Late in the Evening
The first thing I remember - I was lying in my bed. I couldn't have been no more than one or two. And I remember there's a radio coming from the room next door. My mother laughed the way some ladies do. Well, it's late in the evening, and the music's seeping through.
The next thing I remember - I am walking down a street. I'm feeling alright, I'm with my boys, I'm with my troops. Yeah! Down along the avenue some guys were shootin' pool and I heard the sound of acapella groups singin' late in the evening, and all the girls out on the stoops.
Then I learned to play some lead guitar. I was underage in this funky bar and I stepped outside to smoke myself a J. When I'd come back to the room, everybody just seemed to move and I turned my amp up loud and I began to play. It was late in the evening, and I blew that room away.
First thing I remember when you came into my life, I said "I wanna get that girl, no matter what I do!" Well I guess I've been in love before and once or twice have been on the floor but I've never loved no one the way that I love you. And it was late in the evening, and all the music's seeping through.
(What the hell was that all about, e-kvetcher?)
Well, I've been thinking about the fact that sometimes a song can get away with some pretty stupid lyrics and still sound good, because there are obviously many other aspects to a good song, but sometimes, the lyrics can really carry a song. And for some reason I thought of Paul Simon's "Late in the Evening". And I thought - what if I took the lyrics and instead of writing them out as verse, just write them as prose. Would people who don't know the song realize right away that these are meant to be song lyrics?
The next thing I remember - I am walking down a street. I'm feeling alright, I'm with my boys, I'm with my troops. Yeah! Down along the avenue some guys were shootin' pool and I heard the sound of acapella groups singin' late in the evening, and all the girls out on the stoops.
Then I learned to play some lead guitar. I was underage in this funky bar and I stepped outside to smoke myself a J. When I'd come back to the room, everybody just seemed to move and I turned my amp up loud and I began to play. It was late in the evening, and I blew that room away.
First thing I remember when you came into my life, I said "I wanna get that girl, no matter what I do!" Well I guess I've been in love before and once or twice have been on the floor but I've never loved no one the way that I love you. And it was late in the evening, and all the music's seeping through.
(What the hell was that all about, e-kvetcher?)
Well, I've been thinking about the fact that sometimes a song can get away with some pretty stupid lyrics and still sound good, because there are obviously many other aspects to a good song, but sometimes, the lyrics can really carry a song. And for some reason I thought of Paul Simon's "Late in the Evening". And I thought - what if I took the lyrics and instead of writing them out as verse, just write them as prose. Would people who don't know the song realize right away that these are meant to be song lyrics?
posted by e-kvetcher at 8:15 AM
8 Comments:
I think those lyrics are kinda reminiscent of a Jonathan Safran Foer book.
Any book in particular? And did you recognize the song before you read the hidden text?
I think I've only read his "Everything is Illuminated" but just the writing style struck me - he writes in so many different distinct voices and the memories kinda seemed like that to me. I didn't recognize the song, though I did guess it was lyrics. But I'm not that well acquainted with Paul Simon.
i knew I recognized that song. in fact I was singing it in my head as I read your post
> Would people who don't know the song realize right away that these are meant to be song lyrics?\
Yes.
I got it. But I'm just smart. And also, it sounded like song lyrics.
Miri, was it the rhyme that gave it away? I tried to structure it on the page in paragraphs so the rhyming isn't visually obvious, but I think theparagraphs are too short and they give it away.
the rhyming but only a bit; the repetitive imagery was the real tip-off. also the random "yeah!" in the the middle of nowhere, it's very rarely used that way in any other genre. I mean you probably wouldn't find that in poetry either. Also the subject matter was a hint.
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