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Thread started 08/04/12 11:50am

kiasheri

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Papa song question

In the song 'papa' from the 'come' cd there lyrics that i don't understand. when he says 'he crucified every dandilion (sp) in the yard' does he mean he mowed the lawn??? confuse confuse confuse confuse confuse

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Reply #1 posted 08/04/12 1:41pm

philmoreliz

kiasheri said:

In the song 'papa' from the 'come' cd there lyrics that i don't understand. when he says 'he crucified every dandilion (sp) in the yard' does he mean he mowed the lawn??? confuse confuse confuse confuse confuse


I think it meant he kind of went on a dandelion massacre. Beheaded the poor things, vented. That was how I took it.
Philmoreliz
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Reply #2 posted 08/04/12 4:31pm

BarbieJones

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Maybe he used one of these. I hear it's hard work and it looks like a cross.

Hello!
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Reply #3 posted 08/04/12 4:54pm

TheEnglishGent

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BarbieJones said:

Maybe he used one of these. I hear it's hard work and it looks like a cross.

Yes, that's how it happened. It's the same garden tool that is mentioned in the song loose, tying the two songs together perfectly.
[Edited 8/4/12 16:55pm]
RIP sad
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Reply #4 posted 08/04/12 5:00pm

LifeCanBeSoNic
e21

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I always saw it as he like tied all the dandelions into little cross shapes giving an image of crucifying them, always saw it as a dark thing to spend time by doing that to each individual dandelion adding to the songs brooding and tense atmosphere

the feeling U get when U fall in love not with a girl or a boy but with the heavens above
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Reply #5 posted 08/04/12 8:38pm

philmoreliz

TheEnglishGent said:

BarbieJones said:

Maybe he used one of these. I hear it's hard work and it looks like a cross.

Yes, that's how it happened. It's the same garden tool that is mentioned in the song loose, tying the two songs together perfectly.
[Edited 8/4/12 16:55pm]

I stand corrected. You surely know about garden implements. Never saw the connection with Loose before.
Philmoreliz
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Reply #6 posted 08/05/12 1:09am

Spinlight

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LifeCanBeSoNice21 said:

I always saw it as he like tied all the dandelions into little cross shapes giving an image of crucifying them, always saw it as a dark thing to spend time by doing that to each individual dandelion adding to the songs brooding and tense atmosphere

Are you high on bath salts?

It's not meant to be taken so literal. He's describing the mindframe his father was in - he was so pissed, he even cursed the flowers outside. Then he took his anger out on the kid.

Who the fuck would write a song about someone being so angry, they laid down in the grass and tied dandelions into crosses? Are you serious with this shit?

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Reply #7 posted 08/05/12 1:15am

errant

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It's right in the first line. He was pissed off about doing yard work (probably after a long day at his job) and then yelled at the kid for throwing rocks at cars.

What's so hard to understand?

"does my cock look fat in these jeans?"
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Reply #8 posted 08/05/12 2:49am

LifeCanBeSoNic
e21

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Spinlight said:

LifeCanBeSoNice21 said:

I always saw it as he like tied all the dandelions into little cross shapes giving an image of crucifying them, always saw it as a dark thing to spend time by doing that to each individual dandelion adding to the songs brooding and tense atmosphere

Are you high on bath salts?

It's not meant to be taken so literal. He's describing the mindframe his father was in - he was so pissed, he even cursed the flowers outside. Then he took his anger out on the kid.

Who the fuck would write a song about someone being so angry, they laid down in the grass and tied dandelions into crosses? Are you serious with this shit?

I can safely say that no I am not high on bath salts, just giving my opinion on what the lyric meant

the feeling U get when U fall in love not with a girl or a boy but with the heavens above
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Reply #9 posted 08/05/12 4:15am

SchlomoThaHomo

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His father took each dandelion and individually nailed them to their own little mini crosses. However, in the 2002 version of the song, the dandelions were impaled on a mini stauros.

[Edited 8/5/12 4:19am]

"That's when stars collide. When there's space for what u want, and ur heart is open wide."
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Reply #10 posted 08/05/12 4:56am

NouveauDance

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The whole album is actually an allegory on horticulture.

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Reply #11 posted 08/05/12 8:40am

Dave1992

Spinlight said:

LifeCanBeSoNice21 said:

I always saw it as he like tied all the dandelions into little cross shapes giving an image of crucifying them, always saw it as a dark thing to spend time by doing that to each individual dandelion adding to the songs brooding and tense atmosphere

Are you high on bath salts?

It's not meant to be taken so literal. He's describing the mindframe his father was in - he was so pissed, he even cursed the flowers outside. Then he took his anger out on the kid.

Who the fuck would write a song about someone being so angry, they laid down in the grass and tied dandelions into crosses? Are you serious with this shit?

falloff

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Reply #12 posted 08/05/12 9:06am

Funkyalien

This song's good, but very disturbing. When he says, "Dont abuse children, cause they turn out like me".....it kinda gave me a creepy crawly feeling. Maybe it was a reference to himself, but it sure reminded me of someone else.

Funky alien
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Reply #13 posted 08/05/12 9:36am

Emancipation89

Mowed the yawn? "Crucify" can mean something as simple as "crush" or "ruin". I think he just trampled the dandelions down because he was so irritated. But I gotta say this is my favorite interpretation of the line I've ever seen falloff thumbs up!

SchlomoThaHomo said:

His father took each dandelion and individually nailed them to their own little mini crosses. However, in the 2002 version of the song, the dandelions were impaled on a mini stauros.

[Edited 8/5/12 4:19am]

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Reply #14 posted 08/05/12 9:46am

Emancipation89

Funkyalien said:

This song's good, but very disturbing. When he says, "Dont abuse children, cause they turn out like me".....it kinda gave me a creepy crawly feeling. Maybe it was a reference to himself, but it sure reminded me of someone else.

If the song ended there it would've been pretty creepy. But the next line that follows right up changes the entire mood of the song. Especially when he says "Deep down we're all the same, every single one of us, knows some kind of pain.". At the end, I don't think the song is about a poor child being abused, his dad killing himself and how tragic the whole situation is, but more about everyone experiencing some sort of sorrow throughout their life and everyone carrying different kinds of painful memory in their life. This little tale is a mere example.

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Reply #15 posted 08/05/12 9:49am

ARJUN

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Spinlight said:

LifeCanBeSoNice21 said:

I always saw it as he like tied all the dandelions into little cross shapes giving an image of crucifying them, always saw it as a dark thing to spend time by doing that to each individual dandelion adding to the songs brooding and tense atmosphere

Are you high on bath salts?

It's not meant to be taken so literal. He's describing the mindframe his father was in - he was so pissed, he even cursed the flowers outside. Then he took his anger out on the kid.

Who the fuck would write a song about someone being so angry, they laid down in the grass and tied dandelions into crosses? Are you serious with this shit?

haha! funny. i love ur response. but that had to be a joke........right??

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Reply #16 posted 08/05/12 11:26am

BobGeorge909

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Funkyalien said:

This song's good, but very disturbing. When he says, "Dont abuse children, cause they turn out like me".....it kinda gave me a creepy crawly feeling. Maybe it was a reference to himself, but it sure reminded me of someone else.


Cuz obviously Michael Jackson was the only person who came out crazy after being abused as a child. It certainly has to be a reference to a specific individual and not a process in general.
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Reply #17 posted 08/06/12 11:51am

thedance

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"Papa", is such a great song. music

I love the dark tone in this song, and the whole album is just fantastic...

Ok Orgasm you and I know that's weird, make one cringe...

but if only "Lovesign" had been on the Come album, perfect then..

Prince 4Ever. heart
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Reply #18 posted 08/06/12 2:15pm

Genesia

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Yeah, it just means he was doing yard work. Either he was out popping dandelions with one of these (this is what folks used back when Prince was a kid)...

[img:$uid]http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21jU3%2BeqvUL._SL500_AA300_.jpg[/img:$uid]

or he was using Scott's Weed and Feed lawn fertilizer.

Either way, dandelions were dyin'. lol

We don’t mourn artists because we knew them. We mourn them because they helped us know ourselves.
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Reply #19 posted 08/06/12 2:30pm

OnlyNDaUsa

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it means he picked weeds. to a little kid a dandelion is a pretty flower and then a fun toy... so picking them is seen as mean.

"Keep on shilling for Big Pharm!"
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Reply #20 posted 08/06/12 8:04pm

HonestMan13

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I think very deeply. geek

When eye go 2 a Prince concert or related event it's all heart up in the house but when eye log onto this site and the miasma of bitchiness is completely overwhelming!
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Reply #21 posted 08/06/12 9:45pm

vainandy

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Spinlight said:

LifeCanBeSoNice21 said:

I always saw it as he like tied all the dandelions into little cross shapes giving an image of crucifying them, always saw it as a dark thing to spend time by doing that to each individual dandelion adding to the songs brooding and tense atmosphere

Are you high on bath salts?

It's not meant to be taken so literal. He's describing the mindframe his father was in - he was so pissed, he even cursed the flowers outside. Then he took his anger out on the kid.

Who the fuck would write a song about someone being so angry, they laid down in the grass and tied dandelionto crons isses? Are you serious with this shit?

falloff

Andy is a four letter word.
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Reply #22 posted 08/06/12 11:36pm

thedance

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OnlyNDaUsa said:

to a little kid a dandelion is a pretty flower and then a fun toy... so picking them is seen as mean.

^

yes,

I guess this is the answer.. biggrin

Prince 4Ever. heart
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Reply #23 posted 08/06/12 11:46pm

databank

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BarbieJones said:

Maybe he used one of these. I hear it's hard work and it looks like a cross. [img:$uid]http://turf-tec.com/Weed-away-combobig.jpg[/img:$uid]

What on Earth is that... thing?

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Reply #24 posted 08/07/12 4:11am

BarbieJones

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Not as fancy as this one but here...

Hello!
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Reply #25 posted 08/07/12 9:42am

databank

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BarbieJones said:

Not as fancy as this one but here...

Yuuuk! This is so gross...

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Reply #26 posted 08/07/12 4:13pm

artist76

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He said in a interview that his stepfather used to make him pick all the dandelions in the yard, I guess as "punishment" or just because he hated them and made someone else (Prince) get rid of them.

Sounds like a mean guy.

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Reply #27 posted 08/07/12 4:51pm

errant

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artist76 said:

He said in a interview that his stepfather used to make him pick all the dandelions in the yard, I guess as "punishment" or just because he hated them and made someone else (Prince) get rid of them.

Sounds like a mean guy.

yard work as punishment? that doesn't really sound too out of order.

"does my cock look fat in these jeans?"
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Reply #28 posted 08/07/12 5:13pm

artist76

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errant said:

artist76 said:

He said in a interview that his stepfather used to make him pick all the dandelions in the yard, I guess as "punishment" or just because he hated them and made someone else (Prince) get rid of them.

Sounds like a mean guy.

yard work as punishment? that doesn't really sound too out of order.

I see your point. Yard work for us wasn't even punishment, it was just one of the chores us kids had as part of the family.

I don't remember the interview clearly, but my impression was that it wasn't just that. He's never elaborated about his childhood much, but maybe the stepdad got unreasonably mad if one was missed, or expected him to go out every day and remove any new ones - something like that. A child can be made to do something from a position of love & proper discipline or from a position of anger & abuse of authority. Makes a difference; the child will know the differnce.

[Edited 8/7/12 17:16pm]

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Reply #29 posted 08/07/12 8:34pm

kewlschool

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99.9% of everything I say is strictly for my own entertainment
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