WTF Is This Song About??

[MalcolmTex]

Anyone have any idea what the hell this song is about. I've always wondered...

 

 

Blinded by the light,

revved up like a deuce,

another runner in the night

 

Madman drummers bummers,

Indians in the summer with a teenage diplomat

In the dumps with the mumps as the adolescent pumps his way into his hat

With a boulder on my shoulder, feelin' kinda older,

I tripped the merry-go-round

With this very unpleasin', sneezin' and wheezin,

the calliope crashed to the ground

The calliope crashed to the ground

But she was...

Blinded by the light,

revved up like a deuce,

runner in the night

 

Some silicone sister with a manager mister told me I go what it takes

She said "I'll turn you on sonny to something strong,

play the song with the funky break"

And go-cart Mozart was checkin' out the weather chart to see if it was safe outside

And little Early-Pearly came by in his curly-wurly and asked me if I needed a ride

Asked me if I needed a ride

But she was...

Blinded by the light,

revved up like a deuce,

another runner in the night

Blinded by the light

 

She got down but she never got tired

She's gonna make it through the night

She's gonna make it through the night

But mama, that's where the fun is

But mama, that's where the fun is

Mama always told me not to look into the eye's of the sun

But mama, that's where the fun is

Some brimstone baritone anticyclone rolling stone preacher from the east

Says, "Dethrone the dictaphone, hit it in it's funny bone,

that's where they expect it least"

And some new-mown chaperone was standin' in the corner,

watching the young girls dance

And some fresh-sown moonstone was messin' with his frozen zone, reminding him of romance

The calliope crashed to the ground

But she was...

Blinded by the light,

revved up like a deuce,

another runner in the night

 

Madman drummers bummers, Indians in the summer with a teenage diplomat

In the dumps with the mumps as the adolescent pumps his way into his hat

With a boulder on my shoulder, feelin' kinda older,

I tripped the merry-go-round

With this very unpleasin', sneezin' and wheezin,

the calliope crashed to the ground

Now Scott with a slingshot finially found a tender spot and throws his lover in the sand

And some bloodshot forget-me-not said daddy's within earshot save the buckshot, turn up the band

Some silicone sister with a manager mister told me I go what it takes

She said "I'll turn you on sonny to something strong"

[Andersonology]

No clear answers here, but some discussion about the song's meaning.

 

http://www.songmeanings.net/lyric.php?lid=48893

[Cibyl]

Not entirely sure, but I think there are some cleverly veiled references to teh butt secks hidden in the lyrics.

 

[draelyc]

It's not about feminine hygiene?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

:poke:

[code_blue]

If you don't get it you never will.

 

[ScreaminSaint]

People are still trying to figure out the lyrics, much less what they mean. It's a bit easier now with teh interwebs.

[Sixtonoize]

It's about getting caught up in the trappings of a Rock N' Roll lifestyle.

[DoubleBarrel]

its about 4 and a half minutes long

 

 

 

The song's swiftly-paced, jumbled lyrics are stream of consciousness descriptions of a series of bizarre individuals he met while a young artist in New Jersey. Playing small venues, such as bars along the Jersey Shore, Springsteen recounts various characters from these events. He alludes to Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez, then his drummer, in the opening line "Madman drummers", as well as the "silicone sister" (bartender, possibly referring to an erotic dancer) who encourages him to play a particular, unknown song. United by the chorus: "And (s)he was blinded by the light/cut loose like a deuce, another runner in the night/Blinded by the light/(S)he got down but (s)he never got tight, (s)he's gonna make it (alright) tonight", the song goes on to chronicle Springsteen's trouble to get the bar patrons, who rarely cared about or even heard the music, to get excited by his performance.

 

The song also makes many clear references to cocaine, such as "Blinded by the light/Cut loose(Revved up) like a deuce another runner in the night," is referring to having dilated pupils (which means more light can pass into the eye, making the light blinding). Being 'revved up' means that the user is speedy (cocaine is a powerful stimulant) the 'deuce' part refers to a car as mentioned below, so he is speedy like a car. Another runner in the night refers to another user of cocaine in the night (a cocaine user is referred to here as a "runner" due to the mental state that cocaine brings upon the user, making the user more inclined to be physically active). "She got down but she never got tight (tired) but she'll make it alright (through the night)." This alludes to a user getting down (coming off their high) and not getting tight (cramped muscles) or getting tired (becoming tired due to the spent energy while on cocaine, common with a cocaine comedown). "I tripped the merry-go-round/With this very unpleasin', sneezin' and wheezin, the calliope crashed to the ground" Tripping the merry-go-round refers to him getting high on cocaine and 'tripping', the unpleasin' sneezin' and wheezin' refers to his nose being irritated from snorting cocaine, while the calliope crashing to the ground theoretically is symbolic of him loosing his innocence to drugs. "She said I'll turn you on sonny to something strong if you play that song with the funky break/And go-cart Mozart was checkin' out the weather chart to see if it was safe to go outside" This alludes to a woman turning him on (getting him high) to something strong (cocaine) if he plays a certain song, while 'go-cart Mozart' (presumably another high friend) was checkin' out the weather... suggests that his friend is looking outside (most likely for police) to see if it was safe for them to go out. "Oh momma that's where the fun is/But momma that's where the fun is/Momma always told me not to look in the eyes on the sun/But momma that's where the fun is" This describes his mother telling him to stay away from drugs, and him replying that they are fun.

 

The meber [word unclear]reference is to the religious conversion of Paul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus, but Springsteen was referring metaphorically to the music industry and wealth and fame.[citation needed]

 

The lyrics of the song feature extensive use of internal rhyme rather than the more common end rhyme, in couplets such as:

 

Some brimstone baritone anti-cyclone rolling stone preacher from the east

He says "Dethrone the dictaphone, hit it in its funnybone, that's where they expect it least."

Springsteen's version has been described as folky and acoustic compared to the Earth Band's hard rock take on the song, which prominently features early electronic keyboards. The theme from the popular piano waltz "Chopsticks" can be heard prominently after the song's bridge.

 

 

[edit] "Deuce" versus "douche"

The chorus of the song (Manfred Mann version) features the commonly misunderstood lyric, "Blinded by the light, revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night." ("Deuce" refers to a '32 Ford Deuce Coupe.) Many listeners hear the word "douche" in place of "deuce." [1] Manfred Mann's Earth Band changed this line slightly to "revved up like a deuce" (often misquoted as "wrapped up like a douche") and repeated it much more frequently in their version than Springsteen did in the original; they also omitted parts of the verses and rearranged the order of the remaining lyrics.

 

Springsteen, in his 2005 VH1 Storytellers appearance, lightheartedly made the assertion that the sole reason that Manfred Mann's version of the song went to number one is that the altered lyric is actually "revved up like a douche". Bruce said, "The original lyric is 'cut loose like a deuce' referring to a two seat hot-rod, a little deuce coupe. Manfred Mann changed the lyric to 'revved up like a douche', which is a feminine hygienic procedure.... so, they're different." It should be noted, however, that Manfred Mann's website lists the lyric as "deuce" rather than "douche". It was once rumored that Chris Thompson's New Zealand accent may be responsible for swapping douche for deuce; however, this cannot be correct as "deuce" said with a New Zealand accent is pronounced something similar to "juice". (Another result of Mann's accent is the word "runner" being pronounced as "owner" to American ears.) A Manfred Mann performance seems to support the "altered lyric" position. While "deuce" and "douche" would be pronounced in much the same way, in the video, the singer clearly seems to be singing "wrapped" - rather than "revved" - consistent with the "douche" lyrics listeners have heard.

 

A reference to the song was made in an episode[which?] of Saturday Night Live, where David Spade plays a character who cannot make sense of the lyrics to the refrain of the song. The short-lived sketch comedy show The Vacant Lot featured a group of friends, all with their own different interpretations.

The mondegreen was further referenced in an episode[which?] of VH1's animated show ILL-ustrated, where P. Diddy opts to sample Manfred Mann's version for his new song, and dresses up as a douche in the video as the sky rains boxes of feminine hygiene products. Upon being informed of the correct line, he no longer wishes to use the song.

[sufidancer]

"wrapped up like a douche your gonna own her in the night"

[Asmodaus]

I know what that 'they say' that duece is the lyric, but I've listened to that song over and over and I still here the 'sh' sound at the end, douche. I don't care what anyone says, that's what I hear.

[Pablo Jose]

Let's all sing :cop:

 

http://media.putfile.com/Blinded-by-the-light91