I was listening to Chris Evans’ Radio 2 drivetime programme whilst heading back from Brighton yesterday. The thing was that the BBC computer which hosts and lines up their play list had failed so Chris made do with the tracks from the only thing at his disposal; a compilation album of hits from the 70s. It was actually an amusing show even though the music was pretty dire. There was one decent track – Radar Love from Golden Earring, which always had some great lines – ‘I’ve been driving all night my hands wet on the wheel…and it’s half past four and I’m shifting gear etc. There was the cheesey intro to Sweet’s Ballroom Blitz which I’d forgotten and now can’t get out of my head – ‘Ready Steve? Uh huh. Andy? Yeah. Mick? Okay. Alright fellas, let’s go…’. Let’s gag more like.
But one song came up which has to have the weirdest lyrics and dreadful little rhyming word-plays. I’m talking Blinded by the Light by Manfred Mann’s Earthband. I’ve never quite caught the words to the 2nd line – is it ‘wrapped up like a douche’? And if so, what on earth does it mean? Anyway I had to look it up when I got back and hopefully repeated below are the wacky words. Oh and it’s ‘revved up like a deuce’ you dufus PP. Now that makes a lot of sense.
Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night
Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night
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,
another runner in the night
Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night
Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night
Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night
Some silicone sister with a manager mister told me I got 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
—— guitar solo ——
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
Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night
{the following two sections are sung simultaneously}
1)
Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night
Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night
Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night
Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night
Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night
Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night
Blinded by the light, revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night
~ Blinded by the light
2) ~ 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”
She got down but she never got tired
She’s gonna make it through the night
If someone can explain to me what the song’s about I’d be very grateful because as with Ballroom Blitz I can’t get the sodding thing out of my head and it’s driving me down in the dumps with the mumps. It’s not Shakespeare is it? If you can come up with worse lyrics than these I’d be very surprised. And which of the guys below was responsible?
Pasta Paulie 
Whilst replying to your later post with regard to the Spurs victory, my eye was drawn to this onto which I believe I might be able to shed some light (if you’ll excuse the pun).
Seems to me that it is obvious what this song is about…teenage onanism.
Its all in the line “In the dumps with the mumps as the adolescent pumps his way into his hat”.
The guy has a glandular condition and is delerious in his pit but still has that youthful desire (remember how that felt?) to crack one off…actually not just once, but twice! (revved up like a deuce…bloody obvious really) in this context ‘another runner in the night’ should be clear enough – just think ‘dribbler in the dark’ you’ll soon get the point.
Trouble is, like all callow youth, he’s unprepared so resorts to using the baseball cap draped over his bedpost.
He’s blinded by the light because he hasn’t the strength left to go and turn off his bedroom light which he is forced to stare up at while he conjures the images he needs to achieve the desired result (the silicone sister with the manager mister – obviously a surgically enhanced hooker).
But because of the blinding light he keeps opening his eyes and seeing the various posters on the wall and shit around his room which interrupt his train of thought constantly – entering his feverish delerium in a mad Joycean ‘stream of conciousness/word association’ kind of way.
Then in his efforts to really get something going he knocks over the toy carousel that has been on his bedside cabinet since his favourite aunt bought it for him when he was six…so “the calliope crashed to the ground”.
It’s happened to all of us at some time or other…hasn’t it?
Surprised you had so much trouble with this PP.
Now McArthur Park…there’s a weird lyric.
of course col, now you explain it, it’s crystal clear.
the fact that Manfred looks like a complete tosser should have given it away.
great response. I’m off to leave the cake out in the rain
pp
ps did you know what a calliope is or did you look it up too?
‘fraid to say that the song was written by none of the suspects in the mugshot, but infact by “the boss” …Bruce Springsteen
that’s just spoiled my day graham.
please tell me the boss was going thru’ his psychedelic phase at the time…
pp
Actually, I was aware of the Springsteen version (though I couldn’t claim to have known that he actually penned the ditty) nonetheless I stand by my interpretation of its meaning.
A little research will show (wikipedia) that Bruce is somewhat prone to the occasional elegy on self abuse starting with the tracks ‘Blinded’ and “Lost in the Flood” from his first album along with the follow up 1973 album, The Wild, The Innocent and the Five Finger Shuffle (later renamed).
Apparently before his current epithet he was actually know widely in the industry as “The Toss”.
Interesting to see that he returned to this theme in recent years with the 2006 “We shall Overcome”.
could be col.
i can’t listen to ‘Born to Run’ now without imaging a dribble. it’s as if someone told me Hendrix wrote Daydream Believer or Lemmy penned Lady in Red. The magic’s gone for me i’m afraid. you’ll be telling me next that Dexy’s Come on Eileen is an instruction not encouragement.
pp
.Don’t know how I managed to stumble upon this but it gave me a laugh. Well done great interpretation of a very annoying song
AH.
hi andy
many thanks for checking in. it truly is an annoying bloody thing that gets in your head and takes days to shake off. at least there’s a new interpretation of the lyrics now thanks to my old friend col.
pp
Actually it is about a kid (maybe on his way to become a man) and coke.
Blinded by the light,
revved up like a deuce,
another runner in the night – deuce is ford deuce, a car. The kid is high on coke. So is a girl (later).
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,
~~~~~~~~ Vinnie “Mad Dog” Lopez was the first drummer, Indians refers to Boss’s childhood league. Basically the kid’s childhood memories – and he is growing up. You become a man, you wear a hat.
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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~ then he trips and falls and so does a calliope (organ) – coz he is high!
Some silicone sister with a manager mister told me I got 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
~~~~~~~~~~ silicone sister (some pretty girl)’s pimp says the kid’s gonna be a man tonight. Somebody asks if the kid needs a ride (after maybe the kid proves he is a “man” to the girl).
And so on. You will get most of it. Somethings are very specific references and hence very hard to understand. The slangs are however easily googelable.
hi dm
thanks for checking in.
appreciate your insight but i’m not sure the literal explanation is as much fun as Col’s interpretation. methinks the boss was trying too hard with the lyrics on this one. but hey each to their own.
you’re welcome anytime dm
pp
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