Two drifters, off to see the world

That old Bilbao moon

Two drifters, off to see the world

Who am I kidding? Only me.

Two drifters, off to see the world

Scary Ghost Stories are for Halloween, not Christmas!

There is an old relic of a number called Watchin' all the girls go by or something like that.The dude in that says that there's no better way to while away the afternoon than being stood there staring appreciatively at passing girls and prattling along those lines.At best this pastime sounds intensely sad,at worst bordering on the unlawful.The number which I'll be discussing indepth however is along a very similar line,albeit sung in a much more jazzy,crazy upbeat fashion,the tiresome Music to watch girls by.Just take a considered look at this-The boys watch the girls,while the girls watch the boys who watch the girls go by-Like,yeah,and what exactly are you driving at?It sounds like the ramblings of some crazy old guy stuck away in a retirement home.Check out this next bit-Eye to eye,they solemnly convene to make the scene-What?Like,WHAT?Does that imply that this nutty ritual is causing distress to both parties?Just why is the word solemnly chucked in there?He says they solemnly convene-To convene denotes an arranged gathering-So are we being told about two specific groups of dudes and girls that unhappily get together every so often for this undertaking?That might be the only thing which could explain the stupidest line of all in this number-Eyes watch girls walk with tender lovin' care.Now,anyone who would write a line as lamebrained as that,needs a very strident wakeup call to stark reality.Any dude,healthy in mind and body,is not watching some gorgeous female stranger with anything like tender loving care,otherwise he'd be well out to lunch.What other pieces of garbage are on view here?Oh yeah-It's the name of the game to observe this daftness.To hear that united sighing,as the solemn dudes gaze with nothing but chaste thoughts of simple love and gentle concern for the equally solemn girls,who'll return these blameless looks with dainty appreciative nods of their pretty heads,and pass gracefully by.It wont end here guys,because they'll solemnly convene tomorrow aswell for even more of that eye to eye,and sighing and all the rest of the kack.We must needs keep in mind also that intense stress it must be causing them,but,poor pathetic creatures that they are,they simply can't stop it all.[The writer of this number has condemned himself out of his own mouth.I've accurately painted a crazy picture based solely on what he has written.]How about that other line stuck in there-Up and down,and over and across,romance is boss.Talk about a hill of crap.Number one-What seems boss for the unfortunates in this song is not romance,but some hideous time spiral,in which they're condemned to go through the same traumatic motions for eternity.Number two-Even in the normal world of this business of guys and girls passing in the street,it's doubtful even a friendly glance will be exchanged,much less made good on.Sorry to bust anyone's bubble,but we're living in the real world guys,like it or not.

I've checked a dictionary, and it IS possible for the word "bell" to be a verb occasionally. It just isn't a verb with a meaning anywhere closely resembling its intended implications in these lyrics. It can be a transitive verb, with a meaning of "to put a bell on", as for example, putting a cowbell on a cow could be called "belling a cow". Transitive verbs are sometimes used with implied but unstated direct objects. But in that case the usage will generally be in a context that makes clear what the unstated direct object is. And in this case there is no clearly implied direct object to make it clear what animals or other things these kids could be putting bells on. So more likely it should be considered an intransitive verb. But the possible meaning of "bell" as an intransitive verb is indicated to be "flaring out into the shape of a bell". But of course these lyrics could hardly imply that the kids are morphing into a bell shape. Of course, since it says "jingle belling", the grammatically proper meaning of the verb "bell" as so modified could be argued to lose the implication of flaring out, but instead mean turning into the shape of a jingle bell. But either way, it could only be a ludicrous gaffe for the song to come across as saying that the kids are morphing into the shape of bells, jingle bells or otherwise!

I think we've all heard of Canada.

The uncommonly beautiful melody of this song quite probably achieved its most widespread recognition through the highly successful instrumental version by clarinetist Acker Bilk. That was how I first heard the tune, and my only acquaintance with it for some time. I doubt that I'm alone in being captivated by the enchanting melody, nor in thinking that whatever words (if any) that it might have would be lilting and happy, possibly ecstatically so. But on finally hearing a vocal version, I was astounded to find that it is actually a heart-rending lament about lost love.