This post isn't related to cruising, really, but bear with me.
Most people out cruising full time are now baby boomers. No, I don't have any facts to back that statement up, but I'm guessing its true.
Do you remember when you were a kid and the old folks listened to Lawrence Welk? Stick with me here.
People my age, 60 and over listened to music from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Rock and roll and folk music, and a blend of the two. Much of the music was anti-establishment. It was about war, it was about peace and love, and it was about drugs.
Reading my Facebook page this morning, there was a YouTube link to "One Toke Over the Line" by Brewer and Shipley, a great tune from 1971. I loved that song, but what got me was that I thought the words were "one toe over the line". LOL! I couldn't hear even back then.
Anyway, what I usually do when confronted with something contrary to what I thought I knew was that I googled the lyrics and their meaning. According to SongFacts.com, Brewer and Shipley wrote the song while in a dressing room at a coffee house. It was a song about excess, overdosing on weed in this case, or being "one toke over the line".
Here is a snip of some of the lyrics...
One toke over the line sweet Jesus
One toke over the line
Sittin' downtown in a railway station
One toke over the line
Awaitin' for the train that goes home, sweet Mary
Hopin' that the train is on time
Sittin' downtown in a railway station
One toke over the line
Now here is the funny part. Gail and Dale sang this song on the Lawrence Welk Show.
Lawrence Welk - "And there you've heard a modern spiritual by Gail and Dale." And here is the original version by Brewer & Shipley... No, I know its not cruising related, or liveaboard related. Its just a flashback to my youth. One toke over the line, indeed. I wonder what Lawrence thought when someone told him?
Most people out cruising full time are now baby boomers. No, I don't have any facts to back that statement up, but I'm guessing its true.
Do you remember when you were a kid and the old folks listened to Lawrence Welk? Stick with me here.
People my age, 60 and over listened to music from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. Rock and roll and folk music, and a blend of the two. Much of the music was anti-establishment. It was about war, it was about peace and love, and it was about drugs.
Reading my Facebook page this morning, there was a YouTube link to "One Toke Over the Line" by Brewer and Shipley, a great tune from 1971. I loved that song, but what got me was that I thought the words were "one toe over the line". LOL! I couldn't hear even back then.
Anyway, what I usually do when confronted with something contrary to what I thought I knew was that I googled the lyrics and their meaning. According to SongFacts.com, Brewer and Shipley wrote the song while in a dressing room at a coffee house. It was a song about excess, overdosing on weed in this case, or being "one toke over the line".
Here is a snip of some of the lyrics...
One toke over the line sweet Jesus
One toke over the line
Sittin' downtown in a railway station
One toke over the line
Awaitin' for the train that goes home, sweet Mary
Hopin' that the train is on time
Sittin' downtown in a railway station
One toke over the line
Now here is the funny part. Gail and Dale sang this song on the Lawrence Welk Show.
Lawrence Welk - "And there you've heard a modern spiritual by Gail and Dale." And here is the original version by Brewer & Shipley... No, I know its not cruising related, or liveaboard related. Its just a flashback to my youth. One toke over the line, indeed. I wonder what Lawrence thought when someone told him?
Oh, my gosh - way too funny. It looked like an SNL skit. Anyway, just saw your previous post of the pics at the beach - nice!
ReplyDeleteDeb
Dave, you do a wonderful job of writing about things that amuse you. (and hopefully us) I've never been a big cruising blog fan, because I'm sorry. But, as much as I would like to go to FIJI myself, reading about someone else buying kumquats in FIJI just doesn't do it for me.
ReplyDeleteOver the course of my life, I have often been encouraged to "Write." That's, write with a Capital W mind you... I had spent years looking forward to Chicago Trib Columnist Mike Royko's next words of wisdom and found the prospect of comparing my work to his, rather daunting.
I've got to say that these days, I look forward to your next pearl as much as I looked forward to reading Royko back in the 80s.
Cheers, my friend.
Thank you, Tim. That is high praise coming from you.
DeleteGreat song, great story.
ReplyDeleteToo funny, perhaps Lawrence Welk was hip after all? or, Perhaps they thought 'toke' was shortform for token? But I do recall the show trying to sing very up to date songs,,, makes me smile now!!
ReplyDeleteWell, it was musicians who first started smoking that stuff back in the 30s and I always thought Myron and Larry seemed ripped. It could have been the Champagne bubbles though.
ReplyDelete