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Thread started 07/04/24 5:48pm

KINA1

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Lyric: past or had?

Simple question in sometimes it snows in April, the last line is love isn’t love until it’s had. All of the lyrics sites say past. Isn’t that wrong? I’ve listened to the original original. I’ve watched him live and he doesn’t put his lips together like making a p sound he’s saying had and I hear it and there’s no t like would be at the end of past. Thoughts? Proof? Am I crazy and I’ve been singing it wrong for 30 some years? Thanks.
is STYLE catching a plane to LA to see P when u know ur broke azz got bills?
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Reply #1 posted 07/04/24 6:04pm

lurker316

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I believe he’s singing “past”.

Yes, he swallows the last “t”, so it sounds like he’s saying “pass”.

But “past” makes the most sense because it rhymes with the final word from the previous line, “last”, and because it makes sense in the context of the sentence. He saying you don’t realize how much you love someone until you no longer have them.
[Edited 7/4/24 18:05pm]
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Reply #2 posted 07/04/24 7:58pm

whodknee

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I've always heard "had" too but "past" makes more sense.

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Reply #3 posted 07/04/24 8:51pm

FragileUnderto
w

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I've always thought it was Past
Cant believe my purple psychedelic pimp slap pimp2

And I descend from grace, In arms of undertow
I will take my place, In the great below
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Reply #4 posted 07/04/24 10:13pm

RODSERLING

Always heard " Pass"
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Reply #5 posted 07/04/24 10:32pm

TrivialPursuit

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Had makes more sense to me. But the hardness of the P in Past is more aurally obvious.

Sorry, it's the Hodgkin's talking.
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Reply #6 posted 07/04/24 11:52pm

leecaldon

Or could it be 'passed'?

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Reply #7 posted 07/05/24 12:29am

LILpoundCAKE

yes, and he also obviously says "august" and not "april" if you listen well enough.


razz

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Reply #8 posted 07/05/24 9:36am

ItsOnlyMountai
ns

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It's "had." Watch the acoustic performance of it at Webster Hall.

Grammatically "had" also makes sense -- you have love for someone, you had love for someone. You don't pass love - which would be the present tense if he sang "past." You could have a past love -- if love is a person, but the way the sentence is structured he's not talking about love as a person.

Hey you! Get out on this dance floor!
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Reply #9 posted 07/05/24 9:37am

ItsOnlyMountai
ns

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lurker316 said:

I believe he’s singing “past”. Yes, he swallows the last “t”, so it sounds like he’s saying “pass”. But “past” makes the most sense because it rhymes with the final word from the previous line, “last”, and because it makes sense in the context of the sentence. He saying you don’t realize how much you love someone until you no longer have them. [Edited 7/4/24 18:05pm]


Right, and the past tense of have is had, not past/passed.

Hey you! Get out on this dance floor!
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Reply #10 posted 07/05/24 10:10am

lurker316

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It sure sounds to me like the first letter of the word he sings is a "p". At the same time, I don't hear a "t" on the end of the word. So it sounds like he's singing "pass".

Which is "pass" closer to: "past" or "had"? "Past" obviously. That's why I'm going with "past". It's the closest to what I hear. I just assume he swallowed the "t".





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Reply #11 posted 07/05/24 10:17am

LILpoundCAKE

you don't realise what you have/had, what it is/was until it's gone - over - finished - past.





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Reply #12 posted 07/05/24 10:40am

TrivialPursuit

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leecaldon said:

Or could it be 'passed'?


Well, for years when it first came out, I was singing "passed."

Sorry, it's the Hodgkin's talking.
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Reply #13 posted 07/05/24 10:48am

LILpoundCAKE

TrivialPursuit said:

leecaldon said:

Or could it be 'passed'?


Well, for years when it first came out, I was singing "passed."


same here nod

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Reply #14 posted 07/05/24 10:52am

purplethunder3
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LILpoundCAKE said:

TrivialPursuit said:


Well, for years when it first came out, I was singing "passed."


same here nod

Me three. lol

"Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything." --Plato

https://youtu.be/CVwv9LZMah0
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Reply #15 posted 07/05/24 11:05am

langebleu

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moderator

FWIW, it's documented as 'past' in the Parade song book issued by Warners.

ALT+PLS+RTN: Pure as a pane of ice. It's a gift.
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Reply #16 posted 07/05/24 12:40pm

TrivialPursuit

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langebleu said:

FWIW, it's documented as 'past' in the Parade song book issued by Warners.


I thought about that, too. Wasn't sure who had one.

Sorry, it's the Hodgkin's talking.
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Reply #17 posted 07/09/24 3:43am

leecaldon

ItsOnlyMountains said:

It's "had." Watch the acoustic performance of it at Webster Hall.

Grammatically "had" also makes sense -- you have love for someone, you had love for someone. You don't pass love - which would be the present tense if he sang "past." You could have a past love -- if love is a person, but the way the sentence is structured he's not talking about love as a person.

I always thought that was a changed lyric for the performance.

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Reply #18 posted 07/10/24 7:54am

Se7en

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I hear "past", which also rhymes with "all good things they say never last".

Now, whether it's passed or past, doesn't matter to me. But I know it's not "Had".


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Reply #19 posted 07/10/24 2:35pm

pdiddy2011

It's past or passed. Past or passed makes a ton more sense within the context of the song. It isn't love until it's gone (past or passed). Inferring that you don't really know it's love until it's gone. I've always gone with passed, myself! biggrin

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Reply #20 posted 07/10/24 3:01pm

happyshopper

Se7en said:

I hear "past", which also rhymes with "all good things they say never last".

Now, whether it's passed or past, doesn't matter to me. But I know it's not "Had".



This
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Reply #21 posted 07/10/24 6:27pm

TrivialPursuit

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Been considering this. "Passed" makes sense in that he does say "those kinds of cars don't pass you every day...."

Not that he's conjugating a verb to death. But he's also being poetic in that love isn't just out there, it's a thing to be experiences. We don't know the depth of love until we're in a place where suddenly we're not getting it back anymore. That special "car" you were once with is no more with you, so now you realize what the "it" was all along - love.

Maybe he's saying we don't really recognize love in its completeness until passed us completely. And we're like "Whoa, what was that?!?!"

Sorry, it's the Hodgkin's talking.
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