cents"
I agree with what previous responders have said, with the additional
comment: the punctuation of the lyrics does not really give the mental
picture that I get from the song, which is that of a sign on the side of
one of these "flophouses", or cheap overnight places.
"ROOMS
TO LET
50 cents" (Actually, the 'cents' character would be used, but I can't
find it on my keyboard.)
A more common statement: "Rooms for Rent", would be too repetitive of
the sound of "cents"
> > > What does it mean to let a room and where does that term come
from?
Merriam-Webster
Main Entry: 3let
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): let; let·ting
Etymology: Middle English leten, from Old English l[AE]tan; akin to Old
High German lAzzan to permit, and perhaps to Lithuanian lenas tranquil
Date: before 12th century
transitive senses
2 a : to offer or grant for rent or lease <let rooms> b : to assign
especially after bids <let a contract>
lrcite
Thanks Pat, I now have a better understanding.
Lee and Kathy
"Pat Durkin" <p...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:uhbmpun...@corp.supernews.com...
> "lrcite" <lrc...@excite.com> wrote in message
> news:fDkR8.30445$xy.94...@twister.socal.rr.com...
> > Thanks for your response. Do you know where the word came form? What is
the
> > words origin? I am only familiar with the word rent.
> > What does it mean to let a room and where does that term come
> 2 a : to offer or grant for rent or lease <let rooms> b : to assign
Spehro Pefhany
>
> Thanks for your response. Do you know where the word came form? What is the
> words origin. I am only familiar with the word rent.
"To Let" is the standard way of saying it in the UK and some other places
(such as Hong King). It's odd in the USofA but I think it would usually be
understood. Similarly, a UK person might "hire" a car. I don't know
whether they rent, let or hire rent boys.
Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
sp...@interlog.com Info for manufacturers: http://www.trexon.com
Embedded software/hardware/analog Info for designers: http://www.speff.com
9-11 United we Stand
R H Draney
> That's Roger Miller's "King of the Road." Miller turned out
> humrous, country-themed songs, including the 'Hampsterdance song"
> (I doubt it was called that, but I'm sure you've gone to
> www.hampsterdance.com , even though it is a bloated shadow of its
> former self), and "You Can't Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd"
And my favorite: "My Uncle Used To Love Me But She Died"...some might
prefer his "England Swings", a now nostalgic look at London in the
60s....
The song used for the Hampsterdance craze was based on one Miller did
for the animated Disney movie "Robin Hood"...he called it "Whistle
Stop"....r
Michael J Hardy
This is something the British language does better than we do.
They distinguish between "let" and "rent" in the same way we (and
they, too) distinguish between "sell" and "buy". We do use the
word "sublet", though, but then we fail to distinguish between
"sublet" and "subrent". -- Mike Hardy
lrcite
"Michael J Hardy" <mjh...@mit.edu> wrote in message
news:3d161ac7$0$3929$b45e...@senator-bedfellow.mit.edu...
> lrcite (lrc...@excite.com) wrote:
>
> > Greetings,
> >
> > Tonight I heard a song on the radio with the phrase "rooms to
> > let fifty cents"
> >
> > What does it mean to let a room and where does that term come from?
> >
> > Thanks in advance for comments and help, Lee and Kathy
>
>
> This is something the British language does better than we do.
> They distinguish between "let" and "rent" in the same way we (and
> they, too):
distinguish between "sell" and "buy".
Rent and let; as in
Seller and buyer ??
Employer and employee ??
Joe Fineman
> What does it mean to let a room and where does that term come from?
As explained elsewhere in this thread, "let" is equivalent to "rent
(out)" in this context. In the U.S. it is rather formal, but it used
to be common especially on signs. A commonly manufactured sign was
quoted in the children's rhyme
Room to let --
Inquire within.
Lady put out
For drinking gin.
In speech, of course, that would come out "Room for rent -- ask
inside", but in signs people used to like to put on the dog.
--
--- Joe Fineman j...@TheWorld.com
||: Consoling the useless is some use. :||
Skitt
> "lrcite" writes:
>
>> What does it mean to let a room and where does that term come from?
>
> As explained elsewhere in this thread, "let" is equivalent to "rent
> (out)" in this context. In the U.S. it is rather formal, but it used
> to be common especially on signs. A commonly manufactured sign was
> quoted in the children's rhyme
>
> Room to let --
> Inquire within.
> Lady put out
> For drinking gin.
Hmm.
Room to let --
Inquire within.
Lady put out
To all who came in.
No charge.
--
Skitt (in SF Bay Area) http://www.geocities.com/opus731/
I speak English well -- I learn it from a book!
-- Manuel (Fawlty Towers)
Stephen Toogood
<tony_co...@yahoo.com> writes
shattered too many illusions.
But answer me this: are women in the US Navy really called
'sailorettes'?
As in 'Tailors for sailorettes'....
And why is the singer interested in women's naval uniform in the first
place? Perhaps I shouldn't ask.
--
Stephen Toogood
Bob Cunningham
> Joe Fineman wrote:
[ . . . ]
> > Room to let --
> > Inquire within.
> > Lady put out
> > For drinking gin.
> Hmm.
> Room to let --
> Inquire within.
> Lady put out
> To all who came in.
> No charge.
It would be better if lines 1 and 3 rhymed. How about:
Room to let.
Inquire within.
Lady's all set.
You'll need some gin.
Robert Lipton
Stephen Toogood wrote:
>
> But answer me this: are women in the US Navy really called
> 'sailorettes'?
>
> As in 'Tailors for sailorettes'....
>
> And why is the singer interested in women's naval uniform in the first
> place? Perhaps I shouldn't ask.
Perhaps you shouldn't. WOmen in the USN were WAVES. My mnother was
one in World War II, assigned to Indianapolis, presumably in case Canada
tried to take advantage of our preoccupation with Europe by taking
revenge for the Battle of Lake Erie.
When on the receiving end of kiddie insults, replying to "Your mother
wears army boots" with "My mother was in the navy" is quite effective.
It gets you beat up much harder.
Bob
alexy
>>> Tonight I heard a song on the radio with the phrase "rooms to let
>>fifty
>>> cents"
>>>
>>> What does it mean to let a room and where does that term come from?
>>>
>>> Thanks in advance for comments and help, Lee and Kathy
>>
>>
>>That's "King of the Road" by Roger Miller, isn't it?
>I suppose I should have followed your link, but it would probably have
>shattered too many illusions.
>
>But answer me this: are women in the US Navy really called
>'sailorettes'?
>
>As in 'Tailors for sailorettes'....
>
>And why is the singer interested in women's naval uniform in the first
>place? Perhaps I shouldn't ask.
VBG!
Took me a sec to replay the song in my head to see what you were
referring to!
--
Alex
Make the obvious change in the return address to reply by email.
Joe Fineman
*Really*. Not in front of the *children*.
--
--- Joe Fineman j...@TheWorld.com
||: "How singular!" said the Gaussian, cautiously approaching a :||
||: delta function. :||
Michael J Hardy
> > This is something the British language does better than we do.
> > They distinguish between "let" and "rent" in the same way we (and
> > they, too):
>
> distinguish between "sell" and "buy".
>
>
> Rent and let; as in
>
> Seller and buyer ??
>
> Employer and employee ??
Right. I sell this item to you; you buy this item from me.
I let this house to you; you rent this house from me.
Mike Hardy
Laura F Spira
I think your hearing's slurred, Stephen.
The lines that have always puzzled me are "I smoke old stogies that I've
found, Short but not too big around" (or is it " a round"?)
Perhaps someone could explain what this means. Short but not too big??
Short in the height sense or rarity sense? Why not "Short *and* not too
big around"?
(Damn, I *knew* I shouldn't have read this thread, now I have STS with a
vengeance.)
--
Laura
(emulate St. George for email)
alexy
My understanding is that the cigar butts he picks up are not long, and
that he doesn't pick up the really fat ones. Thus, he picks up the
ones that are short, but not too big around. "And" would work, but
would seem to say that all the butts were short and slim, while "but"
seems to say he is being selective.
Tony Cooper
>
> (Damn, I *knew* I shouldn't have read this thread, now I have STS with
a
> vengeance.)
It's embarrassing, that's what it is. I was in a store today looking at
digital cameras. Thinking I was by myself [1], that song was running
through my mind. Evidently, I let out some audible
dee-dee-dee-dee-dees. A voice over my shoulder said "King of the
Road?". Now he's stuck with it!
[1] If you want to enjoy pure solitude, visit the digital camera
section of Best Buy. Evidently, the clerks are trained not to bother
customers. Especially if the customer looks totally confused and has
several questions. They are so good at this that they actually run and
hide if you approach them.
Stefano MacGregor
> As in 'Tailors for sailorettes'....
No, that "Trailers for sale or rent, rooms to let for fifty cents. No
phone, no pool, no pets. ..."
--
Stefano
GrapeApe
>cents"
>
>What does it mean to let a room and where does that term come from?
Lease.
GrapeApe
>>Short in the height sense or rarity sense? Why not "Short *and* not too
>>big around"?
>>
>>(Damn, I *knew* I shouldn't have read this thread, now I have STS with
>a
>>vengeance.)
>
>My understanding is that the cigar butts he picks up are not long, and
>that he doesn't pick up the really fat ones. Thus, he picks up the
>ones that are short, but not too big around. "And" would work, but
>would seem to say that all the butts were short and slim, while "but"
>seems to say he is being selective.
Selective my arse. He is saying what he is lucky enough to be getting ain't got
nutthin to it at all. Its short, and it ain't even wide. Had to sell his
TRAILeR for gods sake, sweeping broom to rent a closet.
alexy
Makes sense, but leaves me wondering along with the OP, why "but"
rather than "and"?
R H Draney
news:unrghucpujhjg906f...@4ax.com:
> grap...@aol.comjunk (GrapeApe) wrote:
>
>>>My understanding is that the cigar butts he picks up are not
>>>long, and that he doesn't pick up the really fat ones. Thus, he
>>>picks up the ones that are short, but not too big around. "And"
>>>would work, but would seem to say that all the butts were short
>>>and slim, while "but" seems to say he is being selective.
>>
>>Selective my arse. He is saying what he is lucky enough to be
>>getting ain't got nutthin to it at all. Its short, and it ain't
>>even wide.
>
> Makes sense, but leaves me wondering along with the OP, why "but"
> rather than "and"?
It's irony...like the old rooming house joke: "the food is terrible,
and such small portions"....r
david56
>
> [1] If you want to enjoy pure solitude, visit the digital camera
> section of Best Buy. Evidently, the clerks are trained not to bother
> customers. Especially if the customer looks totally confused and has
> several questions. They are so good at this that they actually run and
> hide if you approach them.
Will you please send some over here to train shop assistants in Dixons?
--
David
I say what it occurs to me to say.
=====
The address is valid today, but I will change it to keep ahead of the
spammers.
John Holmes
"Stefano MacGregor" <esper...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:6b9b63b5.02062...@posting.google.com...
I'd never have guessed -- the stress sounds all wrong for those words.
Which reminds me of a couple of other song lines that have me baffled:
'The chair is not my son', in a song by Michael Jackson, and
'Try to say goodbye to my chook', by Macy Gray (? I think).
--
Regards
John
R H Draney
news:afcdfm$qre$1...@perki.connect.com.au:
> Which reminds me of a couple of other song lines that have me
> baffled:
>
> 'The chair is not my son', in a song by Michael Jackson, and
>
> 'Try to say goodbye to my chook', by Macy Gray (? I think).
More funny Mondegreens may be found at:
("Well since she put me down I've had owls pukin' in my bed")....r
Jerry Friedman
Also no s in "Trailer" and no "for" in the second line, according to
<http://shred.guitar.net/OLGA/cowpie/m/miller_roger/king_of_the_road.crd>
and my memory. By the way, I think Stephen may have been joking.
--
Jerry Friedman
Robert Bannister
The chook one is well-known. Another is 'Ocean Too' - I have heard it
alleged that the correct name is 'Oh Chanteuse', but I know what I heard.
--
Rob Bannister
GrapeApe
>> phone, no pool, no pets. ..."
>
>I'd never have guessed -- the stress sounds all wrong for those words.
Nitpick... I think its "Trailer for sale or rent", not "trailers". The Trailer
was the former castle of the King of the Road. The fifty cent room was one of
his possible new homes, earned by two hours of sweeping.
Stephen Toogood
<grap...@aol.comjunk> writes
What makes you say this? I can't recall that the lyric, whether as I
heard it when younger or as you now tell me it is, ever mentions 'I used
to live in a trailer but I've sold it'.
Is it not equally plausible that the protagonist is weighing his
options: shall it be the rented trailer or the fifty cent room?
As I see it the whole verse translates:
Caravans for sale or to let;
Rooms to let for 50p;
There is no telephone, no swimming bath, and you may not bring your
little dog.
I don't even have any gaspers!
(so much for scansion)
Here I grind to a halt, since you haven't told me what brumbazza is.
I think it must be a drug, since he seems to spend time pushing it. And
he gets a room in four pieces. Whether this is a suite or a self-
assembly job I can't tell.
--
Stephen Toogood
Laura F Spira
I'm still not convinced by any of this speculation and the wretched tune
will not go away either. But I am comforted by the thought that I am
less confused than poor Stephen seems to be...
Skitt
It is definitely "trailers". I just downloaded and listened to Roger
Miller's version of it.
Tony Cooper
may be sticking things in there that rhyme?
GrapeApe
>> The Trailer was the former castle of the King of the Road. The fifty
>> cent room was one of his possible new homes, earned by two hours of
>> sweeping.
>
>It is definitely "trailers". I just downloaded and listened to Roger
>Miller's version of it.
Thats odd, the version I have by Roger Miller, twice, from two different
Greatest Hits collections very clearly says Trailer. Singular. I'm listening
to it now. Is that your final answer?
I heard the song mostly as he sang it on Johnny Carson's couch, or wherever,
usually not lip synced. But I was probably most familiar with the lyrics from
the sheet music which was around my home growing up, where, if it was singular
there at all, it could have been a copyright trap, or the typical quality of
transcription provided for same.
But the recording I am listening to now, and the lyrics I read growing up both
say 'Trailer'.
Skitt
>>> Nitpick... I think its "Trailer for sale or rent", not "trailers".
>>> The Trailer was the former castle of the King of the Road. The
>>> fifty cent room was one of his possible new homes, earned by two
>>> hours of sweeping.
>>
>> It is definitely "trailers". I just downloaded and listened to Roger
>> Miller's version of it.
>
> Thats odd, the version I have by Roger Miller, twice, from two
> different Greatest Hits collections very clearly says Trailer.
> Singular. I'm listening to it now. Is that your final answer?
Yeah -- final answer. There's a definite "s" in his "trailers". Can't be
missed, unless one is semi-deaf. I don't own the record, but as I said, I
downloaded enough of it from the Web today to hear it clearly.
As a special favor to you, I now downloaded the entire song and listened
again -- there's a very distinct "s" at the end of "Trailers". This version
of the song comes from the album "Swingers Soundtrack" (so it says).
I also downloaded enough of Randy Travis's version to clearly hear
"trailers". Dean Martin also seems to say "trailers" but I did not have the
patience to download the whole song, and in the beginning of the track he
seems to be practicing it very softly and starting over a couple of times,
but I hear tne "s". Elvis sings "trailer" without the "s".
> I heard the song mostly as he sang it on Johnny Carson's couch, or
> wherever, usually not lip synced. But I was probably most familiar
> with the lyrics from the sheet music which was around my home growing
> up, where, if it was singular there at all, it could have been a
> copyright trap, or the typical quality of transcription provided for
> same. But the recording I am listening to now, and the lyrics I read
> growing up both say 'Trailer'.
The lyrics on the Web seem to favor "trailers", but that does not mean much.
It appears that sometimes it can be "trailers" and at other times "trailer".
R H Draney
news:afgi6k$e527g$1...@ID-61580.news.dfncis.de:
> Yeah -- final answer. There's a definite "s" in his "trailers".
> Can't be missed, unless one is semi-deaf. I don't own the record,
> but as I said, I downloaded enough of it from the Web today to
> hear it clearly.
>
> The lyrics on the Web seem to favor "trailers", but that does not
> mean much. It appears that sometimes it can be "trailers" and at
> other times "trailer". --
Considering where you're posting this, mightn't it be "trailer's"?...r
Stephen Toogood
<tony_co...@yahoo.com> writes
>>
>Has it occurred to anyone that this is a song and that the author just
>may be sticking things in there that rhyme?
>
--
Stephen Toogood
GrapeApe
>I also downloaded enough of Randy Travis's version to clearly hear
>"trailers". Dean Martin also seems to say "trailers" but I did not have
>the
>patience to download the whole song, and in the beginning of the track he
>seems to be practicing it very softly and starting over a couple of times,
>but I hear tne "s". Elvis sings "trailer" without the "s".
As does Roger Miller in the original hit recording made in 1965.
Swingers was a 1996 film for which the song may have been re-recorded. Try
going to Amazon or such and get fetch a real audio stream from one of Roger
Millers Greatest Hits collections. You might run into the same thing... Quasi
Country Pop Artists often re-recorded their entire greatest hits repetoire once
again, so that they could get greater royalties by having a phonocopyright they
owned themself.
There is at least one Conway Twitty record of this sort, sung by a voice 20-30
years older than the hits.
Earle Jones
grap...@aol.comjunk (GrapeApe) wrote:
*
KING OF THE ROAD
Trailer for sale or rent, rooms to let fifty cents
No phone, no pool, no pets, I ain't got no cigarettes
Ah but, two hours of pushin' broom buys a
Eight by twelve four-bit room
I'm a man of means by no means, king of the road
Third boxcar midnight train, destination Bangor, Maine
Old worn out suit and shoes, I don't pay no union dues
I smoke old stogies I have found, short but not too big around
I'm a man of means by no means, king of the road
I know every engineer on every train
All the children and all of their names
And every handout in every town
And every lock that ain't locked when no-one's around
I sing...
Trailers for sale or rent, rooms to let fifty cents
No phone, no pool, no pets, I ain't got no cigarettes
Ah but, two hours of pushin' broom buys a
Eight by twelve four-bit room
I'm a man of means by no means, king of the road.
See: http://users.bigpond.net.au/clarks/lyrics.html
earle
*
Skitt
Yeah. Notice how "trailer" became "trailers" in the fourth stanza?
This site has an initial "trailer" and then two stanzas with "trailers".
http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/SongUnid/C489E13ECC18DB0048256A620015
6203
There are no such switches at
http://www.lyricscafe.com/t/travis_randy/travis10.html
It's "trailers" all the way there.
As I and others have found, Roger sang it both ways at different times.
John Holmes
"Skitt" <sk...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:afnuc6$foqm5$1...@ID-61580.news.dfncis.de...
> Earle Jones wrote:
> > *
> > KING OF THE ROAD
> >
> > Trailer for sale or rent, rooms to let fifty cents
> >
> > Trailers for sale or rent, rooms to let fifty cents
> >
> > See: http://users.bigpond.net.au/clarks/lyrics.html
>
> Yeah. Notice how "trailer" became "trailers" in the fourth stanza?
>
> This site has an initial "trailer" and then two stanzas with
"trailers".
>
http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/SongUnid/C489E13ECC18DB0048256A62
0015
> 6203
>
> There are no such switches at
> http://www.lyricscafe.com/t/travis_randy/travis10.html
> It's "trailers" all the way there.
>
> As I and others have found, Roger sang it both ways at different
times.
Aah, so is 'trailer' really a singular there, or is it an appearance of
the rare mass noun 'trailer'? Are trailer so common that they are
treated as a mass commodity like cattle?
--
Regards
John
Geoff Butler
>vengeance.)
There are worse things than STS, you know. SJS, for a start.
-ler
Laura F Spira
Geoff Butler
>Geoff Butler wrote:
>>
>> Laura F Spira <la...@DRAGONspira.u-net.com> wrote
>> >
>> >(Damn, I *knew* I shouldn't have read this thread, now I have STS with a
>> >vengeance.)
>>
>> There are worse things than STS, you know. SJS, for a start.
>>
>>
>Stuck Joke Syndrome? Stuck Jingle Syndrome?
The latter.
-ler