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 Post subject: I've Had Her
PostPosted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 1:19 pm
  

BlunderVirgin

Joined: Oct 26, 2011
Posts: 5
This may not be the right section, but I couldn't see a better one.

This song haunts me - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7Yu3_4piJk - Phil Ochs - "I've Had Her".

The problem is, I'm having a lot of trouble deciphering it's meaning. It's probably the most beautiful song I've ever heard, but I have no clue what it's about. Can anyone help me out?


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 Post subject: Re: I've Had Her
PostPosted: Sun Nov 27, 2011 7:11 pm
  

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Joined: Sep 15, 1999
Posts: 8253
he sounds...upset?


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 Post subject: Re: I've Had Her
PostPosted: Mon Dec 05, 2011 12:57 pm
  

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BlunderVirgin

Joined: Dec 05, 2011
Posts: 2
The Lyrics are pretty direct.

The night air is inviting you to walk out on the trail
You will not fail
You will not fail
And by the beach a lady sails a ship without a sail
And you reach out for her
And you reach out for her
But, I've had her
I've had her
She's nothing

Down the cliffs you clamber and you tumble to the shore
The warm waves roar
The warm waves roar
And on the reef a mermaid siren screams one perfume more
And she shouts to you
Through the foam she shouts to you
But, I've had her
I've had her
She's nothing

The players at the party are prepared to take a chance
They drop their pants
They drop their pants
In the corner, she's so crystaline no one dares to ask a dance
And she calls out to you
And she calls out to you
But, I've had her
I've had her
She's nothing

In the prison of your broken bed you dribble in a dream
And find a queen
And find a queen
But your sleep is sadly stolen by the face that is a stream
That's flowing out to you
She's flowing out to you
But, I've had her
I've had her
She's nothing

The vision of the seven veils are racing down the road
signs are slow
The signs are slow
But beauty is the mistress and the beauty you've been told
You'd speed the route for her
You'd speed the route for her
But, I've had her
I've had her
She's nothing

The fog has changed the city to a friendly frightened fawn
The shades are drawn
The shades are drawn
To posess her misty madness you would gladly duel the dawn
And fade out to her
And fade out to her
But, I've had her
I've had her
She's nothing

The circus clown, he hides a tear beneath his pained smile
And charms a child
And charms a child
While the dancing girls and prancing horse blows kisses down the aisle
You'd roll about for her
You'd roll about for her
But, I've had her
I've had her
She's nothing

All alone, the flaming field, your fairy love is spread
Your time has fled
Your time has fled
Now the only way to touch her is the gun beside your head
Now there's now doubt for her
Now there's now doubt for her
But, I've had her
I've had her
She's nothing


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 Post subject: Re: I've Had Her
PostPosted: Mon Dec 05, 2011 1:09 pm
  

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BlunderVirgin

Joined: Dec 05, 2011
Posts: 2
It reminds me of something my dad told me once, "Just remember Son, no matter how much you like her, how hot she is and how much you want her, somewhere there is a guy who is sick of putting up with her shiit."


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 Post subject: Re: I've Had Her
PostPosted: Mon Dec 05, 2011 4:02 pm
  

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Joined: Jul 06, 2008
Posts: 2531
Images: 2
Location: Crawfordville, Florida
:D :lol:


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 Post subject: Re: I've Had Her
PostPosted: Tue Dec 06, 2011 9:55 am
  

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Joined: Sep 15, 1999
Posts: 8253
i suppose that could go either way...for hims or hers

well okay,,,glad to hear that...makes me look forward to,,,something?

interesting approach.


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 Post subject: Re: I've Had Her
PostPosted: Thu Dec 29, 2011 9:39 pm
  

BlunderVirgin

Joined: Dec 29, 2011
Posts: 1
Suggested changes to the presented lyrics:

The night air is inviting you to walk out on [upon?] the trail
You will not fail
You will not fail
And by the beach a lady sails a ship without a sail
And you reach out for her
And you reach out for her
But, I've had her
I've had her
She's nothing

Down the cliffs you clamber and you tumble to the shore
The warm waves roar
The warm waves roar
And on the reef a mermaid siren screams [sprays] one perfume more
And she shouts to you
Through the foam she shouts to you
But, I've had her
I've had her
She's nothing

The players at the party are prepared to take a chance
They drop their pants [yes, but quite jarring compared with the gentle, wistful tone of the poem]
They drop their pants
In the corner, she's so crystaline [crystalline -sp] no one dares to ask a dance [pass the dance? ask the dance?]
And she calls out to you
And she calls out to you
But, I've had her
I've had her
She's nothing

In the prison of your broken bed you dribble in a dream
And find a queen
And find a queen
But your sleep is sadly stolen by the [a] face that is a stream
That's flowing [blowin'?] out to you
She's flowing [blowin'?] out to you
But, I've had her
I've had her
She's nothing

The vision of the seven veils are racing down the road
[th' [elided "the" with "signs"]] signs are slow [have slowed]
The signs are slow [have slowed]
But beauty is the mistress and the [by] beauty you've been told
You'd speed the route for her
You'd speed the route for her
But, I've had her
I've had her
She's nothing

The fog has changed the city to a friendly frightened fawn
The shades are drawn
The shades are drawn
To posess [possess -sp] her misty madness you would gladly duel the dawn
And fade out to her
And fade out to her
But, I've had her
I've had her
She's nothing

The circus clown, he hides a tear beneath his pained [painted] smile
And charms a child
And charms a child
While the dancing girls [girl] and [on the] prancing horse blows kisses down the aisle
You'd roll about for her
You'd roll about for her
But, I've had her
I've had her
She's nothing

All alone, the flaming field, [All along the flaming field] your fairy love is spread
Your time has fled
Your time has fled
Now the only way to touch her is the gun beside your head
Now there's now [no] doubt for her
Now there's now [no] doubt for her
But, I've had her
I've had her
She's nothing



The 19th century art work and highly romantic imagery seem apt for this song. Ochs fills the poem with very gentle words and images until the jarring last stanza about the gun.

This reminds me of his setting of The Highwayman.

It has a lot of alliteration and assonance.

It is a beautiful, wistful, sad, nearly despairing poem.

I like and appreciate the repeated use of the "out" motif in the stanzas.

reach out
she shouts
calls out
blowin' out
speed the route
fade out
roll about
no doubt

This type of interior-line rhyming reminds of his song Changes.

Ochs drops a lot of "g" endings, particularly on the word "nothin'". Note: "nothin'" is less than "nothing".

Ochs plays on the presence of "the female" in each of his stanzas:

an unobtainable lady on a ship
a mermaid siren on a reef
an unapproachable beauty at a party
a queen in a dream
the vision of beauty in the seven veils
a city transformed into a faun
the dancing girl on the prancing horse
a fairy love

Some of these are myths, some are archetypes. They represent some release from one's present, often-tortured condition. There is a lot of love-sick yearning happening here.

In each case, the speaker rejects the vision or the release, including the suicide impulse in the last stanza. He's tried or contemplated each release. There is no release, even when one's time has fled.


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 Post subject: Re: I've Had Her
PostPosted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 7:23 pm
  

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Arlo Fanatic

Joined: Sep 15, 1999
Posts: 8253
i am not so sure about the words being "gentle" up until only the last bit...

but on the subject of,,,like, the legendary sirens thing and all
while i was out wandering about i saw a really large print of this painting and thought i would share it here
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/56 ... d42653.jpg
i really loved it..in a way it made laugh? i am like, wow..., i mean, look at that cross! a naked man and a cross! a naked woman and...?
great painting i thought


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