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Thread started 10/31/07 12:17am

dag

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Help me understand Thriller lyrics please

I teach English and since it´s Halloween I thought about listening to Thriller in one of my classes. I´d like to translate the lyrics, but I am not sure about some lines (the highlighted ones). Can you help me with them, please?

Thriller

It's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the dark
Under the moonlight you see a sight that almost stops your heart
You try to scream but terror takes the sound before you make it
You start to freeze as horror looks you right between the eyes,
You're paralyzed

'Cause this is thriller, thriller night
And no one's gonna save you from the beast about
Strike
You know it's thriller, thriller night
You're fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller
Tonight

You hear the door slam and realize there's nowhere left to run
You feel the cold hand and wonder if you'll ever see the sun
You close your eyes and hope that this is just
Imagination
But all the while you hear the creature creepin' up
Behind
You're out of time

'Cause this is thriller, thriller night
There ain't no second chance against the thing with
Forty eyes
You know it's thriller, thriller night
You're fighting for your life inside of killer, thriller tonight

Night creatures call
And the dead start to walk in their masquerade
There's no escapin' the jaws of the alien this time
(They're open wide)
This is the end of your life

They're out to get you, there's demons closing in on every side
They will possess you unless you change the number on your dial
Now is the time for you and I to cuddle close together
All thru the night I'll save you from the terror on the screen,
I'll make you see

That this is thriller, thriller night
'Cause I can thrill you more than any ghost would dare to try
Girl, this is thriller, thriller night
So let me hold you tight and share a killer, diller, chiller
Thriller here tonight

[Rap performed by Vincent Price]
Darkness falls across the land
The midnight hour is close at hand
Creatures crawl in search of blood
To terrorize yawl's neighborhood
And whosoever shall be found
Without the soul for getting down
Must stand and face the hounds of hell
And rot inside a corpse's shell
The foulest stench is in the air
The funk of forty thousand years
And grizzy ghouls from every tomb
Are closing in to seal your doom
And though you fight to stay alive
Your body starts to shiver
For no mere mortal can resist
The evil of the thriller


I really don´t get that phone-number thing and I´d like to know what kind of person is that in the second one. And what does "grizzy" mean?
Thanks in advance
[Edited 10/31/07 0:18am]
"When Michael Jackson is just singing and dancing, you just think this is an astonishing talent. And he has had this astounding talent all his life, but we want him to be floored as well. We really don´t like the idea that he could have it all."
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Reply #1 posted 10/31/07 12:26am

Moonbeam

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2nd one is easy- whoever can't get with the funk beat will face the hounds of hell.

3rd one is "grizzly" I believe, meaning rugged.

The 1st one refers to a radio dial, I believe. Not sure about the meaning.
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!
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Reply #2 posted 10/31/07 12:36am

dag

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Moonbeam said:

2nd one is easy- whoever can't get with the funk beat will face the hounds of hell.

3rd one is "grizzly" I believe, meaning rugged.

The 1st one refers to a radio dial, I believe. Not sure about the meaning.

Thanks for your help. Let me make sure I understand correctly.
The second one is about anyone who cannot dance to the funky music will face the hounds of hell?
"When Michael Jackson is just singing and dancing, you just think this is an astonishing talent. And he has had this astounding talent all his life, but we want him to be floored as well. We really don´t like the idea that he could have it all."
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Reply #3 posted 10/31/07 12:42am

Moonbeam

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dag said:

Moonbeam said:

2nd one is easy- whoever can't get with the funk beat will face the hounds of hell.

3rd one is "grizzly" I believe, meaning rugged.

The 1st one refers to a radio dial, I believe. Not sure about the meaning.

Thanks for your help. Let me make sure I understand correctly.
The second one is about anyone who cannot dance to the funky music will face the hounds of hell?


That's how I interpret it- a very simple lyric about those who can groove versus those who can't.
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!
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Reply #4 posted 10/31/07 12:50am

dag

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Moonbeam said:

dag said:


Thanks for your help. Let me make sure I understand correctly.
The second one is about anyone who cannot dance to the funky music will face the hounds of hell?


That's how I interpret it- a very simple lyric about those who can groove versus those who can't.

ok, thanks
"When Michael Jackson is just singing and dancing, you just think this is an astonishing talent. And he has had this astounding talent all his life, but we want him to be floored as well. We really don´t like the idea that he could have it all."
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Reply #5 posted 10/31/07 6:14am

Vanilli

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dag said:

Moonbeam said:



That's how I interpret it- a very simple lyric about those who can groove versus those who can't.

ok, thanks


dag - I wish you were my teacher.

You are an awesome! An educator who appreciates MJ.....how REFRESHING.
Most teachers I've had over the years trash Michael.
MJ Fan 1992-Forever

My Org Family: Cinnie, bboy87, Cinnamon234, AnckSuNamun, lilgish, thekidsgirl, thesexofit, Universaluv, theSpark, littlemissG, ThreadCula, badujunkie, DANGEROUSx, Timmy84, MikeMatronik, DarlingDiana, dag, Nvncible1
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Reply #6 posted 10/31/07 7:11am

TotalAlisa

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actually this song sounds very satanic..... but it has become my least favorite MJ song...

singing about demons possesing someone.. that is NOT FUNNY... its real life...

And whosoever shall be found
Without the soul for getting down
Must stand and face the hounds of hell

And rot inside a corpse's shell
The foulest stench is in the air
The funk of forty thousand years
And grizzy ghouls from every tomb
Are closing in to seal your doom
And though you fight to stay alive
Your body starts to shiver
For no mere mortal can resist
The evil of the thriller


YOUR spirit going to hell... this is talking about someone actually in hell... the GRizzy is a demon.. tormenting someone in a pit in hell.... it is also talking about the rot of your flesh, because of fire and the worm that never dies will continue to eat through your "death body"... there's NO HOPE, NO REST, AND NO JESUS


YOu smell the rot and, hearing the screams, yells, crying and WEEPING of tremendous fear and tourment...

CHECK OUT THIS SITE IF YOU WANT TO have a revelation of hell and heaven and after jesus christ comes back.... all these things in the song pertain to hell.. and its not funny.. its sad.. because so many people are in hell right now sad

www.spiritlessons.com
[Edited 10/31/07 13:38pm]
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Reply #7 posted 10/31/07 7:51am

dag

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Vanilli said:

dag said:


ok, thanks


dag - I wish you were my teacher.

You are an awesome! An educator who appreciates MJ.....how REFRESHING.
Most teachers I've had over the years trash Michael.

ah, thank you. That´s sweet. Actually I think it might be the other way round. The students will be trashing him. They´re 13-year-olds who know him only as a freak from tabloids. I don´t expect them to know anything about his music. Well maybe they´ll change their mind and get to know some of his work after listening to this.
I had similar experience last year with other students. I played them Heal the world. The whole class loved it. ONly one boy knew who sang it. The rest of the class looked at each other in amazement as if they just found out that Michael Jackson is actually a singer. ALthough everyone knew him, but only as the weirdo. They only asked me questions about the allegations and his appearance. Eventually I think I got them into him or at least some of them because at the end of the year, one girl even knew the song Jam, so they probably got the Dangerous album.
[Edited 10/31/07 7:54am]
"When Michael Jackson is just singing and dancing, you just think this is an astonishing talent. And he has had this astounding talent all his life, but we want him to be floored as well. We really don´t like the idea that he could have it all."
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Reply #8 posted 10/31/07 8:05am

daPrettyman

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If u listen to the outtake on the Special Edition of the album, the rap makes more sense.
**--••--**--••**--••--**--••**--••--**--••**--••-
U 'gon make me shake my doo loose!
http://www.twitter.com/nivlekbrad
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Reply #9 posted 10/31/07 8:13am

dag

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daPrettyman said:

If u listen to the outtake on the Special Edition of the album, the rap makes more sense.

yeah, you´re right.

Does the funk in line:
The funk of forty thousand years
mean the music?

And one more thing
"So let me hold you tight and share a killer, diller, chiller
Thriller here tonight"
What is diller? Can´t find it in any dictionary.
[Edited 10/31/07 8:21am]
"When Michael Jackson is just singing and dancing, you just think this is an astonishing talent. And he has had this astounding talent all his life, but we want him to be floored as well. We really don´t like the idea that he could have it all."
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Reply #10 posted 10/31/07 8:51am

daPrettyman

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dag said:

daPrettyman said:

If u listen to the outtake on the Special Edition of the album, the rap makes more sense.

yeah, you´re right.

Does the funk in line:
The funk of forty thousand years
mean the music?

And one more thing
"So let me hold you tight and share a killer, diller, chiller
Thriller here tonight"
What is diller? Can´t find it in any dictionary.
[Edited 10/31/07 8:21am]

I have no clue. Rod Temperton said he was rushed to write Vincent Price's rap for the song. Maybe he couln't find anything to rhyme with Thriller.
**--••--**--••**--••--**--••**--••--**--••**--••-
U 'gon make me shake my doo loose!
http://www.twitter.com/nivlekbrad
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Reply #11 posted 10/31/07 1:10pm

superspaceboy

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dag said:

I teach English and since it´s Halloween I thought about listening to Thriller in one of my classes. I´d like to translate the lyrics, but I am not sure about some lines (the highlighted ones). Can you help me with them, please?

Thriller

It's close to midnight and something evil's lurking in the dark
Under the moonlight you see a sight that almost stops your heart
You try to scream but terror takes the sound before you make it
You start to freeze as horror looks you right between the eyes,
You're paralyzed

'Cause this is thriller, thriller night
And no one's gonna save you from the beast about
Strike
You know it's thriller, thriller night
You're fighting for your life inside a killer, thriller
Tonight

You hear the door slam and realize there's nowhere left to run
You feel the cold hand and wonder if you'll ever see the sun
You close your eyes and hope that this is just
Imagination
But all the while you hear the creature creepin' up
Behind
You're out of time

'Cause this is thriller, thriller night
There ain't no second chance against the thing with
Forty eyes
You know it's thriller, thriller night
You're fighting for your life inside of killer, thriller tonight

Night creatures call
And the dead start to walk in their masquerade
There's no escapin' the jaws of the alien this time
(They're open wide)
This is the end of your life

They're out to get you, there's demons closing in on every side
They will possess you unless you change the number on your dial
Now is the time for you and I to cuddle close together
All thru the night I'll save you from the terror on the screen,
I'll make you see

That this is thriller, thriller night
'Cause I can thrill you more than any ghost would dare to try
Girl, this is thriller, thriller night
So let me hold you tight and share a killer, diller, chiller
Thriller here tonight

[Rap performed by Vincent Price]
Darkness falls across the land
The midnight hour is close at hand
Creatures crawl in search of blood
To terrorize yawl's neighborhood
And whosoever shall be found
Without the soul for getting down
Must stand and face the hounds of hell
And rot inside a corpse's shell
The foulest stench is in the air
The funk of forty thousand years
And grizzy ghouls from every tomb
Are closing in to seal your doom
And though you fight to stay alive
Your body starts to shiver
For no mere mortal can resist
The evil of the thriller


I really don´t get that phone-number thing and I´d like to know what kind of person is that in the second one. And what does "grizzy" mean?
Thanks in advance
[Edited 10/31/07 0:18am]


For someone who says things like You're a vegetable...I really don't look for terrible meaning in his lyrics. Most of them are pretty on the surface anyway.

Christian Zombie Vampires

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Reply #12 posted 10/31/07 1:25pm

3121Addict

i don't think he actually says "yawl's neighborhood"

i think he says "the"
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Reply #13 posted 10/31/07 1:34pm

INSATIABLE

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Grizzly:

If you're looking to use the right exact word (?), it's 'grisly'. Same pronounciation. 'Grizzly' is a term for a kind of North American bear or something that is greying in color.. 'Grisly', in the dictionary, means:

gris·ly1 /ˈgrɪzli
–adjective, -li·er, -li·est.
1. causing a shudder or feeling of horror; horrible; gruesome: a grisly murder.
2. formidable; grim: a grisly countenance.


-----

[Origin: bef. 1150; ME; OE grislīc horrible; c. OHG grīsenlīh]

—Related forms
gris·li·ness, noun
Oh shit, my hat done fell off
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Reply #14 posted 10/31/07 1:54pm

whatsgoingon

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Thriller has become part of the Halloween tradition. It seens everyone on Youtube is watching it at the moment.
[Edited 10/31/07 13:55pm]
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Reply #15 posted 10/31/07 1:58pm

InsatiableCrea
m

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one of MJ's best songs
cream.
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Reply #16 posted 10/31/07 3:15pm

lameless

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Actually, televisions had dials back in day (pre-cable, when there were only 4 channels, lol). So, the lyrics, "change the number on your dial" mean change the television station.
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