Author | Message |
What is TBODP about, really? [Verse 1] Dorothy was a waitress on the promenade She worked the night shift Dishwater blonde, tall and fine She got a lot of tips [Verse 2] Well, earlier I'd been talkin' stuff in a violent room Fightin' with lover's past I needed someone with a quicker wit than mine Dorothy was fast [Verse 3] Well, I ordered: "Yeah, let me get a fruit cocktail, I ain't too hungry" Dorothy laughed She said: "It sound like a real man to me (You're kinda cute) You're kinda cute, you wanna take a bath?" (Do you wanna, do you wanna?) ... Bath? [Verse 4] Oh, I said: "Cool, but I'm leavin' my pants on (What you say?) 'Cause I'm kinda goin' with someone" She said: "Sound like a real man to me Mind if I turn on the radio?" "Oh, my favorite song," she said And it was Joni singing: "Help me, I think I'm falling" (Drring) The phone rang and she said "Whoever's calling can't be as cute as you" Right then and there I knew I was through (Dorothy Parker was cool) Well [Verse 5] My pants were wet, they came off But she didn't see the movie 'cause she hadn't read the book first Instead she pretended she was blind An affliction brought on by a witch's curse Dorothy made me laugh (Ha ha, ha ha) I felt much better so I went back to the violent room (Tell us what you did, what you did) Let me tell you what I did [Chorus] I took another bubble bath with my pants on All the fighting stopped Next time I'll do it sooner This is the ballad of Dorothy Parker Dorothy Parker, Dorothy Parker, Dorothy Parker Dorothy Parker, Dorothy Parker, Dorothy Parker [Outro] Well Dorothy Parker, Dorothy Parker Well Oh --- So my impression is that he gets in an argument with his girlfriend and heads out to a bar on the promenade and sees this girl. She asks him if he wants to chat ("take a bubble bath") and he's like cool but no sex cuz I have a girlfriend and she's like "well thanks for your honesty, you must be a good dude. Here lemme put on some music." Then his pants come off? Why? Is this a metaphor for letting something slip? She pretends not to notice (she's not gonna sleep with him cuz she'd probably prefer to get to know this "real man" a bit better). I presume this bath is happening at her apartment. He goes all the way back to her place just to chat and resists the sex cuz he's sad over his gf. Someone calls her landline and she's like "whoever the dude is, he ain't as interesting as you" and prince is already wavering a bit. But then he goes back home and instead of trying to fix the situation with sex, he has a legitimate talk with his girlfriend and they work things out so he resolves to spend more time working things out in ways other than just sex. Have I got that right? | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
It is about a prostitute, ie, a waitress on the promenade/street at night getting a lot of tips. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
donnyenglish said: It is about a prostitute, ie, a waitress on the promenade/street at night getting a lot of tips. So he hires the prostitute but just wants to talk to her about his problems? | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
that actually happens ALOT more than you would think... | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
| |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
RJOrion said:
that actually happens ALOT more than you would think... I remember a scene in Kubrick's last movie Eyes Wide Shut where Tom Cruise ends up doing exactly that. I never really considered it being a thing, tbh. Interesting. I guess I never really understood the song very well because of how deeply it is entrenched in metaphorical language but that certainly changes the context of the album sequence for me! I never thought of it as one of those kinds of relationship-oriented songs. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
I read that he did not really know who Dorthy Parker was but he liked the name... [Edited 10/3/20 14:08pm] "Keep on shilling for Big Pharm!" | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Hold up - if you're saying she's a prostitute then what is the line about 'I ain't too hungry, let me have a fruit coctail' all about? Some sort of horrible euphemism?! I think the choir wanna sing | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Following along with the prostitution theory then it's a euphemism for instead of having full on sex that he wants something such as oral sex. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
If we follow the waitress = prostitute metaphor, one possible interpretation that I just was thinking of is maybe it means he isn't hungry (wanting sex) so he will just have a fruit cocktail (wants to just talk to her) | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
LoveGalore said: So my impression is that he gets in an argument with his girlfriend and heads out to a bar on the promenade and sees this girl. She asks him if he wants to chat ("take a bubble bath") and he's like cool but no sex cuz I have a girlfriend and she's like "well thanks for your honesty, you must be a good dude. Here lemme put on some music." Then his pants come off? Why? Is this a metaphor for letting something slip? She pretends not to notice (she's not gonna sleep with him cuz she'd probably prefer to get to know this "real man" a bit better). I presume this bath is happening at her apartment. He goes all the way back to her place just to chat and resists the sex cuz he's sad over his gf. Someone calls her landline and she's like "whoever the dude is, he ain't as interesting as you" and prince is already wavering a bit. But then he goes back home and instead of trying to fix the situation with sex, he has a legitimate talk with his girlfriend and they work things out so he resolves to spend more time working things out in ways other than just sex. Have I got that right? I agree with your interpretation 100%. Feel free to join in the Prince Album Poll 2018! Let'a celebrate his legacy by counting down the most beloved Prince albums, as decided by you! | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
My pants were wet, they came off * I take this to mean that nothing happened, because they were strangers. * The long-held story about this one is that it came from a dream Prince had. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
During the panel in 2013 for promoting Toure's book which included Alan Leeds it was stated that Prince would invite girls back with him and just want to give them a bath or brush their hair, etc. Not have sex with them. He also loved to watch them put on their makeup - maybe for tips?? I think either Anna Garcia or Carmen E. stated the make-up thing. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
| |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
a dream under the influence of joni. that sott book says it was a dream flowing through the veins of the tree of life...purplemaplesyrup | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
PURplEMaPLeSyrup said: a dream under the influence of joni. that sott book says it was a dream Yes, I totally understand it is a dream. But the dream is telling a story and it means something. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
i like your interpretation. dorothy means 'gift from god'. parker means 'park keeper' and it makes me think of paisley park, where i think of prince being the keeper. the fruit cocktail could be spiritual fruit. i think dorothy is joni, who prince wants to be like, so on some level she could be camille doing her chameleon thing in this dream. maybe prince talking to his twin. this song is deep, i would lean towards a mystical meaning personally. the bath makes me think of confession, he felt much better, so he went back to the violent room, the world. well, i'll think about it more flowing through the veins of the tree of life...purplemaplesyrup | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Cindy C was a song Prince wrote about her, because she blew him off at a club when he tried to approach her and dance with her. He was pissed. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Pretty good. I like that interpretation. I guess Dorothy could represent Joni, although he has Dorothy telling him "Help Me" is her favorite song when it comes on the radio. I guess that could still be "Joni" telling him it's her favorite song. Dreams are tricky, and often they are a bizarre mish-mash of things that may not even be related. Although, this one is definitely telling a story - whether it's a figurative or literal one is the question. * I do think Prince's obsession with baths was a "spiritual cleansing"/confessional thing. He included them in his lyrics, performances (Purple Rain tour), and videos (WDC and the Empty Room video which was never released), so it was certainly had meaning to him. [Edited 10/4/20 6:57am] | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
It's a story. But if you want to tie it in to reality, I'd say it's about justifying fucking around on his steady. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Hmmm I like that idea as well. Yep, and the baths are his way of "cleansing" himself of the "dirty deed". | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
| |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
lavendardrummachine said:
I think he's being flippant with that line. Putting her down. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
NouveauDance said: It's a story. But if you want to tie it in to reality, I'd say it's about justifying fucking around on his steady. Obviously it's a story. But what is the story? He doesn't actually have sex with Dorothy Parker in the story. I don't think he's justifying sleeping around. I think he's making a vain attempt at moving away from that. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
yeah, when2rinlove -- come bathe with me, maybe the holy river too, interesting, thanks!
or maybe he just ate some fruit and listened to joni, and took a bath before he slept and dreamt this, lol flowing through the veins of the tree of life...purplemaplesyrup | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
Yes, exactly. He a bit nasty toward her in the song, but it was mainly him stating how much he wants to do her, and asking why she won't be with him. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
I think it's literal, I love that linea about her pretending she was blind because of a witch's curse. So she didn't see him naked out of respect? | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
When he says that she didn't see the movie because she hadn't read the book first he means she didn't lokk her dick because there was no relationship between them so she instead pretends she's blind because of a witch's curse, no that she really said that, more like it was his whimsical and creative way to tell her side of the story or his interpreatation. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |
slyjackson said: When he says that she didn't see the movie because she hadn't read the book first he means she didn't lokk her dick because there was no relationship between them so she instead pretends she's blind because of a witch's curse, no that she really said that, more like it was his whimsical and creative way to tell her side of the story or his interpreatation. Yes, I think I agree with you! Definitely a whimsical way of explaining it, very Prince. They were playing this little game where he is a straight man of sorts so of course she wouldn't look. That's kind of why I am suspicious of the prostitute theory. I bet a prostitute barely looks anyway. But here, it isn't that she wasn't curious but she was definitely being respectful. | |
- E-mail - orgNote - Report post to moderator |