[New-Poetry] Scholarly dispute
Jerry McGuire
jlm8047 at louisiana.edu
Mon Nov 15 16:02:42 EST 2010
Somehow I think this breaks naturally into two categories of awful:
nasty sexual politics and nasty jingoists: who hasn't cringed (and had
to cringe repeatedly, each time as if fresh and new) at Bessie Smith
singing
I'd rather that my man would hit me/ Than jump right up and quit me/
T'aint nobody's business if I do //
I swear I won't call no copper / If I'm beat up by my poppa/ T'aint
nobody's business if I do
And of course, it's such a great song that both men and women have been
covering it for decades, most of then cobbling together something to
replace those two stanzas.
As for the flagwavers, thank goodness that usually happens in genres I'm
not passionate enough about to keep up with: but even "Okie from
Muskogee" has its very creepy moments (or as, was it, Jerry Garcia?,
said, "C'mon, Merle, lighten up." And I suspect there's plenty of I'm
Prouder than You, Go Back to Afghanistan stuff floating around out
there; but so far, nobody's forcing me to listen to it. We'll see what
happens in the next congress.
Jerry
Alexander Dickow wrote:
> I vote for that "My milkshake is better than yours" song. Ick.
> Amicalement,
> Alex
>
> www.alexdickow.net/blog/ <http://www.alexdickow.net/blog/>
>
> les mots! ah quel désert à la fin
> merveilleux. -- Henri Droguet
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From:* Tony Trigilio <tony at starve.org>
> *To:* NewPoetry List <new-poetry at wiz.cath.vt.edu>
> *Sent:* Mon, November 15, 2010 9:16:36 PM
> *Subject:* Re: [New-Poetry] Scholarly dispute
>
> "Life is a Highway." I rarely can get through a semester without
> making a crack about this one.
>
> T.
>
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: [New-Poetry] Scholarly dispute
> From: David Graham <grahamd at ripon.edu <mailto:grahamd at ripon.edu>>
> Date: Mon, November 15, 2010 2:01 pm
> To: NewPoetry <new-poetry at wiz.cath.vt.edu
> <mailto:new-poetry at wiz.cath.vt.edu>>
>
> A student of mine has provided me with the lyrics of a song by R.
> Kelly titled "Pregnant," claiming that these are quite possibly
> the worst song lyrics ever.
>
> I suggested that she take a look at Paul Anka's classic bad song
> from the 70s, "(You're) Having My Baby," which has the distinction
> of receiving both the "Keep Her in Her Place" award from the
> National Organization of Women AND garnering its author the "Male
> Chauvinist Pig Award" from Ms. Magazine.
>
> But I have now read the R. Kelly lyrics, and my trust in Anka as
> author of the worst lyrics of all time is, I confess, wavering.
>
> I wonder what other songs you would propose as having the worst
> lyrics? For purposes of this particular pointless argument, I'm
> interested only in the words, not any musical horrors. . . .
>
> Meanwhile, you may compare:
>
> "Pregnant"
>
> Girl you make me wanna get you pregnant,
> Girl you make me wanna get you pregnant,
> Lay your body down and get you pregnant,
> Knock you up, pregnant, Knock you up
>
> [R. KELLY]
> Can you believe I'm in the club with a girl who has a man,
> And take her to the hotel for just a one night stand,
> See I'm a playa so I ain't tryna take her on no dates,
> To much like my patrone man I'm just tryna take it straight,
> Untill I met this girl in the club with an unbelievable booty,
> Sweetest girl in the world and I mean it and on top of that shes a
> cutie,
> I ain't seen nothing like her around here in a while,
> And if I had a girl she'd be the one to bear my child,
> Telling myself I'm a playa so I keep tryna shake it off,
> But I keep on seeing this big old house with a picket fence and a dog,
> Never felt nothing like this,
> Shes more than a mistress enough to handle my business,
> Now put that girl in my kitchen,
>
> [CHORUS:]
> Girl you make me wanna get you pregnant,
> That's what I told her,
> Girl you make me wanna get you pregnant,
> Lay your body down and get you pregnant,
> Like you are,
> Knock you up, pregnant,
>
> [TYRESE]
> All the pretty ladies please line up right next to me,
> How would you like to go on a little trip with your boy Tyrese,
> Raise your hand if you want me to fulfill your fantasy,
> I can hide your co-star and get in one of my new wiis,
> Tell me what your name is,
> I can make you famous,
> We can pop champagne and get right down to sexing,
> Now I ain't got nothing to do tonight I gotta wait for my crew,
> I just wanna put some in you,
> And I can tell that you want it too,
> And I'm ready babe,
> And your ready babe,
> So let's go get out of this club,
> Kel's and Rys after party,
> You can fuck with us,
>
> [CHORUS]
>
> [ROBIN THICKE]
> Oh this song has got me hungry baby baby
> So tell me that you want me baby baby
> And Girl I’ll love you till the sun shines (sun shines)
> And girl I promise I will make you mine
> Around the world in and out of clubs hangin out with chicks and
> I don’t see nothin wrong with havin a kid
> Ooh, ooh, sounds like heaven’s callin us
> Ooh, ooh, and girl well that’s bout makin love
> If you chose me I’ll guarantee
> That the rest of your life would be man drama free
> Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
> Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, I think b-o-t-h of us should leave this c-l-u-b
> And get somewhere alone with me where there’s no phones to ring
> And plant this magic seed
>
> [CHORUS]
>
> [THE-DREAM]
> Your house my house don’t matter hit it up
> Your city my city don’t matter give it up
> Something about being with you makes me wanna a baby
> Put them pills on chill and girl give me my baby
> You can play all you want but I know you feel it to
> For 3 weeks you’ve been talking bout extra bed rooms
> In New York meeting with the realtor
> There’s something you want to tell just say it I’ll kay it
> Oh girl imma take care of you
> And Imma still hold ya like we brand new
> So don’t get it twisted for 30 somethin weeks
> I’m still gone hit it and baby sit it, baby sit it
>
> [CHORUS]
>
> [R. KELLY]
> Take you out to eat uh uh
> Wine and dine uh uh
> Shoppin spree uh uh
> You sexing me ah ha
> See I’m not cheap
> Or selfish babe
> Girl I’m just thristin for that booty baby
> And it’s all your fault baby you look so good
> It’s all your fault that it feels like wool
> And you look so board up in this club so let’s go
> We can hop in the Lamborghini roll to my big club
> B-a-b-y (shorty) let’s go cr-a-zy oh let’s m-a-k-e a l-ittle Kelly
> Baby I’ve got goodies and I want you to have some
> All I ask is that you let me explore your secret garden
>
> [CHORUS]
> --R. Kelly
> ====================
> *(You're) Having My Baby
>
> *
> Having my baby,
> What a lovely way of saying how much you love me,
> Having my baby,
> What a lovely way of saying what you're thinking of me
>
> I can see it, your face is glowing,
> I can see it, in your eyes I'm happy you know it
>
> That your ,
> Having my baby,
> Your the woman I love, & I love what it's doing to you,
> Having my baby,
> You're a woman in love and I love what's going through you,
>
> The need inside you, I see it showing,
> Oh the seed inside you,
> Baby do you feel it growing,
> Are you happy you know it,
>
> That your having my Baby,
> I'm a woman in love, and I love what it's doing to me,
> Having My Baby,
> I'm a woman in love and I love what's going through me,
>
> Didn't have to keep it, wouldn't put you through it,
> You could of swept it from your live,
> but you wouldn't do it, no you wouldn't do it.
>
> And your having my baby,
> I'm a woman in love, and I love what it's doing to me,
> Having My Baby.
> I'm a woman in love, and I love what's going through me,
>
> Having My Baby (Having My Baby)
> What a lovely way of saying how much you love me,
>
> Having My Baby,
> I'm a woman in love and I love what it's going through me,
> Having My Baby
>
> --Paul Anka
>
>
> --
>
>
> ====================================================
> David Graham
> grahamd at ripon.edu
> Home Page:
> http://web.me.com/drjazz/
>
> Poetry Library:
> http://web.me.com/drjazz/Site/DGPoLibrary.html
> ====================================================
>
>
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--
Prof. Jerry McGuire
Dept. of English
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
jlm8047 at louisiana.edu
337-482-5478
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