Lana drew a picture in school today / one that made her mother cry / a picture of a woman with a drink in her hand / standing by a child with no eyes //

Washington reaction based upon revenge / babies blown to kingdom come / damn the logic / cartoon characters look better when they're on the run //

Danny dropped the dime on his girlfriend / he said he didn't wanna go to jail alone / You see he lives in the same mind with the thought that says we all should be stoned //

And people look for arrows in the sky whenever they're brokenhearted / love is grown, seeds are sown, fires don't burn unless they're started //

(Sha la la's)

Did you ever feel that life was like looking for a penny in a large room with no light?"

---

I actually cried the first time I heard this song. It was so powerful and so damn good that I wept tears of joy.

That first stanza is one of the deepest things P ever wrote: Lana is a child so traumatized by her mother's drinking that she draws a picture of herself without sight so she can't witness the self destruction. Without ever referencing alcoholism, P plainly tells us how it is destroying the life of this child. To make it even more impressive, he even gets the psychology right. Notice that Lana doesn't draw a picture of herself and her mother; she simply draws "a woman" and "a child." This is textbook stuff. Young children deal with their problems in abstracts, not particulars. This is why kids act out abuse with dolls, but rarely talk about it from a personal perspective. Pure Genius!!!

And how very timely is that second stanza right now: logic be damned, you got us first, but we'll get you back even worse. Innocent lives may be lost in the process? Sorry, just collateral damage! It's ripped straight from this morning's headlines.

IMO "Large Room" is in contention for the best thing the man ever created and currently it's leading.

Now everybody show your love for this masterpiece!!!

Peace, David

It was Eric Leeds who said it was "The Revolution doing the Fifth Dimension"

never heard it.

Washington reaction based upon revenge / babies blown to kingdom come / damn the logic / cartoon characters look better when they're on the run //
fits today don't it? Yes I love it...

LOL. All these years I thought he was singing "a picture of a woman with a dick in her hand"

Interesting tho.

I also thought "arrows in the sky" was "aliens in the sky" but arrows seems to make more sense.

Damn. i never knew those were the lyrics!

My version isn't that easy to understand, and i never knew it ran that deep.
I just loved the chorus!

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Dansa, I'M SERIOUS, you need to get w/ the downloading thing woman!!! This song is FANTASTIC, it's a CRIME you've never heard it!!!

CalhounSq said:

i don't do downloads.

I've never heard large room either!

Shorty said:

OH GOOD LORD!!!

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

I always thought he said "angels in the sky"

CalhounSq said:

it's cuz of two things:

1) my pooter don't have a soundcard, plus it's low on memory as it is

2) i'd much rather have stuff burnt on cd. quirky, yeah...but that's just me.

wow so impressive!!!

I would've gotten into this song more if it was in higher quality. The mp3s/bootlegs of this tracked are too mumbled sounding.

exodus said:

I think the lyrics transcription team uses that interpretation as well, but I hear "arrows" and think it's connected to Cupid and the love arrows he flys around shooting into folks' hearts.

But that's just me.

Peace, David

whare can i hear this song

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

I feel you esp on the #.1 part, altho I have a soundcard but it doesn't make any difference

I didn't hear the song either,,hell I didn't hear 99% of Prince's non-released mess.

Anyway, can somebody hook a sistah up with a burned CD or sumthin??

Tom said:

You not the only one. I thought it said that too. I thought that bit was about a women being paid to do that sort of stuff to provide for a sick child.

Still one of his best ever. I had it on my walkman and I (embarrassingly) shed a tear on the bus. (Don't think anyone noticed though.)

Large room with no lights
(and lets hope it will be made available to the public soon)

Best Revolution era song ever

Is Sheila drumming on this? Whoever it is, s/he is kicking ass and taking names!

And jumping back to an earlier discussion, this feels like one of those songs where Wendy and Lisa's input was crucial. I could be wrong, but I get a very collaborative vibe from this track.

Peace, David

It was recorded pretty much live at Sunset Sound 5/4/86
For the Dream Factory album.

the band was...

Sheila E. - Drums & Percussion
Lisa Coleman - Piano & Vocals
Wendy Melvoin - Guitar & Vocals
Susannah Melvoin - Vocals
Levi Seacer Jr - Bass
Eric Leeds - Saxophone
Atanta Bliss - Trumpet
Norbert Satchell - Saxophone

And it was very much a Wendy & Lisa collaboration.

I always thought it was interesting that Prince was recording songs with this line up almost 6 months before the Revolution split up. Makes you wonder if there was more to it than simply Wendy & Lisa leaving.

Listen here...






Lana drew a picture in school 2day



One that made her mother cry



A picture of a woman with a drink in her hand



Standing by a child with no eyes



Washington reaction based upon revenge



Babies blown 2 kingdom come



Damn the logic
Cartoon characters look better when they're on the run



Danny dropped the dime on his girlfriend



He said he didn't wanna go 2 jail alone



CAUSE HE lives in the same mind
With the thought that says we all should be stoned



And people lookin' 4 arrows in the sky



Whenever they're broken-hearted



Love is grown, seeds are sown
A fire don't burn unless it's started



Did U ever feel that life was like lookin' 4 a penny In a large room with no light?

A sophisticated man reduced to COMPETE in no-win situations that aren't right



Everytime U wake up there's a little motherfucker Talkin' big stuff in your face (Are U happy?)



U only get the kind of people that open their mouth just 2 swap feet



Welcome 2 the rat race





Did U ever feel that life was like lookin' 4 a penny In a large room with no light?

A sophisticated man reduced to COMPETE in no-win situations that aren't right

Oh, if U could just pass your history class
Maybe life would be alright



Until then U'll be lookin' 4 a penny In a large room with no light...



[This message was edited Thu Feb 13 11:27:25 PST 2003 by yamomma]

Oh hell naw! Lolita's thread about Prince's dick just pulled ahead of this one in number of responses. That's a damn shame. Y'all betta step up to the plate and recognize...

Yamomma's edit: That's what I'm talkin 'bout!

Peace, David
[This message was edited Wed Feb 12 13:29:45 PST 2003 by livewire]

this song is better than anything he's released post sign o the times. no matter what he was callin himself at the time. there's just something about him and the revolution that hasn't been there since.

rdhull said:

sounds cool, but what the hell does it mean??

updaded.

I spent way too much time on that!

yamomma said:

That was truly great.

purpleone said:

The Fifth Dimension was a pop singing group in the Age of Aquarius.

This song ain't for everybody,but my quirky as digs it.I would like to hear him perform it in concert.