The REAL Life of the Crying Marshal

Lyrics

(1)

Everybody wants regular, like you did, it’s early days

It’s early days
Shout!

The crying marshal
The crying marshal
The crying marshal left town over 16 times


The marshall left town over 16 times
Mainly for the fashion lifestyle of exhibition  (2)
On return pulled in behind you
If you’re dead he said so am I

So am I, so am I, so am I...

The crying marshal

Said to friends you’re dead
If you’re dead so am I

Everbody wants regular
Everybody wants regular, like you did, it’s early days

Ten AM
Ten, eleven PM

The crying marshal
If you’re dead so am I

Everybody wants regular, like you do

Notes

1. On the "F-Oldin' Money" single this is subtitled "(new version)," which suggests this is to be considered an alternate version of "The Crying Marshal." However, it is different enough, both musically and lyrically, as well as sporting a different title, that I have decided to give it a separate entry. 

"Marshal(l)" is spelled with two 'l's in the title of The Marshall Suite, and with one 'l' in the title of the three songs that contain the word in their names. According to the OED, the correct spelling of the word is with one 'l', "Marshal"; although the two-'l' version is not credited as an alternate spelling, it survives in many of the examples of its use given under the entry, with none of these more recent than 1933 (or 1954 if we count the definition "an officer of the highest rank in any of various armies"; however, MES most likely had the definition that identifies a "marshal" as a sort of sheriff in mind). 

From The Outsider:

So who, or what, is the Crying Marshall?

"He's just. . . a figure, to link it together. The idea started when I did the track "The Crying Marshall" with these two blokes called The Filthy Three; one of them is Jason [Barron]. They had a song and they didn't have any lyrics for it. That song came from that; throwing ideas around. I thought it would be good to do it as the story of his life, a themed LP, with a thread running through it. It's such an unhip thing to do, but I do want to continue and develop it. Maybe a five sided thing next: the return of the Marshall."

^

 

2. Nairn has pointed out that this may be a grunt, in which case this would read "fashion lifestyle exhibition." Since this would change the meaning, I put it here as a possible variant.

^

Comments (6)

nairng
  • 1. nairng | 09/02/2017
I feel strongly that it is "fasion lifestyle exhibition", not last-hour exhibition.
bbzzttffg
  • 2. bbzzttffg | 11/02/2017
I'm sorry you feel so strongly about it, because I hear "of."

So, "fashion lifestyle of exhibition" it is, only a fool could think it is "last hour"...

The question is, can we both live with that? I have feelings too...
Nairn Gordon
  • 3. Nairn Gordon | 13/02/2017
I don't know why i put "strongly"...it's just a song...sorry...i just think it's lifestyle exhibition...but i respect your feelings, too!
bzfgt
  • 4. bzfgt | 18/02/2017
nairn, all banter aside, do you not hear the "of"? Or do you think it's just kind of a random aspiration or grunt? Think carefully before you answer, we are speaking to posterity...
nairng
  • 5. nairng | 19/02/2017
There is another syllable detectable. It's another double-tracked vocal, so it's pretty unclear. "Of" is more likely than anything else. I guess. If I had the time/energy/gumption to put together a site anywhere near as brilliant as this one, i'd just leave it as "lifestyle exhibition", because i prefer the clear sense of it....but i don't, so please feel free to disregard my input as you see fit!
bzfgt
  • 6. bzfgt | 25/02/2017
Thanks for the compliment, nairn, since I don't get paid for this they are my only recompense!

I would certainly put it down as a grunt if I didn't think that it has a clear sense as I have it...a fashion lifestyle of exhibition, i.e. someone with exhibitionist tendencies, who likes to show off etc.

However, this does call my attention to the fact that upon this pesky syllable hangs the meaning of the line, as it changes according to whether it's "of" or "uh-". And we have just diagnosed an "uh-" on "Bill's Dead"...so I will add something to the note to encourage more leeway on the part of the listener.

Add a comment