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Finally You Can Learn The Truth Behind These 18 Classic Song Lyrics' Meanings

by N/A, 10 years ago | 3 min read

These songs have stood the test of time as classic hits in pop culture. However, the fact remains, you probably had no idea was they were talking about. Here's what these crazy lyrics meant.

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1. CCR: 'Down on the Corner' - “Blinky thumps the gut bass and solos for a while. Poorboy twangs the rhythm out on his Kalamazoo​.”

The gut bass was an over turned washtub that made sounds using a broomstick, resembling a bass violin. Kalamazoo is a reference to Gibson Guitar Corporation which was founded in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in 1902.

2. The Eagles: 'Hotel California' - “Warm smell of colitas rising up through the air”

Colitas means "Little buds" in Spanish, i.e. a slang term for marijuana. Light up, boys.

3. Grand Funk Railroad: 'We're an American Band' - “Sweet, sweet Connie, doin' her act, She had the whole show and that's a natural fact.” “Up all night with Freddie King; I got to tell you, poker's his thing.”

“Sweet” Connie Hamzy is a notorious rock and rock groupie, who shared, well, herself withthe likes of: The Who, Neil Diamond, the Allman Brothers, the Eagles, and Led Zeppelin, not to name drop or anything.

The second lyric, references Grand Funk's opening act,  Freddie King, who loved to play high-stakes games after a show.

4. Steve Miller Band: 'The Joker' - “Some people call me Maurice, ‘cause I speak of the pompatus of love.”

Pompatus is a made up word, but Miller didn't make it up, entirely. He was influenced by a line from a 50s song called "The Letter" which features the line: "Oh my darling, let me whisper sweet words of pizmotality and discuss the puppetutes of love."

5. Beach Boys: 'Surfin' USA' - “You'd see 'em wearin' their baggies, Huarache sandals, too”

Baggies are the boxer style bathing suits that surfers preferred over speedos. Huarache sandals are made of woven leather and actually look more like a shoe. So, there you go. That's what they were wearing in this lyric.

6. The Proclaimers: 'I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)' - "And if I haver, yeah I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the man who's havering to you."

Haver means to talk babble or nonsense, which is a perfect line considering their Scottish accents make them sound like they're saying ""heaver" instead.

7. The Pretenders: 'Brass In Pocket' - “Got brass in pocket, got bottle, I’m gonna use it”

"Brass in pocket" is a London slang term meaning money, i.e. the gold coins, and "bottle" means courage. Money and courage…sounds good to us.

8. Billy Joel: 'It's Still Rock and Roll To Me' - “Maybe I should buy some old tab collars?” … “How about a pair of pink sidewinders and a bright orange pair of pants? You could really be a Beau Brummel, baby”

The tab collared shirt has two fabric tabs in the middle with collar points that push a tie up and out. Sidewinders are a slip on shoe, of many varieties. George “Beau” Brummell was a leader in men's fashion in England. Put al these things together and Billy Joel is talking about a very well-dressed man.

9. Men At Work: 'Down Under' - “Where beer does flow and men chunder”

Chunder is cool way to say vomit. You know, men drinking too much beer and chundering. That's what it means.

10. Queen: 'Bohemian Rhapsody' - “Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the fandango?” ... “Bismillah! No!”

Scaramouche is a traditional clown character featured in commedia dell'arte in Italia, while the fandango is a couples dance. Bismillah is an Arabic word meaning "In the name of God," so put all that together, and we still don't know what this means.

11. Carly Simon: 'You're So Vain' - “You had one eye in the mirror as you watched yourself gavotte.”

The gavotte was 16th century French folk dance, and it's majestic pose was how Simon pictured the character in this song making their dramatic entrance. Like, with a hand on their hip.

12. Queen: 'Killer Queen' - “She keeps a Moët et Chandon in her pretty cabinet”

Moët et Chandon created in 1743 holds a warrant to supply bubbly to Queen Elizabeth II. That's a high order.

13. Lynyrd Skynyrd: 'Sweet Home Alabama' - “I hope Neil Young will remember a Southern man don't need him around anyhow”

Neil Young is of course, Neil Young, but just to be clear Lynyrd Skynyrd didn't like the fact that a Canadian man was singing songs about the south, i.e. "Southern Man" off his 1970 album After the Gold Rush.

14. Elvis Presley: 'Jailhouse Rock' - “The whole rhythm section was the Purple Gang”

The Purple Gang was the Al Capone and his crew of Detroit. They helped smuggle booze across the border from Canada. They initially were in it with Capone, but then a turf war broke out.

15. John Mellencamp: 'Jack & Diane' … “Let's run off behind a shady tree, dribble off those Bobbie Brooks let me do what I please.”

Bobbie Brooks is a blue jean brand sold exclusively at dollar stores, and well you can imagine, if the jeans are off, what do what he pleases means.

16. Aerosmith: 'Sweet Emotion' … “Tellin' other things, but your girlfriend lied; Can't catch me cause the rabbit done died.”

Rabbit test was a way that women found out if they were pregnant, in which the urine of of female was placed in the ovaries of a rabbit and then 48-hours later the results were in. So, yeah. 

17. Warren Zevon: 'Werewolves of London' - “I saw Lon Chaney, Jr. walking with the Queen doing the werewolves of London. I saw a werewolf drinking a piña colada at Trader Vic's…”

Lon Chaney, a silent-film actor, was known for playing Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Phantom of the Opera. He's known as the "Man of 1000s faces" and his son carried on the legacy playing The Mummy, Frankenstein and others. Trader Vic is a restaurant chain, and the owner claims to be the creator of the Mai Tai cocktail.  All that make sense now?

18. The Police: 'Wrapped Around Your Finger' - “You consider me the young apprentice caught between the Scylla and Charybdis.”

"Between the Scylla and Charybdis" is a way to say "between a rock and a hard place," a reference you'd understand if you're a fan of Homer's Odyssey.

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