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 Post subject: Bad Grammar in Marvelous Things?Posted: Sun Jul 25, 2021 4:22 am 
So, Marvelous Things is one of my favourite Eisley songs, but there's one part that has always puzzled me about it. It is the opening line "I woke the dawn / Saw horses growing out the lawn". Taking this literally it sounds like horses are letting grass grow without cutting it i.e. they're "growing out the lawn" the way a person "grows out their hair". But I think what is meant is that horses are growing out of the lawn, but the word "of" is missing. At least, that's how I always took it. I've always wondered if my interpretation of that line was correct and if the word "of" was dropped to make the song flow better or if I've been wrong this whole time. I've also wondered if this phrasing is an old-fashioned way of speaking since Eisley does do that from time to time e.g. "Bold endeavors by and by", archaic pronunciation of "wingéd". Anyway, this is really nerdy and nitpicky, but I thought this would be the best place to ask the question lol. |
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Joined: 10 Apr 2011 | Posts: 67 |
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Post subject: Posted: Sun Jul 25, 2021 9:17 am
Taken the way you present it, would imply intention on the part of the horses. But the song is written in first person, and the tense of the sentence implies that the point of view character was witnessing something happen in the moment, instead of over a long period of time. I took it as being poetic with the phrasing of the line to arrive at the meter/ rhythm that best suited the song. "Marvelous Things" is one of at least a couple of Eisley tunes they've had a sense of humor about when it comes to their lyrics. I used that as the basis for a handful of blog posts where I did revisions on lyrics to try and improve the meter or poetic quality of the phrasing. http://willrambles.blogspot.com/2016/12/poetic-license-or-in-other-wor ds-new.html _________________ yup, that's my name. FOR YOUR RATING PLEASURE: 4 LIKE Buttons, 1 NEUTRAL, 1 VEXED, 5 DISLIKE buttons. LC > FB           
 = personal fave  = Eisley fans should dig it
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Joined: 09 Apr 2008 | Posts: 9649 | Location: Greater St. Louis Area
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