Re: PHOENIX, the lyrics

[btd@carina.cray.com (Bryan Dongray)]

> From: Wieland_THE_EAR@Love-Hounds.earth (Lord Chief Justice)
Nice to see you back!

Babooska (beatbox version):
> uncanny how she
> can take him back into a piece of past. 
> 
> Bryan, you were very near!! A very slurred 'p'. 

You don't know how pleased I was to read this, MADE MY DAY!
I'm actually pleased that we have found the real line too,
well done for your resourcefulness, good work.
A very slurred 'p' is an understatement!

It Hurts Me: 
> >   If you laughed at me, I'd laugh too. 
> >   Waltz, don't you know that I'd be really breaking in. 
> > I'm 100% on the first two lines, thanks for the "in" at the end of line
> > two, YES  you're right. I also hear "une" rather than "un". 
> 
> You're wrong: It's NOT "breaking IN" it's: "breakii-hing" a lengthy
> breaking, but def. NOT "breaking IN"!

It's one of those awkward ones, I can hear it both ways, but doing
a grammatic check, with the "in" the meaning is totally unrelated to
this song. I've changed to have:
    Waltz, don't you know that I'd be really breakin-ing.
That seems about right.

Rare Flower:
> > OK, now the fun line: 
> >    It's calling me. 
> >    With a menacing whisper, 
> >    Magic opera charming me. 
> > is what I hear, seriously, the word "opera" became clear after a 
> > few listenings. Perhaps, it's the genuine pig of a CD I have. 
> 
> No. I can't follow you here. Difficult lines, but "opera"? Hmm, hmmm..
> No, I think, your second line is wrong. Also, the first line is followed by
> "of" or so:
> With a menacing whisper of..
> Magical world enchanting me.
> 
> This could also be (from sound):
> Would I've ever see him whisper of
> Magic of hurt enchanting me. 
> 
> or something like that, but I can't hear "opera". 

I *just* played that part, first time, after a couple of weeks, it
just hit me as:
    With a menacing whisper of
    Magic offer a-charming me
I do not hear the "t" if it was "enchanting". Also (unless KaTe changed
her accent for this song) the pronounciation is not "chant", consider how
she says "Can't" in the "Hello Earth" line "Can't do anything". Very much
like "c-ah-nt". This would be the case for "ench-ah-nting", but this line
in question is more like the word "charming". I can see the closeness,
perhaps you have to be born in Kent to hear the real minor difference.

Rinfy the Gypsy: 
> 
> > OK, in the line: 
> >     (Ooh, a very, long, long ...) 
> > I CANNOT hear the word "time" that everyone seems to be able to.
> 
> Nobody CAN hear that, I think, it's only a guess, like
> Ooh..long, long, long t(ime)
> You can hear only a <sound> here, so this might be "time". It can be
> anything else or nothing, of course!

Could be the reported "teacup and saucer" bouncing on the piano top,
making what is heard to be the "t" sound!

> > Later, I'm certain it's: 
> > Don't cry, you weird little stranger. 
> > if I pause after weird, and then play it, I can hear the word 
> > "little" quite clearly. 
> 
> THIS IS "WEIRDO" and NOTHING else! "Little": Never!!!

The "o" of Weirdo is on a pitch bend, and really could be "little",
remember that the "t"s of words like "little" in a north Kent accent
can be dropped, sounding like "li'all".
The quote is called a glottal stop, I tried getting some friends
here to try and do the sound, after 5 minutes they gave up!

Scares Me Silly:
> > Second verse: 
> >    Singing amid the cans 
> > or is it "Swinging", that's a toughy. I think "Singing" makes 
> > more logical sense, but poeticly it could be swinging, but in 
> > the UK that refers to spouse swapping, etc, I don't think Kate 
> >would have said that! 
> 
> Swimming is a third alternative!

A good alternative, there is much more than just the word "Singing",
and it's one of those toughies. Anyone know how we might get the real
songsheet for this! Perhaps an engineer at the recording studio ran
off with a copy!

> > Later, I hear: 
> >    It's like a film - such balance. 
> >    I close my eyes to the cello solo, 
> >    And ache the music. 
> >    Will never let me blow away. 
> > thanks for the clues, I sort of hear "ache" with an "m", but not really,
> > ie "make the music". 
> 
> I very clearly hear "An-eightnic music" but don't know, what this MEANS!!

In talking with someone who does not know Kate music "at all", he
suggested perhaps we're stuck on punctuation. Consider:

    I close my eyes to the cello solo and ache,
    The music will never let me blow away you-oo.

Which does make more sense that what we've been trying to do.
Although, there no gap in the song where a comma normally has one.

As to "An-eightnic music", I see you are noticing the dropped 'd' of
the word "and", this is farily common for KaTe. Then the second syllable
of "eightnic" sounds like "the" to me. Which leaves "eigh'" which to me
is the word "ache".

The Craft of Love: 
> > I have a revelation, the line: 
> >    Soul burns, and I don't care. 
> > I discovered it sounds like: 
> >    Say a words in our dark hair. 
> > not sure DEFINITELY 
> > The 'ar' of 'dark' is NOT "don't", the accent would be 
> > all wrong for Kate, if anything she'd say "don't" more 
> > like "dough-n't" (ie dough as in uncooked bread). 
> 
> Very good to stirr this one up! It's yet another 'uncertain' line! 
> I can't really hear "Say words". Think-listen-think-listen...
> Finally... I would say it's "Sobers" (=become serious, sedate..)
> But with an "s"? It sobers? Hmm...
> then: "in our/and I dark hair"
> The "don't"-accent argument is a strong one. I agree. 

Sobers is good, I don't hear "it" preceeding it though.
I listened again, and how about "Silvers", perhaps referring to age,
or the glint of some wet substance!

Later: 
> >    Jittering strangers with smutting hands, 
> > although "smutty" would seem more reasonable, but it just 
> > doesn't sound like it! 
> 
> I hear "smutting" too. Can it mean festering or so?

Couldn't it be "sweating hands"?
That echoic sound of the room might not be helping us here.

The Gay Farewell: 
> > but on the second line I actually hear: 
> >    But listen to the tired your story? 
> > once it was described this way, but I can hear the word "tired". 
> > Votes? I vote "But listen to the tired old story". 
> 
> Very good suggestion, fits very good, can you explain to me what his "tired
> old story" is? Unrequited love stories?

I'd say the "tired old story" would be Eddie keep telling the events
of that day, you know how people repeat themselves, especially on
important events they have had.

Where Are the Lionhearts: 
> > Another revelation (well not really), how about: 
> >      I see she's seen the long days and knights. 
> > as in "knights of the round table". It makes a good 
> > play on words, something Kate would do, I'm sure. 
> 
> I hear only "night" or "knight" without "s"! Unfortunately you cannot
> decide between "night" and "knight".

On this one I cannot even hear the "t", ie I just hear:
    days and nigh
so my thoughts of knights in shining armour are fading fast.

> You need her lyric sheet. 
> (I have it but I don't use it!)

Well, you might as well send it to me!

While Davy Dozed: 
> > That problem line to me sounds like: 
> >     The walls to steam 
> >     With the crack in a moment 
> >     As I held you. 
> > which possibly makes sense (sort of), using the echo/reverb 
> > you can easily make out the 't' in moment, but if "steam" 
> > was "steep" as suggested, it would have come out heavily due 
> > to the heavy echo that's there, I think? 
> 
> Relatively clear is:
>    The wall(s) to #####
>    with a/the crack ########
> So far I prefer Violet's version:
>    The wall's to steep
>    with a crack in the moment
>    as I held you. 

But what does that mean?
If it is meant to be "too steep", but walls are usually vertical anyway.
I still cannot hear the "p" of "steep" and that echo should enhance it.

> > Later change your "realised" to "realise", 
> 
> I slightly prefer "Realized". 

Hmmm, Americanism, Kate is British, so it's a "s", check the
spelling on "The man with the child..." - OH NO "Them Heavy People"
spells it with a "z", on the SAME album. My UK dictionary has an "s",
my USA dictionary has the "z". But the 'd' is good, ie "realised".

AND FINALLY,

Come on, someone must be able to hear the nuances of the words that
we're having trouble with here.
Get out those headphones.
Get out your high-tech echo removing audio processors.
Raid KaTes house for her old lyric notebook - Note an added bonus on
this last one is we'd get to know about the other 170 demos!

    "And suddenly I find myself listening to a man I've never known before"

			Bryan Dongray