CAKE's "The Distance" contains this line: She's hoping in time/That her memories will fade, which, despite my reverent affection for the song, sets my teeth on edge. Bear with me for a moment. Ahem.
Is the girl hoping in time? Is she floating around in some sort of space-free, time-only continuum, hoping? Or is she hoping that, as time goes on, her memories will fade? Gentle reader, I propose that Mr. John McCrea and his co-horts meant to guide us toward the latter. Dear Mr. McCrea, could the song not have said She's hoping that, in time/Her memories will fade? Absolutely nothing would have suffered. You would even have gotten a tiny wee hit of syncopation in there with the new wording, a little spice, if you will. Do you see? Everyone would have been a winner that way! But no. Instead, we have this fantastic song with this very troublesome bit of wording that stops my brain in its tracks, surgically removes the dopamine.
For these, to quote a Smiths song lyric from 1987, these are the things that kill me.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
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2 comments:
It took me a few seconds (minutes?) to notice what the heck you were going on about. I'm nervous now.
Maybe ... reaching here ... the author was breaking the rule on purpose to make an ironic and extremely subtle comment on the state of 21st century education? ;)
Or to indicate a memory that is already fading. He/she forgot the "that."
Nervous because you've never known anyone with such hang-ups? Well, you ought to be!
I do like your suggestion of irony, Michael, but something in me just won't let me believe it...
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