So hot she can turn on a gay preacher.

DarkOK said:

Reading a thread recently where a poster quoted the lyric "turn a gay preacher to a sinner". Every lyric site I've looked at agrees that those are the lyrics. However, I've always heard the line as:

"Turn a gay.
Preacher to a sinner." As in, two separate things. Like, she's so hot she could turn a gay and she's so hot she could even turn a preacher into a sinner.

Is there a consensus on how the line should be understood?

It's a pause, they're half phrases. She could turn a gay, and make a preacher into a sinner.

For years, I had misunderstood these lyrics as:

Turn her page

Reach up to her center

TrivialPursuit said:

SpookyPurple said:

It should be considered one line - “Turn a gay preacher to a sinner”. There’s a pause because that’s just how all the verses are sung. “Just one glance (pause)… and she stole my heart”. It’s sort of like a joke - she’s so hot she could turn a man of faith who’s not even into women into a sinner.

A gay preacher is already considered a sinner in the religious world, so that theory makes it redundant.

Turn a gay [man],

[turn a] Preacher to a sinner

.

The "turn" applies to both lines separately but isn't repeated to make it fit/rhyme.

TrivialPursuit said:

TrivialPursuit said:

TrivialPursuit said:

LoveGalore said:

TrivialPursuit said:

It's a pause, they're half phrases. She could turn a gay, and make a preacher into a sinner.

For years, I had misunderstood these lyrics as:

Turn her page

Reach up to her center

I don't think so. I think he's expressing that she's so hot she could make the least likely scenario happen - someone who isn't even attracted to women and is sworn off sex would be into her.

if he meant it otherwise he could have easily made it:


turn a gay
turn a preacher sinner

but he didn't. she's clearly so hot she could turn a gay preacher into a sinner.

LILpoundCAKE said:

SpookyPurple said:

it is 2 different things she can do...


she can turn a gay man to stright

she can also cause a preacher to sleep with her... or whatever...

It is just a way to say "she's pretty"

[Edited 10/12/21 15:00pm]

[Edited 10/15/21 4:06am]

TrivialPursuit said:

SpookyPurple said:

It should be considered one line - “Turn a gay preacher to a sinner”. There’s a pause because that’s just how all the verses are sung. “Just one glance (pause)… and she stole my heart”. It’s sort of like a joke - she’s so hot she could turn a man of faith who’s not even into women into a sinner.

A gay preacher is already considered a sinner in the religious world, so that theory makes it redundant.

Good point, but that doesn;t chagnes Prine's meaning.

SpookyPurple said:

TrivialPursuit said:

It's a pause, they're half phrases. She could turn a gay, and make a preacher into a sinner.

For years, I had misunderstood these lyrics as:

Turn her page

Reach up to her center

It should be considered one line - “Turn a gay preacher to a sinner”. There’s a pause because that’s just how all the verses are sung. “Just one glance (pause)… and she stole my heart”. It’s sort of like a joke - she’s so hot she could turn a man of faith who’s not even into women into a sinner.

EXACTLY.

LoveGalore said:

SpookyPurple said:

LoveGalore said:

Is this on the same lines as Jagger singing, "you can make a dead man come"?

I've always presumed he's using 'gay' in this context as meaning 'happy', reflecting the line in Chaos & Disorder. I know they were recorded some time apart but they always felt of a piece to me, I guess because of the way they were played together live.

It's certainly one phrase.

And being gay in itself is not the 'sin', it's acting on it. (In these antiquated doctrines).

nayroo2002 said:

Is this on the same lines as Jagger singing, "you can make a dead man come"?

Exactly the same.

Fine enough to turn a gay preacher into a sinner

gsmith5678 said:

I've always presumed he's using 'gay' in this context as meaning 'happy', reflecting the line in Chaos & Disorder. I know they were recorded some time apart but they always felt of a piece to me, I guess because of the way they were played together live.

"Turn a happy preacher into a sinner."

Who knows.

Actually, Chaos & Disorder was born of an extended jam on Peach so they are very much intwined.

However, Prince was still referring to homosexuality in Chaos & Disorder with the follow-up line: "happy ain't allowed" references anti-gay sentiment.

He's specifically saying she's so hot a gay preacher would go against his sexuality and his beliefs to sleep with her.

PJMcGee said:

TrivialPursuit said:

A gay preacher is already considered a sinner in the religious world, so that theory makes it redundant.

By that logic, any "gay" is already a sinner and doesn't need to be turned into one.

To "turn a gay man straight" is already its own thing, though. The sinner part isn't an element in that. It's like every guy thinking he can turn a lesbian straight if he fucked her. No religious element there.

The religious element is Sinner connotes to a Preacher. "Turning" relates to gays.