Hello again, happy New Year, and welcome to our first 2017 edition of 羽曳野古市英会話の英国音楽!
PJ Harvey, a unique alternative talent in rock music
Polly Jean Harvey, who had grown up on a farm in Dorset and learned the guitar from folk singer/songwriter Steve Knightley, drew attention with an album called Dry in 1992. Rid of Me came out the following year. Though they are both considered indie classics, worldwide fame came when she went solo with the 1995 album To Bring You My Love. PJ has released nine studio albums to date, received many accolades, and achieved commercial success and critical acclaim.
\”Sheela-na-gig\”
We share with you a title from Dry. As you watch the video and read the lyrics, see if you can answer these questions:
(i) Do we know the name of the female character in the song?
(ii) What does \”Sheela-na-gig\” refer to?
(iii) What will the woman achieve if she manages to \”wash that man right out of my hair\”?
The answers are below the lyrics.
Lyrics
Listen and fill in the gaps:
\”I\’ve been trying to show you over and over
____ __ _____, my child-bearing hips
Look at these, my ruby red, ruby lips
____ __ _____, my work-strong arms and
You\’ve got to see my bottle full of charm
I lay it all at your feet
You turn around and say back to me, \”he said\”
Sheela-na-gig, Sheela-na-gig
You exhibitionist
Sheela-na-gig, Sheela-na-gig
You exhibitionist
Gonna wash that man right out of my hair
Just like the first time, said he didn\’t care
Gonna wash that man right out of my hair
Heard it before, no more
Gonna wash that man right out of my hair
Turn the corner, another one there
Gonna wash that man right out of my hair
Heard it before, he said
Sheela-na-gig, Sheela-na-gig
You exhibitionist
Sheela-na-gig, Sheela-na-gig
You exhibitionist
Put money in your idle hole (x2)
Gonna wash that man right out of my hair
Just like the first time, said he didn\’t care
Gonna wash that man right out of my hair
Heard it before, no more
Gonna take my hips to a man who cares
Turn the corner, another one there
Gonna take my hips to a man who cares
Heard it before, he said
Sheela-na-gig, sheela-na-gig
You exhibitionist
Sheela-na-gig, sheela-na-gig
You exhibitionist
Put money in your idle hole (x2)
He said, \”Wash your breasts, I don\’t want to be unclean\”
He said, \”Please take those dirty pillows away from me\”
(x3)\”
Quiz Answer Key
(i) Do we know the name of the female character in the song?
We cannot be sure that Sheela-na-gig is the character\’s actual name; it is more likely a nickname.
(ii) What does \”Sheela-na-gig\” refer to?
A sheela na gig is \”a medieval stone figure of a naked female with the legs wide apart and the hands emphasizing the genitals, found in churches in Britain and Ireland\” (Google).
(iii) What will the woman achieve if she manages to \”wash that man right out of my hair\”?
The woman will forget about him, and he will therefore stop annoying her. The proper expression is \”to get someone out of one\’s hair\”; the line in the song is a reference to a song from the 1949 musical South Pacific.
How do you interpret the song? Share your thoughts with us.
A 英会話羽曳野古市 + 英会話大阪天王寺 Project
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