Bob Dylan - Bird watcher
Colin Davies
Is Bob Dylan a secret bird watcher (or birder if you prefer)? I became
suspicious when I listened carefully to 'One more cup of coffee', when
he sings about the Meadowlark (though he doesn't specify Eastern or
Western Meadowlark).
Likewise, he mentions Cranes leaving 'Black Diamond Bay' (I assume he
means Sandhill, though it could be the much rarer Whooping Crane or even
the European Crane which is a rare vagrant to North America). Trouble
is, I don't know where Black Diamond Bay is (a map reference would be
usefull here).
In Jokerman he goes international and sings about the Nightingale.
Interesting that he should choose a non American bird for this song
(Nightingales are European), but again, the same old questions need to
be asked - is it a Common Nightingale or a Thrush Nightingale? Come on
Bob, start giving us the Latin names as well:
"Your voice is like an Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna),
But your heart is like an ocean,
Mysterious and dark."
I just give up with 'You're a big girl now'.... "Bird on the horizon,
sitting on a fence" - What does that mean? Was it an Eagle or a Cactus
Wren. Really, Bob, if you're reading this, try taking a few notes while
you're watching the bird, and then consult a decent book when you get
home:-) If you find it's a rarity, please inform your local bird
recorder.
Can anybody think of any other references to birds in his songs?
Colin
jaydg
"Black crows in the meadow across the broad highway."
--Black Crow Blues
"Are birds free from the chains of the skyway?"
-- Ballad in Plain D
nate wrote in message <7ai9p6$c...@llnews.ll.mit.edu>...
Jeffrey L
You Saved My Life
jaydg wrote in message <7aimkv$9j6$1...@newssvr04-int.news.prodigy.com>...
nate
>Colin
4th Time Around (this bird has flown)
- nate
TBoneFrank
>
>
>Colin
>
Crow -Black Crow Blues; Tiny Mongomery
Buzzard -Tiny Mongomery
Raven - Love Minus Zero/No Limit
Loom -Golden Loom
Chicken -Don't Ya Tell Henry
Rooster -New Morning; Don't Think Twice
Duck -I Shall Be Free
Eagle -You Changed my Like
Gull -Gates Of Eden
Quail -Catfish
Bluebird -Up To Me
Hoot Owl -Blind Willie McTell
Parrot -Simple Twist Of Fate
Peter Stone Brown
>
> Is Bob Dylan a secret bird watcher (or birder if you prefer)? I became
> suspicious when I listened carefully to 'One more cup of coffee', when
> he sings about the Meadowlark (though he doesn't specify Eastern or
> Western Meadowlark).
>
I always thought he was talking about Meadowlark Lemon. :-)
--
"I can't even remember what it was I came
here to get away from." --Bob Dylan
Peter Stone Brown
e-mail: pet...@erols.com
http://www.tangible-music.com/peterstonebrown/
Peter Stone Brown
>
> >
>
> Crow -Black Crow Blues; Tiny Mongomery
> Buzzard -Tiny Mongomery
> Raven - Love Minus Zero/No Limit
> Loom -Golden Loom
> Chicken -Don't Ya Tell Henry
> Rooster -New Morning; Don't Think Twice
> Duck -I Shall Be Free
> Eagle -You Changed my Like
> Gull -Gates Of Eden
> Quail -Catfish
> Bluebird -Up To Me
> Hoot Owl -Blind Willie McTell
> Parrot -Simple Twist Of Fate
Pigeons - Three Angels
"The dogs and pigeons fly up and they flutter around" one of my favorite Bob lines and
not cause of the pigeons either.
Eric Bloom
's'gotta be a bunch more...
CELEBRATING ART AS A WAY OF LIFE!
*SEE The Work, THEN Decide!
http://members.tripod.com/~MODERNARTIST/icons-2.html [paintings]
http://members.tripod.com/~MODERNARTIST/index-3.html [photography]
www.biksco.com/bloom [multi-media]
www.TheValkyrie.com/picthumb/u/usl-bloom/index00.htm [muscular female
art gallery]
www.expectingrain.com/dok/bdx/ESB.html [paintings of Dylan only]
www.biksco.com/puzzmann/puzzmania/can/index.htm [art/biographical
stills/Bloom by Macleod]
TBoneFrank
>>suspicious when I listened carefully to 'One more cup of coffee', when
>>he sings about the Meadowlark (though he doesn't specify Eastern or
>>Western Meadowlark).
>>
>>means Sandhill, though it could be the much rarer Whooping Crane or even
>>the European Crane which is a rare vagrant to North America). Trouble
>>is, I don't know where Black Diamond Bay is (a map reference would be
>>usefull here).
>>
>>In Jokerman he goes international and sings about the Nightingale.
>>Interesting that he should choose a non American bird for this song
>>(Nightingales are European), but again, the same old questions need to
>>be asked - is it a Common Nightingale or a Thrush Nightingale? Come on
>>Bob, start giving us the Latin names as well:
>>
>>"Your voice is like an Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna),
>>But your heart is like an ocean,
>>Mysterious and dark."
>>
>>I just give up with 'You're a big girl now'.... "Bird on the horizon,
>>sitting on a fence" - What does that mean? Was it an Eagle or a Cactus
>>Wren. Really, Bob, if you're reading this, try taking a few notes while
>>you're watching the bird, and then consult a decent book when you get
>>home:-) If you find it's a rarity, please inform your local bird
>>recorder.
>>
>>Can anybody think of any other references to birds in his songs?
>>
>>
>>Colin
>>
>
>Buzzard -Tiny Mongomery
>Raven - Love Minus Zero/No Limit
>Loom -Golden Loom
>Chicken -Don't Ya Tell Henry
>Rooster -New Morning; Don't Think Twice
>Duck -I Shall Be Free
>Eagle -You Changed my Like
>Gull -Gates Of Eden
>Quail -Catfish
>Bluebird -Up To Me
>Hoot Owl -Blind Willie McTell
>Parrot -Simple Twist Of Fate
>
bird and it wonderful usage in two songs.
Quinn The Eskimo:
...Feeding pigeons on a limb
But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here,
All the pigeons gonna run to him....
Three Angels:
...The Tenth Avenue bus going west.
The dogs and pigeons fly up and they flutter around,
A man with a badge skips by,...
I never noticed this before..."The dogs and pigeons fly up?"
Maybe "If Dogs Run Free" should have been "If Dogs Fly Free" :o)
TbF
Brian A. Sanders
"Little rooster crowin', there must be something on his mind
Little rooster crowin', there must be something on his mind
...Well, I feel just like that rooster"
...has anyone else seen/heard Leftover Salmon cover this?
they're great fun.
-- brian
'_'_'_'_'_'_'_'_'_'_'_'_'_'_'_'_'_'_'_'
|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|
b r i a n a. s a n d e r s
|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|_|
=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=
mona lisa must've had the highway blues
you can tell by the way she smiles
\%\%\%\%\%\%\%\%\%\%\%\%\%\%\%\%\%\%\%\
Beth
--
Have a Bob Day
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Coffeehouse/9109/index.html
nate
nate
>>Colin
> 4th Time Around (this bird has flown)
>
>- nate
ooops i forgot about the cock robin in "Who Killed Davey Moore?".
- nate
Peter Stone Brown
>
>
> I never noticed this before..."The dogs and pigeons fly up?"
Yup, fly up.
bea...@newsguy.com
>
>
>Crow -Black Crow Blues; Tiny Mongomery
>Buzzard -Tiny Mongomery
>Raven - Love Minus Zero/No Limit
>Loom -Golden Loom
A loom is a thing you weave with, no?
>Chicken -Don't Ya Tell Henry
>Rooster -New Morning; Don't Think Twice
>Duck -I Shall Be Free
>Eagle -You Changed my Like
>Gull -Gates Of Eden
>Quail -Catfish
>Bluebird -Up To Me
>Hoot Owl -Blind Willie McTell
>Parrot -Simple Twist Of Fate
Like every sparrow falling, like every grain of sand.
beaked1
Peter Stone Brown
and not only that,
"I try to harmonize with songs the lonesome sparrow sings"
John Howells
--
John Howells
how...@bigfoot.com
http://www.punkhart.com
nate
>
>the beautiful lake ...of the Black Swan
>
>--
>Have a Bob Day
the beautiful Eagle, the Black Swan!!!!!!!!!!
- nate
WScott2805
In article <18737-36...@newsd-224.iap.bryant.webtv.net>,
MODERN...@webtv.net (Eric Bloom) writes:
>the generic "bird" in BIG GIRL NOW
>
>'s'gotta be a bunch more...
>
There's lots!
'Down along the cove I spied my little bundlajoy'
Down Along the Cove
'Well that mockingbird's gonna sail away'
I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
'Gypsy girl you've got my swallow'
Spanish Harlem Incident
'Saddle me up that big white goose'
Country Pie
''Winter would have no spring, couln't hear the robin sing'
If Not For You
'The birdies were flying from tree to tree'
Day of the Locusts
'Can't you hear that rooster crowin'
New Morning
'I can bite like a turkey
Slam like a drake'
Please Mrs Henry
'My crane's gonna leak'
Please Mrs Henry
'A buzzard and a crow'
Tiny Montgomery
'I found a little chicken down on his knees'
Don't Ya Tell Henry
There's loads more but my wife has just walked in.
'What are you doing?' she inquires, innocently it seems.
'Typing out Dyaln bird references', I answer, reasonably enough I thought.
'Have you nothing better to do?'
'Uhh ... no'
'Well hurry up, your dinner's ready'
'I need to visit the loo, first' (Don't all men do that before dinner)
'If you gotta go, go now.'
The first recorded evidence of Ann quoting a Dylan song! Unfortunately it
wasn't deliberate (although it may be subconscious:). My campaign to convert
her to Bob still needs considerable work. Now I really do have to go :-)
Wes
The post office has been stolen
and the mailbox is locked
Jeff Moore
ponder. Is Bob a secret birder? Somebody mentioned he
likes to lay around and watch football on TV. The
Philadelphia Eagles?
What about the lonesome sparrow sings, and like every
sparrow falling? And can't you hear that rooster
crowin'? (although I can't find chickens in my
Peterson's guide)
And what about:
One bird book
And a buzzard and a crow
Tell 'em all
That Tiny's gonna say hello
Couldn't hear the robin sing, if not for you.
The call of the wild's
Forever at my door
Want me to fly like an eagle
Being chained to the floor, but You changed my life
I've heard newborn babies wailin' like a mournin' dove
And old men with broken teeth stranded without love.
Do I understand your question, man, is it hopeless
and forlorn?
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
And how many seas must a white dove sail (pelagic
birding?)
And what is the curfew gull gliding in Gates of Eden?
and the wicked birds of prey picking up the
breadcrumb sins?
And yes some raven at my window with a broken wing.
Though does he ever mention warblers or woodpeckers
or cuckoos or chickadees?
Maybe I'll start checking off birds in my book as I
see them in Bob's music...
===
Jeff Moore
Trading list at:
http://www.horiba.com/~moore/boot.html
_________________________________________________________
DO YOU YAHOO!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
nate
i think it was a mondepurple for "loon".
but we do have "just then this cop comes down the street, crazy
as a loon, and throws us all in jail for carryin' harpoons"
>Like every sparrow falling, like every grain of sand.
>
>beaked1
yeah....harmonizing with songs the lonesome sparrow sings is nice.
how many seas must a white dove sail, before she sleeps in the sand?
the fishes will laugh as they swim out of the path and the seagulls -
they'll be a-smilin'. saddle me up on a big white goose.
- nate
"are birds free from the chains of the skyway?"
"the sun's not yellow - it's chicken!"
nate
we could go deeper, but there isnt any need.
- nate
johnny fever
became infected by a bacteria primarily found in bird poop.
Luckily it was caught in time
His show at Lehigh Univ last night was phantastic !!!
Lots of deadheads there too groovin HARD !!!!
Jeremy Jones
I don't know if any of these have been mentioned as of yet:
Tombstone Blues
---------------
"The sun's not yellow it's chicken"
Don't Ya Tell Henry
-------------------
I found a little chicken down on his knees,
Lo and Behold!
--------------
This is chicken town!"
Under the Red Sky
----------------
Let the bird sing, let the bird fly,
Let the bird sing, let the bird fly,
Jokerman
--------
Bird fly high by the light of the moon
Love Henry
----------
"Hush up, hush up, my parrot," she cried
A girl who would murder her own true love Would kill a little bird like
me."
Turkey Chase
Blowin' in the Wind
----------------
Yes, 'n' how many seas must a white dove sail
On Thu, 18 Feb 1999, Colin Davies wrote:
>
> Is Bob Dylan a secret bird watcher (or birder if you prefer)? I became
> suspicious when I listened carefully to 'One more cup of coffee', when
> he sings about the Meadowlark (though he doesn't specify Eastern or
> Western Meadowlark).
>
> Likewise, he mentions Cranes leaving 'Black Diamond Bay' (I assume he
> means Sandhill, though it could be the much rarer Whooping Crane or even
> the European Crane which is a rare vagrant to North America). Trouble
> is, I don't know where Black Diamond Bay is (a map reference would be
> usefull here).
>
> In Jokerman he goes international and sings about the Nightingale.
> Interesting that he should choose a non American bird for this song
> (Nightingales are European), but again, the same old questions need to
> be asked - is it a Common Nightingale or a Thrush Nightingale? Come on
> Bob, start giving us the Latin names as well:
>
> "Your voice is like an Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna),
> But your heart is like an ocean,
> Mysterious and dark."
>
> I just give up with 'You're a big girl now'.... "Bird on the horizon,
> sitting on a fence" - What does that mean? Was it an Eagle or a Cactus
> Wren. Really, Bob, if you're reading this, try taking a few notes while
> you're watching the bird, and then consult a decent book when you get
> home:-) If you find it's a rarity, please inform your local bird
> recorder.
>
Peter Stone Brown
>
>
> 'Gypsy girl you've got my swallow'
> Spanish Harlem Incident
>
Uh, um, uh.......
Paul t f
the suns not yellow, it's chicken.
Peter Stone Brown
>
> In article <36CDE1...@erols.com>, Peter Stone Brown <pet...@erols.com>
> writes:
>
> >
> >WScott2805 wrote:
> >>
> >
> >>
> >> 'Gypsy girl you've got my swallow'
> >> Spanish Harlem Incident
> >>
> >
> >Uh, um, uh....
>
>
I love "Spanish Harlem Incident" and was lucky enough to see the only live performance
of it ever. However the line is "Gypsy gal, you got me swallowed."
Bob Gill
>
> Colin Davies wrote:
> >
> > Is Bob Dylan a secret bird watcher (or birder if you prefer)? I became
> > suspicious when I listened carefully to 'One more cup of coffee', when
> > he sings about the Meadowlark (though he doesn't specify Eastern or
> > Western Meadowlark).
>
>
What about that blues singer, Blind Meadowlark Lemon? He wrote "Sweet Georgia
Brown", I believe.
-- Bob G.
N Leggatt
> Spanish Harlem Incident<
whoa. a cove isn't a bird, either. ("down along the cove"?)
N
__
"Great wits are sure to madness near allied
And thin partitions do their bounds divide."
WScott2805
>
>WScott2805 wrote:
>>
>
>>
>> 'Gypsy girl you've got my swallow'
>> Spanish Harlem Incident
>>
>
>Uh, um, uh....
What's wrong; dontcha like Spanish Harlem Incident? It's my favourite song on
ASOBD. Obviously Bob worshipped this girl because she had looked after the bird
he had loved so much. It must be one of the earliest songs that shows Bob's
love of birds. Although there are other early songs that mention birds only
Corrina Corrina really suggests that he keeps birds as pets; 'I have a bird
that whistles, I have a bird that sings'.
'Mister Roosevelt sets up as high as a bird'
Hard Times in New York Town
'How many seas must a white dove fly?'
Blowin' in the Wind
'When your rooster crows'
Don't Think Twice ... (two birds)
'Walk like a duck'
I Shall be Free
'The seagulls they'll be smiling'
When the Ship Comes In
Shiphour
>From: wscot...@aol.com (WScott2805)
>Date: 2/19/99 7:32 PM Eastern Standard Time
>Message-id: <19990219193221...@ngol02.aol.com>
>'Mister Roosevelt sets up as high as a bird'
>Hard Times in New York Town
"Ol' Mr. Rockefeller." It does matter.
Shiphour
>From: tbone...@aol.com (TBoneFrank)
>Date: 2/19/99 5:56 AM Eastern Standard Time
>Message-id: <19990219055605...@ng67.aol.com>
>Quinn The Eskimo:
>...Feeding pigeons on a limb
>But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here,
>All the pigeons gonna run to him....
OK-- a bird reference if you take it literally. But if Quinn is some kind of a
con man (e.g., the Maharishi), as some speculate, then "pigeon" really has
quite a different meaning in this case.
jac...@my-dejanews.com
Peter Stone Brown <pet...@erols.com> wrote:
>However the line is "Gypsy gal, you got me swallowed."
Look, I thought we were gonna drop this whole Clinton
business, once and for all.
-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------
http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own
Eric Bloom
CELEBRATING ART AS A WAY OF LIFE!
*SEE The Work, THEN Decide!
http://members.tripod.com/~MODERNARTIST/icons-2.html [paintings]
http://members.tripod.com/~MODERNARTIST/index-3.html [photography]
www.biksco.com/bloom [multi-media]
www.TheValkyrie.com/picthumb/u/usl-bloom/index00.htm [muscular female
art gallery]
www.expectingrain.com/dok/bdx/ESB.html [paintings of Dylan only]
www.biksco.com/puzzmann/puzzmania/can/index.htm [art/biographical
stills/Bloom by Macleod]
WScott2805
>WScott2805 wrote:
>>
>> In article <36CDE1...@erols.com>, Peter Stone Brown <pet...@erols.com>
>> writes:
>>
>> >
>> >WScott2805 wrote:
>> >>
>> >
>> >>
>> >> 'Gypsy girl you've got my swallow'
>> >> Spanish Harlem Incident
>> >>
>> >
>> >Uh, um, uh....
>>
>> What's wrong; dontcha like Spanish Harlem Incident?
>>
>
>I love "Spanish Harlem Incident" and was lucky enough to see the only live
>performance
>of it ever. However the line is "Gypsy gal, you got me swallowed."
>
>--
Pete
I envy the fact that you saw 'Spanish Harlem Incident' live. When did that
happen? I didn't realise that he only once performed it live. However, I must
disagree with your reading of the lyric. The way you have written it doesn't
make sense. How could she swallow him? OK I know that it is possible to swallow
some of him ;-) but not his whole body. Now I realise that the Lyrics books
supports your reading of the words but it's often wrong as I'm sure you know.
And if your interpretation is right, what happened to the bird?
Wes
fvidal
"The birdies were flying from tree to tree."
Eric Bloom
he talks to his ballerina gal,
the bird-man of the alcatraz,
he walks with that ballerina gal.
His cages are a-crumbling,
but he's got a pirouetting pal."
OUT OF ORBIT FINALLY, 1967
The Attic Tapes (Outtake)
BvMartin75
My friends from the prison they ask unto me.... Are birds free from the
chains of the skyway?
Steve Epstein
"build a birds nest in your hair"
DEAD MAN, DEAD MAN:
"there's a birdsnest in your hair"
CORRINA,CORRINA:
"i got a bird that whistles"
DESOLATION ROW OUTTAKE:
"boiled guts of birds"
etc.... more "birds" in All you have to do is dream,Tiny Montgomery,You
aint goin nowhere,and Jokerman.
But who really cares?
Steve Epstein
Shiphour
>Date: 2/20/99 12:40 AM Eastern Standard Time
>Message-id: <36CE4A...@erols.com>
I've always been confused in "Country Pie" when Dylan sings "Saddle me up my
big white Goose Tatum." Is Bob's eyesight even worse than we think?
WScott2805
In article <Pine.OSF.3.96.990219...@ucs.orst.edu>, N Leggatt
<legg...@ucs.orst.edu> writes:
>
>>> 'Gypsy girl you've got my swallow'
>> Spanish Harlem Incident<
>
>whoa. a cove isn't a bird, either. ("down along the cove"?)
>
No, a cove's a type of fish. A bundlajoy's a bird. A friend tells me it's a
small American warbler - the Paul Simon of the bird world if you like
Peter Stone Brown
> >>
> >
> >> >> 'Gypsy girl you've got my swallow'
> >> >> Spanish Harlem Incident
> >> >>
> >> >
> >>
> >> What's wrong; dontcha like Spanish Harlem Incident?
> >>
> >
> >I love "Spanish Harlem Incident" and was lucky enough to see the only live
> >performance
> >of it ever. However the line is "Gypsy gal, you got me swallowed."
> >
> >--
>
> Pete
>
> I envy the fact that you saw 'Spanish Harlem Incident' live. When did that
> happen?
10/31/64
>I didn't realise that he only once performed it live. However, I must
> disagree with your reading of the lyric. The way you have written it doesn't
> make sense.
What does sense have to do with it? That's the line. It's always been the line.
> How could she swallow him?
Maybe she was Jonah the whale disguised as a meadowlark or a Harlem Globetrotter in
drag.
> OK I know that it is possible to swallow some of him ;-) but not his whole body. Now
> I realise that the Lyrics books supports your reading of the words but it's often
> wrong as I'm sure you know.
But it happens to me right this time. She swallows him the same way she surrounds him.
> And if your interpretation is right, what happened to the bird?
There never was any bird though the Byrds did the song.
Peter Stone Brown
>
>
> I've always been confused in "Country Pie" when Dylan sings "Saddle me up my
> big white Goose Tatum." Is Bob's eyesight even worse than we think?
Who's Tatum?
purpleclover
Lloyd Fonvielle
Peter Stone Brown wrote:
> Shiphour wrote:
> >
>
> >
> > I've always been confused in "Country Pie" when Dylan sings "Saddle me up my
> > big white Goose Tatum." Is Bob's eyesight even worse than we think?
>
> Who's Tatum?
Tatum is Dylan's goose wrangler.
Bob Gill
>
> I envy the fact that you saw 'Spanish Harlem Incident' live. When did that
> disagree with your reading of the lyric. The way you have written it doesn't
> some of him ;-) but not his whole body.
>
"You've got me swallowed" is a perfectly natural phrase in Dylan-language.
For instance, in Chimes of Freedom: "spellbound and swallowed till the tolling
ended." I believe he's using it to mean captivated, ehthralled, or something
similar. From 1964 to '66 virtually every song contains this kind of phrasing.
-- Bob G.
Dennis J Green
And boy is his goose cooked!!!!
_______________________________________________________________
Dennis J Green
Quazimodem Enterprizes
Philadelphia
deng...@ix.netcom.com
.... you are lucky - you don't have to think about such things as
eyes & rooftops & quazimodo (bd)
Patricia Jungwirth
posted this one, perhaps the most mysterious bird reference of all:
"Two floorbirds and a brooding baby chick, yeah... "
"Dig those crazy floorbirds, they just fly from dawn to dawn... "
- All You Have To Do Is Dream, 1967
Tricia
-------------------"I wish I was on some Australian mountain range
I got no reason to be there but
I imagine it would be some kinda change... "
-----------------------------------------------Bob Dylan, 'Outlaw Blues'
------------------------------------------------------------January 1965
***tric...@aardvark.apana.org.au
Blonde On Blonde: Bob Dylan in Melbourne, 1966:
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/5581/
Patricia Jungwirth
Lloyd Fonvielle
Patricia Jungwirth wrote:
> Emerging from the shadows of lurkdom because I can't believe noboy's yet
> posted this one, perhaps the most mysterious bird reference of all:
>
> "Two floorbirds and a brooding baby chick, yeah... "
>
> "Dig those crazy floorbirds, they just fly from dawn to dawn... "
>
> - All You Have To Do Is Dream, 1967
People don't like to think about the floorbirds -- too unsettling. Best
just to forget about them altogether.
N Leggatt
yet more proof that You learn Sumpin New Ever Day.
Peter Stone Brown
>
>
> I can't accept that a whale could successfully impersonate a bird or a Harlem
> Globetrotter.
You just don't know the right whales. The ones I know have spent a lot of time
imitating the Harlem Globe Trotters and specifically Meadowlark Lemon.
> No - the line has always been Gypsy girl (or gal, if you like) "you've got my
> swallow."
Now right there, you already are mistaken. It has never been girl or gal if you like.
It has always been gal.
WScott2805
In article <36CF03...@erols.com>, Peter Stone Brown <pet...@erols.com>
writes:
>
>>I didn't realise that he only once performed it live. However, I must
>> disagree with your reading of the lyric. The way you have written it
>doesn't
>> make sense.
>
>What does sense have to do with it? That's the line. It's always been the
>line.
>
>
>> How could she swallow him?
>
>Maybe she was Jonah the whale disguised as a meadowlark or a Harlem
>Globetrotter in
>drag.
Surely not, Pete. I can't accept that a whale could successfully impersonate a
bird or a Harlem Globetrotter. Their physical characteristics suggets that is
unlikely. For instance, it has been scientifically proven that whales find it
difficult to dribble a basketball although I have to admit that their 30 foot
jump shots are second to none. A whale also finds it difficult to perch in a
tree although it is possible if a special whale house is constructed in the
upper branches.
>> OK I know that it is possible to swallow some of him ;-) but not his whole
>body. Now
>> I realise that the Lyrics books supports your reading of the words but it's
>often
>> wrong as I'm sure you know.
>
>
>But it happens to me right this time. She swallows him the same way she
>surrounds him.
>> And if your interpretation is right, what happened to the bird?
>
>
>There never was any bird though the Byrds did the song.
>
>
>
No - the line has always been Gypsy girl (or gal, if you like) "you've got my
swallow."
You still haven't explained the mysterious disappearnce of the bird. And
weren't the Byrds only named *after* Dylan revealed to them his love of birds,
hence their eagerness to record Spanish Harlem Incident.
BTW Eight Miles High was apparently about Bob's swallow which escaped from its
cage though it never did get free from the chains of the skyway.
WScott2805
In article <tdhrdGAo...@zorbit.demon.co.uk>, Colin Davies
<colin....@zorbit.demon.co.uk> writes:
>WScott2805 <wscot...@aol.com> writes
>>No, a cove's a type of fish. A bundlajoy's a bird. A friend tells me it's a
>>small American warbler - the Paul Simon of the bird world if you like
>>
>A fish? Thats even worse! "Down along the fish, we walk together hand in
>hand". Here in the UK a cove is an inlet of the sea, which to me makes a
>lot more sense.
>
>It just shows how we all put a different interpretation on a song. When
>I hear "Down along the cove" I picture the singer walking along a beach
>or a headland with the waves crashing against the rocks. The bundlajoy
>is his lover who is meeting him there.
>
>I'm not sure where a fish an a warbler fit into the story:-)
>
>Colin
I think we should consider this song in largely symbolic terms. 'Down along the
cove,' sings Bob. As the cove is a fish, The line really means I was down in
the depths ie I was very depressed. Then you notice that he spies his little
bundlajoy. The bird represents freedom. Bob was depressed after his motorcycle
accident; he was figuratively down in the depths of despair with all the fish.
He then spied his little bundlajoy, a bird which is rightly famous for its song
- complex yet primeval. This is what brought Bob out of his despair. He
recorded with the Band at Big Pink. He went back to his roots and rediscovered
the joys of making music which was also complex yet primeval! Shortly
afterwards he was to record John Wesley Harding which not surprisinly included
the key song on the album 'Down Along the Cove'
John Howells
<Shiphour wrote:
<>
<>
<> I've always been confused in "Country Pie" when Dylan sings "Saddle me up my
<> big white Goose Tatum." Is Bob's eyesight even worse than we think?
<Who's Tatum?
Art Tatum?
--
John Howells
how...@bigfoot.com
http://www.punkhart.com
Patricia Jungwirth
>From: Peter Stone Brown <pet...@erols.com>
>> I can't accept that a whale could successfully impersonate a bird or a Harlem
>> Globetrotter.
>
>imitating the Harlem Globe Trotters and specifically Meadowlark Lemon.
>
TBoneFrank
>
>Tricia
>
I did...anybody keeping track of all these birds? This post has been running
around in here like a chicken with with it's head cut off.
TbF
Winship
> copy of Peterson's.
Which Peterson's ? Ihave one of the oldest, the one for Texas.
The paintings clearly show the differences to be noted and the groupings
make identification simple (except the warblers, and I'm not sure they
can always tell which species they are). Douglas
Patricia Jungwirth
>From: TBoneFrank <tbone...@AOL.COM>
>.anybody keeping track of all these birds? This post has been running
>around in here like a chicken with with it's head cut off.
>
yeah, that's right...
"you run around piking, like a chicken with it's head off"
- 'You Don't Have To Do That'
dmca...@cisco.com
> <> I've always been confused in "Country Pie" when Dylan sings "Saddle me up
my
> <> big white Goose Tatum." Is Bob's eyesight even worse than we think?
>
> <Who's Tatum?
>
> Art Tatum?
Goose Tatum was a star for the Harlem Globetrotters, before Meadowlark Lemon.
I believe that he set the mold for Meadowlark, although there may have been
others before him who contributed to this role. I saw him at a junior high
school gymnasium in Ottumwa, Iowa in the 60's. He was fronting his own team,
The Harlem Roadkings, or something like that. He did a lot of the same stuff
as Meadowlark, and was a long shot expert. He was a very amusing fellow. I
gather that he was very well known in his day. My parents were certainly
aware of him.
Dave McAnelly
-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------
http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own
Lloyd Fonvielle
Colin Davies wrote:
> Ok, as the originator of the thread I suppose I ought to put together a
> list of the birds so far mentioned. I've left out references to "bird"
> or "birdies", and I'm affraid I can't count "looms". Some birds, I've
> never heard of, and likewise for one or two of the songs. "Bundlajoy"
> just scrapes in while I do some research, but "floorbird" is already
> out, (until someone can give me it's Latin name!).
Avis pedimenta -- night-flying floor rooster. Rendered nearly extinct with the
advent of heavy footwear among the human populations in its native habitat
(dreams.)
TBoneFrank
>Crane - Black Diamond Bay
>Nightingale - Jokerman; Changing Of The Guards
>Crow - Black crow blues; Tiny Mongomery
>Eagle - You Changed My Life
>Buzzard - Tiny Mongomery
>Raven - Love Minus Zero/No Limit
>Chicken - Tombstone Blues; Don't Ya Tell Henry; Lo and behold
>Rooster - New Morning; Don't Think Twice
>Duck - I Shall Be Free
>Gull - Gates Of Eden
>Quail - Catfish
>Bluebird - Up To Me
>Hoot Owl - Blind Willie McTell
>Parrot - Simple Twist Of Fate
>Pigeon - Three Angels; Quinn The Eskimo
>Robin - Who Killed Davey Moore?; If Not For You
>Sparrow - Every Grian Of Sand; Gates of Eden
>Dove - Blowin' In The Wind
>Mockingbird - I'll Be Your Baby Tonight
>Goose - Country Pie
>Turkey - Please Mr.Henry; Turkey Chase
>Black Swan - ??? What song?
>Bundlajoy - Down Along The Cove
It's " spied my little BUNDLE OF joy"
TbF
Beth
--
Have a Bob Day
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Coffeehouse/9109/index.html
WScott2805
In article <19990222180210...@ng13.aol.com>, tbone...@aol.com
(TBoneFrank) writes:
>
>>Bundlajoy - Down Along The Cove
>It's " spied my little BUNDLE OF joy"
>
>TbF
If you listen Bob clearly sings 'little bundlajoy'. It's yet another example of
where where the various Dylan Lyrics books are wrong.
WScott2805
>The paintings clearly show the differences to be noted and the groupings
>make identification simple (except the warblers, and I'm not sure they
>can always tell which species they are). Douglas
>
>
>
Especially the bundlajoy which is one warbler people find very hard to
identify.
TBoneFrank
>>>Bundlajoy - Down Along The Cove
>>It's " spied my little BUNDLE OF joy"
>>
>>TbF
>
>If you listen Bob clearly sings 'little bundlajoy'. It's yet another example
>of
>where where the various Dylan Lyrics books are wrong.
>
>Wes
Listen to Bob sing WHAT clearly. Geeez!....'bundle OF joy' 'bundle UH
joy'..same freakin' difference.
What the hell is a bundlajoy anyway?
TbF
WScott2805
In article <19990222204327...@ng14.aol.com>, tbone...@aol.com
(TBoneFrank) writes:
>
>Listen to Bob sing WHAT clearly. Geeez!....'bundle OF joy' 'bundle UH
>joy'..same freakin' difference.
>
>What the hell is a bundlajoy anyway?
>
A bundlajoy's a warbler. I thought that had been long since accepted.
TBoneFrank
>>
>
>A bundlajoy's a warbler. I thought that had been long since accepted.
>
>Wes
A warbler?..Considering the thread I suppose this must be a bird of some sort.
Hmmmm?.....good try....but I don't think it will fly. :o)
TbF
nate
>>>Bundlajoy - Down Along The Cove
>>It's " spied my little BUNDLE OF joy"
>>TbF
>If you listen Bob clearly sings 'little bundlajoy'. It's yet another example
of
>where where the various Dylan Lyrics books are wrong.
>
>Wes
>The post office has been stolen
>and the mailbox is locked
wrong. dylan's dialect would allow for bundle a' joy
it's both. another example of bob's compression puns....
- nate
nate
>A bundlajoy's a warbler. I thought that had been long since accepted.
>Wes
actually you learn something new every day. i think bob meant both ways
at once, as he usually can been seen that way.
i will say this though....the term "bundle of joy" as term of endearment
is in much more common usage than referring to this particular type of
bird ( i've heard of chickadee, dove, even swan, before, but bundlajoy
is new to me). surely the etymology of it is "bundle of joy"......
- nate
Dino
Actually, it comes from the french "bun de la joie," or "bread-roll of
happiness."
makin' it up as he goes along,
Dino
WScott2805
>
>>A bundlajoy's a warbler. I thought that had been long since accepted.
>
>>Wes
>
>
> actually you learn something new every day. i think bob meant both ways
> at once, as he usually can been seen that way.
>
> i will say this though....the term "bundle of joy" as term of endearment
> is in much more common usage than referring to this particular type of
> bird ( i've heard of chickadee, dove, even swan, before, but bundlajoy
> is new to me). surely the etymology of it is "bundle of joy"......
>
>
>- nate
>
>
Yes nate, that does seem to be the etymology of bundlajoy. Grattan's 'Birds of
the North Atlantic' (Oxford University Press, 1948) has this to say:
"The bundlajoy is a denizen of the deciduous forests of North America and
Europe ... The song of the male of the species is particularly wonderful; both
complex and melodious. This delightful sound used to be common until the late
19th century but extensive farming has made it increasingly rare. The origin of
the term is unknown but Jeffries believes it originates from the popular term
of endearment 'bundle of joy'. This is supported by the legend that the bird
was a symbol of eternal love between lovers who had been parted from one
another."
Dylan possibly heard the old English folk song 'Fly Away' when he visited
England in the early sixties. It was often played by Martin Carthy although I
don't think he ever recorded it.
"Fly away my bundlajoy
Fly away now, do not tarry
Fly away to my one true love
For she is intendin' to marry
Tell her that I'm on my way
Tell my love I miss her
Sing a song of love from me
And tell her soon I'll kiss her"
There are several more verses but I forget some of the words. I think that Bob
certainly was aware of the ambiguity in the song and, of course, he leaves
people to find these things out for themselves!
Jennifer L. Brice
Colin Davies <colin....@zorbit.demon.co.uk> wrote:
I don't know about the other songs you sited but the "Your a Big Girl Now,"
reference is obviously" bird" as in girl. In America the slang is" chic" in
Britain it is "bird." " Bird on the horizon, sitting on a fence." There is a
women in his future, who presently can't make up her mind about something. "
Sitting on the fence," is used a lot in "Born Again" Christian circles, to
describe someone who can't decide whether they want to commit themselves to
god. Now whether he is refering specifically to god , or the
commitment->love in general, I have no idea. The fact that he has set her in
the horizon(future) reflects his commitment->love. So I would guess it is a
relationship, that he is talking about. I doubt whether Dylan distinguishes
God, Love, or Commitment.
Anyway those are my thoughts. I doubt whether Bob ever means just one thing,
and listeners should derive there own meaning from it.
Jennifer Brice
http://www.geocities.com/soho/atrium/2735
> Is Bob Dylan a secret bird watcher (or birder if you prefer)? I became
> suspicious when I listened carefully to 'One more cup of coffee', when
> he sings about the Meadowlark (though he doesn't specify Eastern or
> Western Meadowlark).
>
> Likewise, he mentions Cranes leaving 'Black Diamond Bay' (I assume he
> means Sandhill, though it could be the much rarer Whooping Crane or even
> the European Crane which is a rare vagrant to North America). Trouble
> is, I don't know where Black Diamond Bay is (a map reference would be
> usefull here).
>
> In Jokerman he goes international and sings about the Nightingale.
> Interesting that he should choose a non American bird for this song
> (Nightingales are European), but again, the same old questions need to
> be asked - is it a Common Nightingale or a Thrush Nightingale? Come on
> Bob, start giving us the Latin names as well:
>
> "Your voice is like an Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna),
> But your heart is like an ocean,
> Mysterious and dark."
>
> I just give up with 'You're a big girl now'.... "Bird on the horizon,
> sitting on a fence" - What does that mean? Was it an Eagle or a Cactus
> Wren. Really, Bob, if you're reading this, try taking a few notes while
> you're watching the bird, and then consult a decent book when you get
> home:-) If you find it's a rarity, please inform your local bird
> recorder.
>
> Can anybody think of any other references to birds in his songs?
>
> Colin
>
>
Jennifer L. Brice
http://www.geocities.com/soho/atrium/2735
Lloyd Fonvielle
Jennifer L. Brice wrote:
> I doubt whether Dylan distinguishes God, Love, or Commitment . . .
Interesting thought. They are all kind of the same thing . . .