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Usenet discussion of the words of the performance of
Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
at Columbia Music Row Studios, Nashville, Tennessee, 16 February 1966 (NCO 83187),
released on the album "Blonde On Blonde"
97-10-14 17:05 Lonesome Sparrow
97-10-14 17:55 Karl-Heinz Meurer
97-10-14 18:18 WT Pfefferle, Ph.D.
97-10-14 18:52 jsk
97-10-14 18:58 MPolcek
97-10-14 20:21 John Howells
97-10-14 23:48 Marc Blaker
97-10-15 13:32 John Howells
97-10-16 04:17 bobgill@erols.com
97-10-16 06:54 Zoner13
97-10-16 13:27 John Howells
97-10-16 18:06 nate
97-10-17 01:42 Dean Woodbridge
97-10-17 19:05 MPolcek
97-10-17 21:19 Dean Woodbridge
97-10-17 23:16 Biffyshrew
97-10-18 00:24 Biffyshrew
97-10-20 13:28 John Howells
97-10-19 04:12 Charles Milian
97-10-16 15:10 A Bienen
97-10-19 19:21 catherine yronwode
97-10-21 18:09 william routhier
97-10-22 13:03 nate
97-10-21 23:57 Gerry O'Neill
97-10-21 03:24 Ed Pomerantz
97-10-21 21:08 Lonesome Sparrow
97-10-22 02:29 Stephen Scobie/Maureen Scobie
97-10-22 19:52 catherine yronwode
97-10-22 20:08 nate
97-10-23 05:33 catherine yronwode
97-10-23 01:45 Peter Stone Brown
97-10-23 19:36 Dennis Brown
97-10-25 08:12 "Tim Anderson"
97-10-25 18:06 Maureen Scobie
97-10-26 17:26 "Tim Anderson"
97-11-02 21:49 Maureen & Stephen Scobie
97-10-22 04:45 dave pettit
97-10-23 01:13 Dean Silveri
97-10-23 06:34 Paul Loeber
97-10-23 07:57 David Faciane
97-10-25 10:49 GMountain
97-10-25 22:10 John Chancey
97-10-26 20:18 RAWalker
97-10-26 23:25 SAVETELE
97-10-27 02:20 RAWalker
97-11-30 13:49 El Coyote survives!
97-11-13 03:57 Martin Golan
97-11-13 05:12 Mr S Bywater
97-11-13 19:01 Jesse Anderson
97-11-14 17:05 GilLamont
97-11-14 19:58 nate
98-04-26 18:05 Bob Meyer
98-04-27 02:53 Ed Pomerantz
98-04-27 02:59 David Faciane
98-10-09 03:55 David Voytek
98-10-09 05:30 TBoneFrank
98-10-09 08:34 Alan Fraser
From: lvdm@xs4all.nl (Lonesome Sparrow)
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: Tue, 14 Oct 1997 17:05:45 GMT
Dear rmd'ers, your comments please on 2 lines from "Stuck inside of
Mobile with the Memphis blues again" on "Blonde on blonde".
Where the published lyrics read:
When he built a fire on Main Street
I hear:
When I spee... built a fire on Main Street
Maybe Dylan makes a mistake hear, but I can't figure out what he was
going to sing before he corrected it. Since me hearing the p sound
might be caused by the drum beat, I make from this:
When as he built a fire on Main Street
"If'n" this is the correct transcript, then I assume the peculiar
grammar of it is yet another example of American colloquialism.
Where the published lyrics read:
Now the preacher looked so baffled
I hear:
Now the tea preacher looked so baffled
I have 2 theories on this line:
1) Dylan made a mistake. He was going to sing "teacher", then
corrected it to "preacher". Maybe the cause of this mistake was that
in the original version of the song the word was indeed "teacher" and
that just before recording it Dylan decided to change it to
"preacher".
2) Dylan made no mistake. He meant to sing "tea preacher", for that
was in the original version of the song and Dylan decided to drop the
"tea" after the recording of the song. A tea preacher makes as much
sense to me as everything else in this song. Then again, if this were
true, I see no reason for Dylan later dropping the "tea", so I feel
more for theory 1.
From: Karl-Heinz Meurer
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: Tue, 14 Oct 1997 19:55:24 +0200
Lonesome Sparrow wrote:
> Where the published lyrics read:
> When he built a fire on Main Street I hear: When I spee... built a fire on Main Street
I hear the same, maybe "speak" ...
> Where the published lyrics read: Now the preacher looked so baffled I hear: Now the tea preacher looked so baffled
Yes, or T-preacher? Makes this any sense to someone?
Charlie
--
"Feel like a prisoner in a world of mystery
I wish someone'd come and push back the clock for me"
Bob Dylan, "Highlands", 1997
From: bobhate@airmail.net (WT Pfefferle, Ph.D.)
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: Tue, 14 Oct 1997 18:18:10 GMT
lvdm@xs4all.nl (Lonesome Sparrow) wrote:
>
>Now the preacher looked so baffled
>
>I hear:
>
>Now the tea preacher looked so baffled
Teen preacher...
yer welcome...yada yada,
WT
From: jsk
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: 14 Oct 1997 18:52:41 GMT
Lonesome Sparrow wrote:
> Dear rmd'ers, your comments please on 2 lines from "Stuck inside of
> Mobile with the Memphis blues again" on "Blonde on blonde".
> Where the published lyrics read:
> When he built a fire on Main Street
> I hear:
> When I spee... built a fire on Main Street
When I stee (still) built a fire on Main street.. That's how I
always heard it....
> Maybe Dylan makes a mistake hear, but I can't figure out what he was
> going to sing before he corrected it. Since me hearing the p sound
> might be caused by the drum beat, I make from this:
> When as he built a fire on Main Street
> "If'n" this is the correct transcript, then I assume the peculiar
> grammar of it is yet another example of American colloquialism.
> Where the published lyrics read:
> Now the preacher looked so baffled
> I hear:
> Now the tea preacher looked so baffled
I hear T-preacher (Tea?) as well..
From: mpolcek@aol.com (MPolcek)
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: 14 Oct 1997 18:58:56 GMT
..always thought and read somewhere that is was.
I spied he...
and
TV preacher
makes sense I think.
From: howells@best.com (John Howells)
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: 14 Oct 1997 13:21:07 -0700
lvdm@xs4all.nl (Lonesome Sparrow) writes:
<2) Dylan made no mistake. He meant to sing "tea preacher", for that
<was in the original version of the song and Dylan decided to drop the
<"tea" after the recording of the song. A tea preacher makes as much
<sense to me as everything else in this song. Then again, if this were
<true, I see no reason for Dylan later dropping the "tea", so I feel
<more for theory 1.
I always heard it as "teen preacher" and was disappointed to find out
that he didn't mean to sing that at all.
--
John Howells
howells@bigfoot.com
http://www.punkhart.com
From: Marc Blaker
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: Tue, 14 Oct 1997 16:48:37 -0700
John Howells wrote:
>
> lvdm@xs4all.nl (Lonesome Sparrow) writes:
>
> <2) Dylan made no mistake. He meant to sing "tea preacher", for that
> <was in the original version of the song and Dylan decided to drop the
> <"tea" after the recording of the song. A tea preacher makes as much
> <sense to me as everything else in this song. Then again, if this were
> <true, I see no reason for Dylan later dropping the "tea", so I feel
> <more for theory 1.
>
> I always heard it as "teen preacher" and was disappointed to find out
> that he didn't mean to sing that at all.
I always heard "teen preacher" and sang it that way for years. I
related it
to when I was a teen preacher condeming everyone and everything ("he
dressed
with 20 pounds of headlines") for the ills of my day (Vietnam war,
poverty,
racism, etc).
Marc Blaker
From: howells@best.com (John Howells)
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: 15 Oct 1997 06:32:39 -0700
Marc Blaker writes:
<John Howells wrote:
<>
<> lvdm@xs4all.nl (Lonesome Sparrow) writes:
<>
<> <2) Dylan made no mistake. He meant to sing "tea preacher", for that
<> <was in the original version of the song and Dylan decided to drop the
<> <"tea" after the recording of the song. A tea preacher makes as much
<> <sense to me as everything else in this song. Then again, if this were
<> <true, I see no reason for Dylan later dropping the "tea", so I feel
<> <more for theory 1.
<>
<> I always heard it as "teen preacher" and was disappointed to find out
<> that he didn't mean to sing that at all.
<I always heard "teen preacher" and sang it that way for years. I
<related it
<to when I was a teen preacher condeming everyone and everything ("he
<dressed
<with 20 pounds of headlines") for the ills of my day (Vietnam war,
<poverty,
<racism, etc).
Exactly. I thought "teen preacher" was the young Dylan being confronted
by the new Dylan, sort of "My Back Pages" revisited.
--
John Howells
howells@bigfoot.com
http://www.punkhart.com
From: bobgill@erols.com
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 21:17:02 -0700
John Howells wrote:
>
> Marc Blaker writes:
>
> <I always heard "teen preacher" and sang it that way for years. I
> <related it
> <to when I was a teen preacher condeming everyone and everything ("he
> <dressed
> <with 20 pounds of headlines") for the ills of my day (Vietnam war,
> <poverty,
> <racism, etc).
>
> Exactly. I thought "teen preacher" was the young Dylan being confronted
> by the new Dylan, sort of "My Back Pages" revisited.
> For another DIVERGENT opinion about the same line, I knew several people way
back when who thought it said "20 pounds of headlights". I thought it said
"headlines", but being new to Dylan, I wasn't sure enough to speak up and be
ATTACKED for SPEAKING THE TRUTH.
-- Bob G.
From: zoner13@aol.com (Zoner13)
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: 16 Oct 1997 06:54:17 GMT
I heard, "When asked/he built a fire on Maine Street."
With a quick jump from "asked" to "he," as if there was an error on his part.
Maybe he was thinking, "I knew he'd lost control, when I asked (him why he
dressed, with twenty -- oops) -- HE built a FIRE on...",
But it is quite nice (again) that Dylan wouldn't redo the song, to make up for
the "error."
And I hear Teen Preacher, too.
I think that's a case of him changing the lyrics in the book, a la Tombstone
Blues becoming "fuse," when he CLEARLY says "food" on Highway61.
From: howells@best.com (John Howells)
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: 16 Oct 1997 06:27:52 -0700
zoner13@aol.com (Zoner13) writes:
<I heard, "When asked/he built a fire on Maine Street."
<With a quick jump from "asked" to "he," as if there was an error on his part.
< Maybe he was thinking, "I knew he'd lost control, when I asked (him why he
< dressed, with twenty -- oops) -- HE built a FIRE on...",
Even though it sounds like a mistake, I always liked to think he was
singing "when I see he built a fire on main street".
--
John Howells
howells@bigfoot.com
http://www.punkhart.com
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 1997 11:10:54 -0400
From: A Bienen
Subject: Re: Words to "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
I always heard, "Well the teen preacher looked so ..."
From: nates@ll.mit.edu (nate)
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: 16 Oct 1997 18:06:49 GMT
>zoner13@aol.com (Zoner13) writes:
><I heard, "When asked/he built a fire on Maine Street."
>Even though it sounds like a mistake, I always liked to think he was
>singing "when I see he built a fire on main street".
> John Howells
i hear "when I sp- he built a fire on main street..."
as if he was about to sing "when i spoke to him" or "when i spied him.."
originally i heard "tea creature". now i hear "tea preacher". i do not
hear "teen".
but then, again, as opposed to not again, i hear "blue door" in "World
Gone Wrong", so "what good am i?"
- nate
From: "Dean Woodbridge"
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: Thu, 16 Oct 1997 20:42:31 -0500
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Weren't there a lot of self-proclaimed "tea preachers" back in the 60's - i
mean, it refers to some sort of leader, doesn't it? I remember reading
about that in a book about the warhol scene...
John Howells wrote in message ...
>Marc Blaker writes:
>
><John Howells wrote:
><>
><> lvdm@xs4all.nl (Lonesome Sparrow) writes:
><>
><> <2) Dylan made no mistake. He meant to sing "tea preacher", for that
><> <was in the original version of the song and Dylan decided to drop the
><> <"tea" after the recording of the song. A tea preacher makes as much
><> <sense to me as everything else in this song. Then again, if this were
><> <true, I see no reason for Dylan later dropping the "tea", so I feel
><> <more for theory 1.
><>
><> I always heard it as "teen preacher" and was disappointed to find out
><> that he didn't mean to sing that at all.
>
><I always heard "teen preacher" and sang it that way for years. I
><related it
><to when I was a teen preacher condeming everyone and everything ("he
><dressed
><with 20 pounds of headlines") for the ills of my day (Vietnam war,
><poverty,
><racism, etc).
>
>Exactly. I thought "teen preacher" was the young Dylan being confronted
>by the new Dylan, sort of "My Back Pages" revisited.
>
>--
>
> John Howells
> howells@bigfoot.com
> http://www.punkhart.com
From: mpolcek@aol.com (MPolcek)
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: 17 Oct 1997 19:05:56 GMT
still think TV preacher makes sense as there were many
of them then (Oral Roberts, etc)...they were very
public figures ("headlines stapled to their chest."...
From: "Dean Woodbridge"
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 16:19:25 -0500
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
anyone have a copy of dylan's book "Lyrics" to look up the words and end
this nonsense?
MPolcek wrote in message <19971017190501.PAA01913@ladder01.news.aol.com>...
>still think TV preacher makes sense as there were many
>of them then (Oral Roberts, etc)...they were very
>public figures ("headlines stapled to their chest."...
From: biffyshrew@aol.com (Biffyshrew)
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: 17 Oct 1997 23:16:27 GMT
Dean Woodbridge wrote:
>anyone have a copy of dylan's book "Lyrics" to look up the words and end
>this nonsense?
I don't believe that would end any nonsense: people would just insist
that the book is wrong, or that Dylan knowingly changed the lyrics
between the recording and the book. In the _Blonde On Blonde_
songbook, it's just "preacher," no tea, teen, team, TV or sea creature
(which is how I think I heard it the first time through). And it was
a very canny move on Dylan's part to omit that verse entirely from
the _Hard Rain_ version!
I don't claim to know, of course, but I'm inclined to believe that
we're talking about a random syllable that crept in through Dylan's
momentarily losing his place. We all know that Dylan does that all
the time; this wouldn't even be the only time he does it in this song.
BTW, "Tangled Up In Blue" is another good one for hearing Zimmy get
tongue-tied. There's the bit where it sounds like he's about to say
"at last," but changes his mind and says "finally" instead, and the
result is "when at--finally the bottom fell out..." And what *is* it
he really sings where the official lyrics have "where I happened to
be employed"?
Your pal,
Biffy the Elephant Shrew @}-`--}----
Visit me at http://members.aol.com/biffyshrew/biffy.html
"Reality: what a gyp."--Dogbert
From: biffyshrew@aol.com (Biffyshrew)
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: 18 Oct 1997 00:24:19 GMT
>And it was a very canny move on Dylan's part to omit that verse
>entirely from the _Hard Rain_ version!
I forgot to add a question for the bootleg experts: are there live
versions out there on which Dylan *does* include the "preacher"
verse?
Your pal,
Biffy the Elephant Shrew @}-`--}----
Visit me at http://members.aol.com/biffyshrew/biffy.html
"Reality: what a gyp."--Dogbert
From: Charles Milian
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: Sat, 18 Oct 1997 23:12:06 -0500
Dean Woodbridge wrote:
>
> anyone have a copy of dylan's book "Lyrics" to look up the words and end
> this nonsense?
>
> MPolcek wrote in message <19971017190501.PAA01913@ladder01.news.aol.com>...
> >still think TV preacher makes sense as there were many
> >of them then (Oral Roberts, etc)...they were very
> >public figures ("headlines stapled to their chest."...
In case anybody is wondering, "Lyrics" has the line as "Now the preacher
looked so baffled...", so that doesn't really clear anything up.
From: catherine yronwode
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Words to "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: Sun, 19 Oct 1997 11:21:09 -0800
A Bienen wrote:
>
> I always heard, "Well the teen preacher looked so ..."
Me too -- and, since, some folks to the contrary, there were no "tea
preachers" then, but there were plenty of TEEN preachers, that line
always made pervfect sense to me. I always thought he was referring to
Marjoe, a noted teen preacher of the era.
catherine yronwode
cat@luckymojo.com
Lucky Mojo Curio Co: http://www.luckymojo.com/luckymojocatalogue.html
The Lucky W Amulet Archive: http://www.luckymojo.com/LuckyW.html
From: howells@best.com (John Howells)
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: 20 Oct 1997 06:28:05 -0700
biffyshrew@aol.com (Biffyshrew) writes:
<>And it was a very canny move on Dylan's part to omit that verse
<>entirely from the _Hard Rain_ version!
<I forgot to add a question for the bootleg experts: are there live
<versions out there on which Dylan *does* include the "preacher"
<verse?
Very very few live versions with this verse are on tape, none that I
know of on bootlegs. I remember one of the NYC Oct 1990 shows had him
singing that verse and he sings it as "the preacher".
--
John Howells
howells@bigfoot.com
http://www.punkhart.com
From: KXDV40A@prodigy.com (Ed Pomerantz)
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: 21 Oct 1997 03:24:00 GMT
for what its worth.......I always "heard" "I SEEN, he built a fire on
main St."
...........and "Now the T V preacher looked...."
and of course the published lyrics of Bob's (and many others) often are
not what's recorded AND Bob OFTEN changes/forgets lyrics when performing
live
.......................Ed
From: william routhier
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Words to "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: Tue, 21 Oct 1997 14:09:22 -0400
catherine yronwode wrote:
> A Bienen wrote:
> >
> > I always heard, "Well the teen preacher looked so ..."
> Me too -- and, since, some folks to the contrary, there were no "tea
> preachers" then, but there were plenty of TEEN preachers, that line
> always made pervfect sense to me. I always thought he was referring to
>
> Marjoe, a noted teen preacher of the era.
>
Tea preacher could be a hippie type who preached the political virtues
of pot/tea.Not that Bob was against pot, just probably the preaching of
it, as he was against the preaching of just about anything then.
Bill (gather round, brothers and sisters) Routhier
> catherine yronwode
> cat@luckymojo.com
>
> Lucky Mojo Curio Co: http://www.luckymojo.com/luckymojocatalogue.html
> The Lucky W Amulet Archive: http://www.luckymojo.com/LuckyW.html
From: lvdm@xs4all.nl (Lonesome Sparrow)
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: Tue, 21 Oct 1997 21:08:12 GMT
Last week grandp... I asked for comments on 2 lines from "Stuck with a
baffled preacher on Main Street where grandpa built a fire". There
were many responses. Here's what I think of the suggestions that have
been made.
The line about the fire on Main Street:
1) When he built...
This is how it is published in "Lyrics 1962-1985" and on the CD-ROM.
But these are not meant to give precise transscripts of what is
actually sung on the recordings.
2) When as he built...
This is what I thought it to be. Since nobody supports this, I must
have been wrong.
3) When I stee... built... (about to sing "still")
"stee" has another vowel than "still". Let's change it to:
4) When I st... he built... (about to sing "still")
But then I still want to know why he was about to sing "still".
5) When asked... he built (about to sing "asked him why he dressed")
Ingenious suggestion. But wouldn't he then have sung "When I asked"?
6) When I spied he built...
If he sings "spied", he doesn't finish the word.
7) When I sp... he built (about to sing "spoke to him" or "spied him")
Improvement on 6. Corresponds with what I hear. Makes sense. In my
humble opinion the best suggestion. But we can't be sure.
8) When I sp... he built (about to sing "speak")
Corresponds with what I hear, but makes less sense than 7.
9) When I see he built
Corresponds with what I hear, considering hearing the p (or another
consonant) might be caused by the drum beat. Maybe this is the one. My
second choice.
The line about the preacher:
1) Now the preacher...
This is what "Lyrics 1962-1985" and the CD-ROM have, but is not what
is sung on "Blonde on blonde".
2) Now the T-preacher...
What's a T-preacher?
3) Now the TV preacher...
I hear no extra syllable between "tea" and "preacher".
4) Well the teen preacher...
I hear "Now instead of "Well"
5) Now the teen preacher...
I wish this were correct, since I like the interpretation that then
can be given of the verse. But I hear no n and there is no drum beat
or something like that which could make that n unhearable. Still,
absulutely no reason for them that have been singing it like this for
years to stop doing that now.
6) Now the team preacher...
I hear no m.
7) Now the tea... preacher... (about to sing "teacher")
This remains my first choice.
8) Now the tea preacher... (not about to sing "teacher", but meaning
to sing just this)
And this remains my second choice.
9) Now the tea... preacher... ("tea" being a random syllable that
crept in)
Well, who knows? My third choice.
Unfortunately no definitive answers this time. Still, it was a
pleasure reading all your contributions.
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Date: Tue, 21 Oct 1997 19:57:11 -0400
From: "Gerry O'Neill"
Subject: Re: Words to "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
On Sun, 19 Oct 1997, catherine yronwode wrote:
> A Bienen wrote:
> >
> > I always heard, "Well the teen preacher looked so ..."
> Me too -- and, since, some folks to the contrary, there were no "tea
> preachers" then, but there were plenty of TEEN preachers, that line
> always made pervfect sense to me. I always thought he was referring to
> Marjoe, a noted teen preacher of the era.
>
....or, possibly, could it have been a veiled reference to the
teen preacher turned comedian Sam Kinison? Naaaaah....
Gerry
From: sscobie1@sol.uvic.ca (Stephen Scobie/Maureen Scobie)
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: 22 Oct 1997 02:29:19 GMT
In article <3450816f.3438854@news.xs4all.nl>, lvdm@xs4all.nl (Lonesome
Sparrow) wrote:
>
> 5) Now the teen preacher...
>
> I wish this were correct, since I like the interpretation that then
> can be given of the verse. But I hear no n and there is no drum beat
> or something like that which could make that n unhearable.
> 7) Now the tea... preacher... (about to sing "teacher")
>
> This remains my first choice.
This is an interesting debate, since it raises all kinds of questions
about what might possibly be a "definitive" or "authoritative" text of a
Dylan song. Clearly, the "Lyrics" book is not authoritative, since it
contains too many revisions, mishearings, or just plain errors. The
original recording *ought* to be authoritative, but here we have several
well-qualified people (all with, I assume, no hearing problems) hearing
different things. And there's no point in asking Bob -- would he remember
what he "meant," 30 years later? and why should we believe him anyway?
So, in a situation like this (which frequently faces scholars of
indeterminate texts, such as Shakesepare's) (the guy in the alley), I
believe that we should go with the reading which produces the richest,
most interesting, most productive sense. Even if it's not what Dylan
"intended," it may still be the "correct" reading.
At the same time, I think we need some historical perspective and
evidence. As I remember 1966 (and yes, I know, anyone who remembers the
60s wasn't really there), "teen preacher" was the commonly accepted
hearing. And that counts for something.
"Teen preacher" is itself ambiguous. Does it mean a preacher who is
himself a teenager, or a preacher, of whatever age, who addresses himself
to teenagers? Either way, there seems to be in the lines a satire of the
60s obsession with making religion "relevant." The "50 pounds of
headlines stapled to his chest" suggests that the preacher is making a
show -- an unnecessarily obtrusive and self-promoting show -- of making
his message "relevant' to contemporary concerns. When challenged about
this, he becomes "baffled" -- unable to justify his media showboating in
terms of his beliefs.
"Tea preacher" is less certain. If you take "tea" to mean the drink, then
it might just mean the kind of preacher who takes afternoon tea with the
socially "proper" members of his congregation. If you take "tea" as slang
for marijuana, then you might be back to associations very similar to
"teen."
Personally, I still adhere to "teen preacher." Whatever Dylan may have
intended, this is still, for me, the richest reading of the line.
Stephen
--
Stephen Scobie Maureen Scobie
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Date: Wed, 22 Oct 1997 00:45:13 -0400
From: dave pettit
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
My personal theory on this is that he started to sing 'teacher' but
switched to 'preacher' mid-word. Considering the number of connections
between a teacher and a preacher, not to mention the fact that they rhyme,
I think it's a good possibility.
dave
From: nates@ll.mit.edu (nate)
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Words to "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: 22 Oct 1997 13:03:44 GMT
>catherine yronwode wrote:
>> Marjoe, a noted teen preacher of the era.
>>
>
>Tea preacher could be a hippie type who preached the political virtues
>of pot/tea.Not that Bob was against pot, just probably the preaching of
>it, as he was against the preaching of just about anything then.
>
>Bill (gather round, brothers and sisters) Routhier
...and the 20 pounds of headlines stapled to his chest referred to
the common activist type covering his or her army jacket with pins
proclaiming things like END THE WAR and PEACE NOW and FREE ELDRIDGE
and such things.....
- nate
From: catherine yronwode
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: Wed, 22 Oct 1997 11:52:16 -0800
Stephen Scobie/Maureen Scobie wrote:
>
> In article <3450816f.3438854@news.xs4all.nl>, lvdm@xs4all.nl
> (Lonesome Sparrow) wrote:
> > 5) Now the teen preacher...
> >
> > I wish this were correct, since I like the interpretation that then
> > can be given of the verse. But I hear no n and there is no drum
> > beat or something like that which could make that n unhearable.
>
> > 7) Now the tea... preacher... (about to sing "teacher")
> >
> > This remains my first choice.
>
> This is an interesting debate, since it raises all kinds of questions
> about what might possibly be a "definitive" or "authoritative" text
> of a Dylan song. Clearly, the "Lyrics" book is not authoritative,
> since it contains too many revisions, mishearings, or just plain
> errors. The original recording *ought* to be authoritative, but here
> we have several well-qualified people (all with, I assume, no hearing
> problems) hearing different things. And there's no point in asking
> Bob -- would he remember what he "meant," 30 years later? and why
> should we believe him anyway?
>
> So, in a situation like this (which frequently faces scholars of
> indeterminate texts, such as Shakesepare's) (the guy in the alley), I
> believe that we should go with the reading which produces the
> richest, most interesting, most productive sense. Even if it's not
> what Dylan "intended," it may still be the "correct" reading.
>
> At the same time, I think we need some historical perspective and
> evidence. As I remember 1966 (and yes, I know, anyone who remembers
> the 60s wasn't really there), "teen preacher" was the commonly
> accepted hearing. And that counts for something.
>
> "Teen preacher" is itself ambiguous. Does it mean a preacher who is
> himself a teenager, or a preacher, of whatever age, who addresses
> himself to teenagers? Either way, there seems to be in the lines a
> satire of the 60s obsession with making religion "relevant." The "50
> pounds of headlines stapled to his chest" suggests that the preacher
> is making a show -- an unnecessarily obtrusive and self-promoting
> show -- of making his message "relevant' to contemporary concerns.
> When challenged about this, he becomes "baffled" -- unable to justify
> his media showboating in terms of his beliefs.
>
> "Tea preacher" is less certain. If you take "tea" to mean the drink,
> then it might just mean the kind of preacher who takes afternoon tea
> with the socially "proper" members of his congregation. If you take
> "tea" as slang for marijuana, then you might be back to associations
> very similar to "teen."
>
> Personally, I still adhere to "teen preacher." Whatever Dylan may
> have intended, this is still, for me, the richest reading of the
> line.
>
> Stephen
I will second this opinion. Usually i don't go for the post-modern
approach, but...
My friends and i all heard (and some sang) "teen" preacher. We never
even debated the issue, it was so "obvious" to us.
Those who continually bring up the idea of a "tea preacher" (a hippie or
a marijuana activist, etc.) must not have been living in the same 1960s
i was. There were no such people around when that song came out. Bob
Dylan was about as radical as it got. Rather, Dylan was engaging in
social satire, and teen preachers were an easy target, being as popular
as they were then. And at that time, the term teen preacher did not mean
someone who preached TO teens. It meant exactly what it sounded like --
a teenager who was a preacher. As i have noted before, one of the most
popular teen preachers of that era was Marjoe, about whom a very good
documentary was made, but there were many others, mostly white, mostly
from the south.
The "20 pounds of headlines" this figure wore were readily "decoded" by
myself and my friends to mean the stock-in-trade of such millennial
preachers -- namely, newspaper accounts of disasters and conflicts
around the world that supported their apocalyptic vision. Surely some of
you have heard the type of preaching referred to, which takes its cue
from the Biblical reference to earthquakes, floods, "wars and rumours of
wars" and the like which would mark the end times.
The "20 pounds of headlines" could not have been the "activist buttons"
of a "tea" preacher as someone surmised -- the making and distribution,
and wearing of such buttons on military-surplus vests did not become
common until at least a year AFTER that song was released.
All this aside -- it may well be that Dylan did start to say "teacher"
and caught himself...but as Stephen says, the "richest" interpretation
is that the words were deliberate and that they were "teen preacher."
catherine yronwode
cat@luckymojo.com
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From: nates@ll.mit.edu (nate)
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: 22 Oct 1997 20:08:43 GMT
In article <344E5971.4888@luckymojo.com>, cat@luckymojo.com says...
>The "20 pounds of headlines" could not have been the "activist buttons"
>of a "tea" preacher as someone surmised -- the making and distribution,
>and wearing of such buttons on military-surplus vests did not become
>common until at least a year AFTER that song was released.
when did they make the "BAN THE BOMB" buttons? hmm. BoB came out in
1966? i graduated from high school in 1964 and there were lots of
people wearing buttons back then. they probably were not "common" yet.
well . . . anyway....
>All this aside -- it may well be that Dylan did start to say "teacher"
>and caught himself...but as Stephen says, the "richest" interpretation
>is that the words were deliberate and that they were "teen preacher."
>catherine yronwode
anyway - i give up, cat. :-) teen preacher WINS!!!!!
marjoe was a curious guy - he played himself in that movie even
though it didnt paint him in a good light. i think he was already
past that period of his life and wanted to move on to playing psycho
killers later....
- nate
"people carried signs sayin' 'BAN THE BUMS!'"
From: "Dean Silveri"
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: Wed, 22 Oct 1997 21:13:08 -0400
>9) When I see he built
>
>Corresponds with what I hear, considering hearing the p (or another
>consonant) might be caused by the drum beat. Maybe this is the one. My
>second choice.
That's how I hear it. He might have been starting to say 'seen him build'
instead of 'he built'. On the live version of the song on Hard Rain, Dylan
sings 'but me I expected it to happen/ when I seen him lose control/ he
built a fire on Main Street...' Perhaps that was a version he had
experimented with from the start, and started to sing the 'I seen' by
mistake on the recorded version.
From: Peter Stone Brown
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: Wed, 22 Oct 1997 21:45:54 -0400
catherine yronwode wrote:
> This whole thread has me so baffled, I just put it on. "Tea Preacher" clear as a bell!
Marjoe Gortner wasn't known about till much later.
> Those who continually bring up the idea of a "tea preacher" (a hippie or
> a marijuana activist, etc.) must not have been living in the same 1960s
> i was. There were no such people around when that song came out.
I can't imagine what part of the country or strange parallel universe you were living
in. In any case you weren't living in the same 1960s I lived in. Maybe you were too
young. That was the year pot hit big and there were tons of "such" people around, at
least on the East Coast and more than likely on the West Coast too. And there's
references to pot all over Blonde on Blonde including one photograph where he appears to
be rolling a joint and another where he's lighting a cigarette with one. There was a
reference to this very topic some time ago where someone said the Tea Preacher was Tim
Leary (probably around the time he died.) It could've been Ginsberg too. They both
preached the benefits of pot and they both got lots of headlines.
> Bob Dylan was about as radical as it got. Rather, Dylan was engaging in
> social satire, and teen preachers were an easy target, being as popular
> as they were then. And at that time, the term teen preacher did not mean
> someone who preached TO teens. It meant exactly what it sounded like --
> a teenager who was a preacher. As i have noted before, one of the most
> popular teen preachers of that era was Marjoe, about whom a very good
> documentary was made, but there were many others, mostly white, mostly
> from the south.
> > The "20 pounds of headlines" could not have been the "activist buttons"
> of a "tea" preacher as someone surmised -- the making and distribution,
> and wearing of such buttons on military-surplus vests did not become
> common until at least a year AFTER that song was released.
Wrong! wrong! wrong! I got busted by my vice principal for wearing such buttons in
1965, a whole year before Blonde On Blonde. In fact, one kid became very interested in
the anti-vietnam buttons I had which were readily available at the March on Washington
in 1965. Later I found out his dad was an FBI agent.
>
> All this aside -- it may well be that Dylan did start to say "teacher"
> and caught himself...but as Stephen says, the "richest" interpretation
> is that the words were deliberate and that they were "teen preacher."
> Listen and I stress the word LISTEN again.
--
"I was just too stubborn to ever be governed
by enforced insanity." --Bob Dylan
Peter Stone Brown
e-mail: peterb@erols.com http://songs.com/psb
From: catherine yronwode
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: Wed, 22 Oct 1997 21:33:24 -0800
nate wrote:
>
> In article <344E5971.4888@luckymojo.com>, cat@luckymojo.com says...
>
> >The "20 pounds of headlines" could not have been the "activist
> >buttons" of a "tea" preacher as someone surmised -- the making and
> >distribution, and wearing of such buttons on military-surplus vests
> >did not become common until at least a year AFTER that song was
> >released.
>
> when did they make the "BAN THE BOMB" buttons? hmm. BoB came out
> in 1966? i graduated from high school in 1964 and there were lots
> of people wearing buttons back then. they probably were not
> "common" yet. well . . . anyway....
I got my first ban the bomb tye pinback button in 1961, but in those
days folks wore just ONE button at a time, to the demonstration for
which it was made. (Mine said "Witness for Peace, Easter, 1961"). In
1963 i bought my first ND ("peace sign") pinback button and wore it
often. In 1964 i began to collect old WW 1 and WW II era miliatry
cloisoine buttons, which i wore as a form of irony, or whatever it's
called when teenagers do that. But i never wore more than half a dozen
at one time -- and i was considered VERY weird. No one i knew more than
a few pinback buttons at a time, usually on a jacket. In 1966 i realized
that i had a lot of buttons and i sorted the cloisonne ones out of the
pinback ones, but it was only in May of 1967 that i first put all the
cloisonne ones on a fringed leather vest and wore it. Later that year,
during the Vietnam Moratorium (1967) i saw many folks wearing military
surplus vests covered with pinback buttons. I believe that it was at
this time that the pinback button companies went into full swing with
joke bttons and the fad for wearing "20 pounds" of joke buttons and
political buttons really took off. That's how i remember it, anyway.
catherine yronwode
cat@luckymojo.com
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From: Paul Loeber
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: Thu, 23 Oct 1997 02:34:29 -0400
Concerning "preacher" vs. "teen preacher" vs. "tea preacher":
This matter will be resolved once and for all if and when the other two
complete takes of the song are ever circulated. Since Krogsgaard's search
found that the released take was the final one of a session ending at 7AM,
having started the night before, I think it is very reasonable that Dylan
simply was tired and made a mistake reading. Possibly starting to sing
"teacher" and changing it to "preacher" instantly, or just making the "tea"
sound by mistake with no intention of singing "teacher."
"Tea preacher" is ridiculous. "Teen preacher" is, in my guess, just one of
those funny instances where a mistake is interpreted in such a way that it
makes sense. Note that Dylan does not use adjectives in similar spots in the
rest of the song. He does NOT say "Now the old ragman," "Now the state
senator," "Now the wise rainman," "Now the red bricks"--does he? So why would
he have said "teen preacher"?
From: dave@nws.fsu.edu (David Faciane)
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: 23 Oct 1997 07:57:54 GMT
In article <344EEFF5.3149AADC@sprintmail.com>,
Paul Loeber wrote:
>Concerning "preacher" vs. "teen preacher" vs. "tea preacher":
[snip snip]
>So why would he have said "teen preacher"?
Momma said "Well, just because". :-)
--
David Faciane |web: http://www.nws.fsu.edu/~dave
NOAA National Weather Service |Real-Time Worldwide Marine Weather Reports
Tallahassee, FL | http://www.nws.fsu.edu/buoy
From: aa740@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Dennis Brown)
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: 23 Oct 1997 19:36:58 GMT
Stephen Scobie (sscobie1@sol.uvic.ca) writes:
>At the same time, I think we need some historical perspective and
>evidence. As I remember 1966 (and yes, I know, anyone who remembers the
>60s wasn't really there), "teen preacher" was the commonly accepted
>hearing. And that counts for something.
Hmmm...I aways heard it as "TV preacher" in reference to the
growth of televangelist shows. I'll have to give my CD of Blonde
on Blonde another careful listen.
As I remember 1966, (I was 21 then--) there were several
conservative political and religious groups that were trying to shut
down folk festivals, and that staged "burn-ins" of rock and roll records.
Folk music and rock and roll were either the devil's music or a communist
plot and maybe both.
"TV preacher" may not be "correct", but it sure fit those times--
and our own, too! Hey, I'll let you be in my interpretation, if I
can be in yours...;-)
Dennis Brown | "But I was so much older then, |
Ottawa Ontario Canada | I'm younger than that now." |
aa740@freenet.carleton.ca | -Bob Dylan- |
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
From: freer@cix.compulink.co.uk ("Tim Anderson")
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: Sat, 25 Oct 1997 08:12:18 GMT
In article ,
sscobie1@sol.uvic.ca (Stephen Scobie/Maureen Scobie) wrote:
> I believe that we should go with the reading which produces the richest,
> most interesting, most productive sense. Even if it's not what Dylan
> "intended," it may still be the "correct" reading.
What do you mean by "go with"? You mean that although it was just (in your
view) a lucky accident that Bob stumbled over the word "preacher" in such
a way as to cause you to think "teen preacher", that therefore "teen
preacher" is "correct".
I don't think this is a concept of correctness I can go along with. If you
are going to talk in terms of correctness, you have to go back to the only
solid ground in a marsh of uncertainty - what the author/singer intended.
In Bob's case this is complicated by his spontaneity. What he intends one
night is not the same as what he intends the next night, or even the next
take in a studio. Obviously that means there is no definitive version,
especially in the phrases that Bob frequently changes like "truck drivers
wives". But to my mind, there is a fundamental difference between words
that Bob meant to sing and words invented by the listener on the basis of
a slur, stumble, miscue or other error.
Of course you have every right to enjoy a song because of what you hear.
Even conceivably a masterpiece of art might be created in this strange
space between broadcast and reception. But I don't see how it can be
"correct" or what we should "go with". In particular, I don't see how it
tells us anything about Bob Dylan or his art - except maybe that he is no
perfectionist.
Tim
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Date: Sat, 25 Oct 1997 06:49:25 EDT
From: GMountain
Subject: Re: Lyrics of Stuck Inside of Mobile
Until now, amidst this latest debate, I'd never doubed that the words were
"tea preacher," as in the ladies who read tea leaves and preach about how much
they can tell the future.
Date: Sat, 25 Oct 1997 18:06:39 +0000
From: Maureen Scobie
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Tim Anderson wrote:
> What do you mean by "go with"? You mean that although it was just (in your
> view) a lucky accident that Bob stumbled over the word "preacher" in such
> a way as to cause you to think "teen preacher", that therefore "teen
> preacher" is "correct".
>
> I don't think this is a concept of correctness I can go along with. If you
> are going to talk in terms of correctness, you have to go back to the only
> solid ground in a marsh of uncertainty - what the author/singer intended.
But my whole point is that in this case the ground may
not be solid. (The recovery of authorial intention very
seldom is.) So an accidental effect, derived from a
mishearing or a mispronunciation, may very well become
"correct" if it is widely accepted by the audience, and if it
does in fact add to the richness and complexity of the
text. Indeed, some contributions to this thread, especially
Paul Loeber's, have convinced me that it is highly
probable that Dylan "intended" to sing "preacher,"
stumbled over "teacher," and changed in mid-syllable.
But even if that is true, it does not affect the reactions of
thousands of people who "heard," and relished, "teen
preacher." Such a reading may not be "true to" the
author's intention, but it is "true to" the text.
Stephen
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Date: Sat, 25 Oct 1997 18:10:24 -0400
From: John Chancey
Subject: Re: Lyrics of Stuck Inside of Mobile
GMountain wrote:
>Until now, amidst this latest debate, I'd never doubed that the words were
>"tea preacher," as in the ladies who read tea leaves and preach about how
much
>they can tell the future.
I've alway heard "TV preacher"
-John "My high's in the heartlands"
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
From: freer@cix.compulink.co.uk ("Tim Anderson")
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
Date: Sun, 26 Oct 1997 17:26:36 GMT
In article <3452352F.25BA@coastnet.com>, mscobie@coastnet.com (Maureen
Scobie) wrote:
> Such a reading may not be "true to" the
> author's intention, but it is "true to" the text.
I still don't think this is good use of language. What does a text have so
that you can be true to it?
Tim
From: rawalker@aol.com (RAWalker)
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Lyrics of Stuck Inside of Mobile
Date: 26 Oct 1997 20:18:23 GMT
GMountain@aol.com wrote:
>Until now, amidst this latest debate, I'd never doubed that the words were
>"tea preacher," as in the ladies who read tea leaves and preach about how
>much
>they can tell the future.
You're not alone. I've always heard that line as "tea preacher" as well.
rob
From: savetele@aol.com (SAVETELE)
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Lyrics of Stuck Inside of Mobile
Date: 26 Oct 1997 23:25:47 GMT
actually, isn't it "teen preacher"?
http://members.aol.com/savetele/savetele.html
oppose film censorship; frequently asked questions about letterboxing
From: rawalker@aol.com (RAWalker)
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Lyrics of Stuck Inside of Mobile
Date: 27 Oct 1997 02:20:57 GMT
>From: savetele@aol.com (SAVETELE)
>Date: Sun, Oct 26, 1997 18:25 EST
>Message-id: <19971026232501.SAA16229@ladder02.news.aol.com>
>
>actually, isn't it "teen preacher"?
>
>
According to "Writings and Drawings" it's simply "now the preacher looked so
baffled..." Given that there are other recorded instances of Bob slightly
tripping on his own words, I suspect as he was about to say "the
preacher....", he slipped and started to say something like "the teacher....",
realized his mistake and corrected himself, singing, "now the tea..., preacher
looked so baffled....." Just speculation, but there is precedence for it,
though I'm going to have to listen to my whole Dylan collection again to
locate other occurrences like this.
Rob Walker
Date: Sun, 02 Nov 1997 13:49:19 -0800
From: sscobie@uvic.ca (Maureen & Stephen Scobie)
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Words of "Stuck inside of Mobile..."
In article , freer@cix.compulink.co.uk
("Tim Anderson") wrote:
>
> I still don't think this is good use of language. What does a text have so
> that you can be true to it?
Words.
Stephen
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 1997 19:57:51 -0800
From: Martin Golan
Subject: Subject: Words to Suck Inside of Mobile
This is really interesting. Since 1966 I've been hearing that line
as "the teaM preacher looked so baffled..."
I took it to mean a football or basketball coach, who preaches to
his team, and is so proud of his past wins that he wears the headlines
of
stories about them stapled to his chest.
Hey, we know the official lyrics just say "preacher" (for what
that's worth) so I could be right. Anyway, it's loads of fun hearing
these different views. At the very least - like most of our discussions
- it gets you singing a Dylan song in your head for a while.
Does anyone else hear teaM preacher?
Martin (is this really the end?) Golan
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 16:12:14 +1100
From: Mr S Bywater
Subject: Subject: Words to Suck Inside of Mobile
my first hearing of the line is "tea creature". I went along for a time
not particularly thinking about what the words were, and I now, thanks to
this list, have all number of different interpretations. I personally
prefer tea preacher, but tea creature is sentimental favourite.
do I win the prize for the weirdest ears?
Scott.
From: Jesse Anderson
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Subject: Words to Suck Inside of Mobile
Date: Thu, 13 Nov 1997 14:01:21 -0500
Mr S Bywater wrote:
>
> my first hearing of the line is "tea creature". I went along for a time
> not particularly thinking about what the words were, and I now, thanks to
> this list, have all number of different interpretations. I personally
> prefer tea preacher, but tea creature is sentimental favourite.
>
> do I win the prize for the weirdest ears?
>
> Scott.
I've always heard, "teen preacher."
Jesse
From: gillamont@aol.com (GilLamont)
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Subject: Words to Suck Inside of Mobile
Date: 14 Nov 1997 17:05:52 GMT
>I've always heard, "teen preacher."
>Jesse
>
>
Absolutely "teen preacher." And I'm not changing after 31 years of it, either.
Gil
From: nates@ll.mit.edu (nate)
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Subject: Words to Suck Inside of Mobile
Date: 14 Nov 1997 19:58:33 GMT
In article ,
bywaters@SPTCOMD.DEFENCE.GOV.AU says...
>
>my first hearing of the line is "tea creature". I went along for a time
>not particularly thinking about what the words were, and I now, thanks to
>this list, have all number of different interpretations. I personally
>prefer tea preacher, but tea creature is sentimental favourite.
>
>do I win the prize for the weirdest ears?
>
>Scott.
hah hah! that is what i heard back then as well.
then later and still now i hear tea preacher (or t-preacher)
- nate
From: nachrist@facstaff.wisc.edu (El Coyote survives!)
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Lyrics of Stuck Inside of Mobile
Date: Sun, 30 Nov 1997 13:49:38 GMT
Apparently the Preacher threads are going to continue on for some
time. I just picked this one to follow up on because it captures my
own personal theory - namely, 'tripping on his own words'. Just
curious, though. Has no one else *ever* heard it 'key preacher'?
This was how I always heard it (no attempt at an interpretation; I
always thought it was a slipup a la the same song Grandpa '[flub] he
built a fire on Main Street ...') until I saw the dozens of posts on
it and had to check it out. Now I only hear 'tea preacher'. Thanks,
everyone, for making me hear the error of my ways. Guess I'll have to
review the rest of the last 30 years of my life now.
rawalker@aol.com (RAWalker) wrote:
[ snip]
>According to "Writings and Drawings" it's simply "now the preacher looked so
> baffled..." Given that there are other recorded instances of Bob slightly
> tripping on his own words, I suspect as he was about to say "the
> preacher....", he slipped and started to say something like "the teacher....",
> realized his mistake and corrected himself, singing, "now the tea..., preacher
> looked so baffled....." Just speculation, but there is precedence for it,
> though I'm going to have to listen to my whole Dylan collection again to
> locate other occurrences like this.
>Rob Walker
I've seen better days,
but I'm puttin' up with these. [Rabbit Brown]
Bob
From: dyln61@buffnet.net (Bob Meyer)
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Tea Preacher Revisited
Date: Sun, 26 Apr 1998 13:05:50 -0500
Message-ID:
There has been a bit of discussion over the years about the line in "Stuck
Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again" that sounds on record
something like "Well the tea preacher looked so baffled...". I was always
under the impression that this was just a flub of some kind. Well, I'm not
so sure anymore.
Put in you tape of 23 January 1998 (Boston) and you will hear this
(believe or not):
"Tea preacher looked so baffled
when I asked him why he dressed
with twenty pounds of headlines stapled to his chest".
A random listen to other versions of this song gives us the following:
Philladelphia (11 Dec 97) - Verse was not sung.
Boston (9 Dec 97) - Verse was not sung.
Cinncinatti (19 Feb 98) - Could be the best Dylan mumble of all time. The
first line of this verse sounds like a combination of the words
Shakespeare,Granpa, and Bricks all being sung at the same time. Also, this
mumble is followed by the line "With 40 pounds of headlines stapled..."
Anyone know of any other changes in this song ??
--
Bob Meyer
dyln61@buffnet.net
From: KXDV40A@prodigy.com (Ed Pomerantz)
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Tea Preacher Revisited
Date: 27 Apr 1998 02:53:28 GMT
Message-ID: <6i0rv8$2cbc$1@newssvr04-int.news.prodigy.com>
AW, Come on now.....ye know ye know about my munblin mouth.........there
are several mumbled, mis speaks on Memphis Blues Again.......the line
about "Grandpa" building a fire on main St. etc..........I've seen plenty
of "TV Preachers" but I ain't never seen no "Tea Preacher" so lacking any
explanation of what such a thing/person may be........I'll continue to
believe it was a momentary laps of sylable and a silly enough reference
TV Preachers and the media.......ie 20 pounds of headlines......well
that's my .02 worth...Ed
From: dave@nws.fsu.edu (David Faciane)
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Tea Preacher Revisited
Date: 27 Apr 1998 02:59:21 GMT
Message-ID: <6i0sa9$6if$1@news.fsu.edu>
In article ,
Bob Meyer wrote:
>There has been a bit of discussion over the years about the line in "Stuck
>Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again" that sounds on record
>something like "Well the tea preacher looked so baffled...". I was always
>under the impression that this was just a flub of some kind. Well, I'm not
>so sure anymore.
>
>Put in you tape of 23 January 1998 (Boston) and you will hear this
>(believe or not):
>
>"Tea preacher looked so baffled
[snip]
I suppose after a while the official flub (if indeed that is what it
is) may have grown on him. Given Dylan's penchant for spontaneous
lyric creation and ad-libbing during this time, it doesn't seem all
that unlikely.
--
David Faciane |web: http://www.nws.fsu.edu/~dave
NOAA National Weather Service |Real-Time Worldwide Marine Weather Reports
Tallahassee, FL | http://www.nws.fsu.edu/buoy
From: sherryndave@SNET.NET (David Voytek)
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Stuck Inside of Mobile . . . ?
Date: 8 Oct 1998 20:55:49 -0700
Message-ID:
I've been meaning to ask you all about something for a long time.
In the verse that begins "Grandpa died last week" it a mistake when Dylan
sings:
"when I ' ss, he built a fire on Main Street . . ." It's at 2:43 into the
tune. Maybe they spliced together two takes during recording?
Anyone have any idea?
Thanks,
Dave
S. Norwalk, CT
From: tbonefrank@aol.com (TBoneFrank)
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Stuck Inside of Mobile . . . ?
Lines: 20
Date: 9 Oct 1998 05:30:11 GMT
Message-ID: <19981009013011.04939.00008273@ng03.aol.com>
>In the verse that begins "Grandpa died last week" it a mistake when Dylan
>sings:
>
>"when I ' ss, he built a fire on Main Street . . ." It's at 2:43 into the
>tune. Maybe they spliced together two takes during recording?
>
>
>Anyone have any idea?
>
>
>Thanks,
>
>Dave
>S. Norwalk, CT
It's a mistake..He meant to say HE but said " I..HE "....they decided to
release it as is.
TbF
From: alan.fraser@cwcom.net (Alan Fraser)
Newsgroups: rec.music.dylan
Subject: Re: Stuck Inside of Mobile . . . ?
Date: Fri, 09 Oct 1998 08:34:44 GMT
Message-ID: <361fc83b.3149753@news.mcmail.com>
On 9 Oct 1998 05:30:11 GMT, tbonefrank@aol.com (TBoneFrank) wrote:
>
>>In the verse that begins "Grandpa died last week" it a mistake when Dylan
>>sings:
>>
>>"when I ' ss, he built a fire on Main Street . . ." It's at 2:43 into the
>>tune. Maybe they spliced together two takes during recording?
>>
>>
>>Anyone have any idea?
>>
>>
>>Thanks,
>>
>>Dave
>>S. Norwalk, CT
>
>It's a mistake..He meant to say HE but said " I..HE "....they decided to
>release it as is.
Krogsgaard lists 20 takes of Memphis Blues Again at Columbia Studios,
Nashville, over Feb 16-17, 1966 (starting at 6pm on the 16th and
finishing at 7am on the 17th), and the released track the 20th. It's
therefore surprising that a tale containing a mistake was used. Some
contend that the records must be wrong, and that other songs (maybe
Tell Me, Mamma) could have been recorded in those 20 takes, which
start with Takes 1-4, restart with Takes 1-4, then a third Take 4,
continuing then to Take 15 - the take used for the album. Only Takes
5, 14 & 15 are listed as being complete.
Or maybe it was just that at 7am on a February morning Bob got fed up,
told Bob Johnston that was the last take he was doing so they'd better
use it anyway, and went home? :-)
Alan