Hawaiian chants in Roll Plymouth Rock?

[Mahalo]

LSD? Amphetamines? Hash?

[Roger Ryan]

Maybe I'm taking the lyrics to literally, but how does one ride a bicycle on the ocean to reach Hawaii?

I think what we're saying is that the "Bicycle Rider" is a description of the European settler in America (as a reference to their playing cards and to the increased sophistication of their technology, as opposed to Native Americans who didn't ride bicycles, etc.). So, the "Bicycle Rider" travelled by boat to reach the Hawaiian Isles in his goal of Manifest Destiny. The "ribbon of concrete" soon followed (I always thought this variation should have been the second chorus instead of the first), although after the locomotive, of course.

What is striking about this is that Parks is touching on a very serious and damning critique of American history, but doing so in a very light, playful manner. The very term "Bicycle Rider" sounds quaint and harmless until you recognize what it is a metaphor for.

[Roger Ryan]

i'd never spotted this one.  wallop.

i remember first spotting 'hall a cost-' (surf's up),

Never saw that before...thanx Boiled Egg

There has to be dozens of these puns in the SMiLE lyrics...

"Hand in hand, some..." = "handsome"

"nestle in a kiss" = "Nestle Kiss" (the brand of chocolate candy)

"Canvass the town" = both going around the town handing out flyers and literally pulling a piece of painter's canvas over the town.

"golden locket" = "Goldilocks" the fairy tale character.

"Have you seen  the grand coolie working on the railroad?" references both the Chinese immigrants who built the railways and  the Grand Coulee Dam.

"Through the recess, the chalk and numbers" refers both to an opening (as in a cliffside) and to children's playtime during a school day.

Those are just a few off the top of my head. Does anyone want to add any others?

[Alex]

i'd never spotted this one.  wallop.

i remember first spotting 'hall a cost-' (surf's up),

Never saw that before...thanx Boiled Egg

There has to be dozens of these puns in the SMiLE lyrics...

"Hand in hand, some..." = "handsome"

"nestle in a kiss" = "Nestle Kiss" (the brand of chocolate candy)

"Canvass the town" = both going around the town handing out flyers and literally pulling a piece of painter's canvas over the town.

"golden locket" = "Goldilocks" the fairy tale character.

"Have you seen  the grand coolie working on the railroad?" references both the Chinese immigrants who built the railways and  the Grand Coulee Dam.

"Through the recess, the chalk and numbers" refers both to an opening (as in a cliffside) and to children's playtime during a school day.

Those are just a few off the top of my head. Does anyone want to add any others?

"Cart off and sell my vegetables"-I read somewhere that "Kartofen"(sp??) is German for potato.

And its Hershey's Kiss, not Nestle Kiss. The "nestle in a kiss" line must've resulted from VDP getting Nestle and Hershey's confused, unless Kisses were made by Nestle back in the 60s.

[Roger Ryan]

And its Hershey's Kiss, not Nestle Kiss. The "nestle in a kiss" line must've resulted from VDP getting Nestle and Hershey's confused, unless Kisses were made by Nestle back in the 60s.

Whoops - that one was startlingly obvious! Of course Hershey's made "kisses". I wonder if Parks was trying to pull the two together; one was a chocolate manufacturer and the other was a chocolate treat. Maybe I'm reaching too much here.

[runnersdialzero]

Maybe it's Hawaiian for "Over and over the crow cries uncover the cornfield..." and was the only way Brian and Van Dyke could trick Mike into singing those lyrics?
 

Mike sings that part?

[Andrew G. Doe]

"I'm red as a beet 'cause I'm so embarassed"

OK, red as a beet is kinda obvious, but there's a variety of lettuce called Cos ('cause).

[SloopJohnB]

"Cart off and sell my vegetables"-I read somewhere that "Kartofen"(sp??) is German for potato.

Kartoffeln. 

[donald]

In blues vernacular the "rider" is a sexual partner.  Maybe we 'screwed" the natives.

The possibilities are endless.

I was always partial to the bicycle rider as a sort of celestial or distant witness to to the whole thing that transpired...

and since it was us that committed the genocide, we are the bicycle rider.......

But that is the fun of VDP lyrics.......the puns, the double entendres.....right?

[JCarson]

Wanted an excuse to post this thought for ages (think I once posted it elsewhere to little response).

My take on the "Rock, rock, roll, Plymouth rock, roll over" line is to link it to the original title of the track, namely Do you like worms. I am impressed by Lou Shenk's interpretation of the overarching theme of Smile (as hosted on the late departed Smile Shop) being a 'return to innocence' (as opposed to Pet Sounds being a lament for the loss of innocence). Roll Plymouth Rock is about the desire to turn back the clock, to undo the wrongs of history (or at least not repeat them in the context of the Vietnam war); but in order to do this you must first face what has been already done. Roll back Plymouth Rock, the foundation myth of America, and see the worms wriggling beneath the rock: the oppression of native Americans, the despoiling of nature (ribbon of concrete), the massacre of a culture. Didn't Frank Holmes' illustration for this track feature the opened 'can of worms' of the cliche. See what the Heroes and Villains have done to the church of the American Indian.

Ultimately Smile, on this interpretation, is redemptive. Adults may recoil from worms, but many childen are fascinated by them. We must face up to the sins of our forebears.  And it is to the children's song that we must attend. Do you like worms?

Not sure any of this makes much sense. The Smile project, in this period  (late '66), is so dense with cross-reference and allusion. Truly brilliant.

[Sheriff John Stone]

Wanted an excuse to post this thought for ages (think I once posted it elsewhere to little response).

My take on the "Rock, rock, roll, Plymouth rock, roll over" line is to link it to the original title of the track, namely Do you like worms. I am impressed by Lou Shenk's interpretation of the overarching theme of Smile (as hosted on the late departed Smile Shop) being a 'return to innocence' (as opposed to Pet Sounds being a lament for the loss of innocence). Roll Plymouth Rock is about the desire to turn back the clock, to undo the wrongs of history (or at least not repeat them in the context of the Vietnam war); but in order to do this you must first face what has been already done. Roll back Plymouth Rock, the foundation myth of America, and see the worms wriggling beneath the rock: the oppression of native Americans, the despoiling of nature (ribbon of concrete), the massacre of a culture. Didn't Frank Holmes' illustration for this track feature the opened 'can of worms' of the cliche. See what the Heroes and Villains have done to the church of the American Indian.

Ultimately Smile, on this interpretation, is redemptive. Adults may recoil from worms, but many childen are fascinated by them. We must face up to the sins of our forebears.  And it is to the children's song that we must attend. Do you like worms?

Not sure any of this makes much sense. The Smile project, in this period  (late '66), is so dense with cross-reference and allusion. Truly brilliant.

That's deep. Very deep. But I like it.

If your theory is true, and I'm not educated enough to judge either way, that makes me respect SMiLE even more for its hipness, deep meaning, and artistic merit.

[Roger Ryan]

Holmes' "can of worms" imagery is pretty clear in suggesting that something controversial is being uncovered. Rolling over Plymouth Rock to find those worms is an apt and poetic metaphor for examining the crimes of American history. Apart from the straightforward condemnation of the lyric "see what you've done to the church of the American Indian", we have Parks stating that the "Bicycle Rider" is the playing cards representing the gambling and alcoholism which helped destroy the native American culture. I'd say JCarson's post is right on the money.

[Magic Transistor Radio]

I believe that as Van Dykes and Brian were writing, it hit a nerve with the illuminati and masons that have been running America (and the world) for years. So they had to stop them. Thus bugging Brian's house and puting stuff in his drink to make him paranoid.

But, seriously, I think the only way we can figure out what Smile is REALLY all about is to get Mike Love on here to explain it to us.

[Sheriff John Stone]

After all of these years, decades actually, I still find it hard to believe, in my opinion unfair (but I'll never win THAT argument), that we, the fans, can't ask Brian or Van Dyke a simple question about SMiLE, and get a straight answer.

[Chris Brown]

After all of these years, decades actually, I still find it hard to believe, in my opinion unfair (but I'll never win THAT argument), that we, the fans, can't ask Brian or Van Dyke a simple question about SMiLE, and get a straight answer.

That's very true, although you have to wonder how much of that is just due to them not remembering a lot of the specifics? 

Or (more likely) they are just sick to death of being asked about it for the last 40+ years. 

[Sheriff John Stone]

Forget Brian for a moment, because he's so hit and miss, and just focus on Van Dyke Parks. Why, why I ask...No, let me start that over. What would be so offensive, so unnecessary, or so imposing, for someone like David Leaf to sit down with Van Dyke Parks, and simply ask him, "Can you please explain the meaning behind the song, and/or the working title, "Do You Like Worms?" Now, even if it's 2009, and it's ancient history, why Van Dyke Parks couldn't or wouldn't be able to supply a serious, precise, definitive answer, well, I just don't buy it. The way Parks likes to talk, I can't believe he hasn't volunteered to do interviews.

SMiLE is THAT important. And, some day, when Brian and Van Dyke are no longer around to address these questions, a lot of the next generation are gonna ask the question, "How could you not get the answers when you could of". I'd be asking that question, anyway.

[JCarson]

I believe that as Van Dykes and Brian were writing, it hit a nerve with the illuminati and masons that have been running America (and the world) for years. So they had to stop them. Thus bugging Brian's house and puting stuff in his drink to make him paranoid.

But, seriously, I think the only way we can figure out what Smile is REALLY all about is to get Mike Love on here to explain it to us.

Glad you and the Sheriff found some merit in my post. Try as I might, I just can't get my wife interested in discussing the meaning of Smile! One of my chief frustrations with the hoo-hah around BWPS was the lack of serious scholarly examination of the original project. The Priore book was readable but skimmed the surface (and reflected theories long known to be highly tendentious or even falsified by evidence). There have been a number of very good books about Pet Sounds (let alone Sergeant Pepper, the White Album and other greats of the period). Can't we get a decent book about Smile? All sorts of books about weird and obscure byways of 60s pop and rock are published every year. Why so little about Smile, which, despite BWPS, surely remains the greatest lost album in the history of rock music?

[Sheriff John Stone]

Can't we get a decent book about Smile? All sorts of books about weird and obscure byways of 60s pop and rock are published every year. Why so little about Smile....

You're right, it's unbelievable! Everytime an article about SMiLE is written, it is prefaced by saying how great it is/was; words like groundbreaking, genius, important, legendary, influential, and Wilson's best work are mentioned. Still, so little is known about the actual music, relatively speaking. What do we know about the motivation behind "Look", "Holidays", "Workshop", "I Love To Say Dada", "You're Welcome", "Tones", "He Gives Speeches", "The Old Master Painter", "False Barnyard", "The Elements", "Good Vibrations" (being included), and Barnyard Billy loved his chicken!

I AM going to beat this dead horse. In the last couple of years, I have seen several documentaries, some of them have been those "making of the album" types, with artists like Clapton, Townshend, McCartney, Elton John/Bernie Taupin, Lou Reed, Stevie Wonder, and the surviving Doors. These documentaries have been entertaining, enlightening, and, I believe, important. Assuming the interviews have been factually honest and accurate, they are essential; they are necessary for historical purposes. But with SMiLE - and who would argue it is not as important or as great as those other albums - we have nothing. And, the lyricist/collaborator who has been around for the ensuing 43 years, and hasn't been the busiest guy, Van Dyke Parks, just gives us these fleeting, obscure, incomplete responses; it's almost a tease. I won't address Brian at this point, but, even in his current state, he's still gotta be sitting on a lot of details.

[the captain]

One of my chief frustrations with the hoo-hah around BWPS was the lack of serious scholarly examination of the original project.

While sometimes I can be as into "serious" examination as the next Smiley Smiler, other times I wish there weren't such examination of Smile or any other records. It can be interesting to dissect pop, but for me sometimes it also just steals the fun out of the whole experience. Pop isn't intended to have--or be--homework. (Cecil Taylor disagrees with me here. Van Dyke Parks might, too. But I suspect Brian Wilson, were he coherent, would agree.)

[Sheriff John Stone]

Pop isn't intended to have--or be--homework.

Intended? Of course not. In some cases, appropriate to lead to that? Yes.

[Chris Brown]

Sheriff I would LOVE to see one of those "making the album" documentaries like the ones you mentioned.  I love when they have the producer in the studio, playing certain cool isolated tracks and giving little anecdotes from the sessions.  Imagine Brian sitting at the board with a H&V tape, or a tape from a "Child" vocal session...how awesome would that be? 

I do like the idea of sitting Van Dyke down, as he would be a lot more reliable than Brian, but how much would he know about something like "Look," "DaDa," "Holidays," or the other more instrumental tracks?  I'm sure he could talk at great length about the songs that he and Brian sat down and wrote together, but a lot of the titles you mentioned in that post problably didn't involve Van Dyke to the same degree as, say "Surf's Up" or "Wonderful."

Unfortunately, a lot of the answers exist only in the recesses of Brian's mind, and as we all know, its damn near impossible to get a straight answer out of him when it comes to SMiLE...especially now since he seems to regard BWPS as his final thoughts on the subject, and very likely sees no reason to re-visit the '66-'67 sessions again.

[the captain]

Sheriff I would LOVE to see one of those "making the album" documentaries like the ones you mentioned.  I love when they have the producer in the studio, playing certain cool isolated tracks and giving little anecdotes from the sessions.  Imagine Brian sitting at the board with a H&V tape, or a tape from a "Child" vocal session...how awesome would that be? 

Every so often in the non-BBs forum on this board, one of us brings up those sorts of documentaries and without fail we start dreaming: what if the Beach Boys had such things, not just for an album here and there, but for EVERYTHING!? Think about the moments in Endless Harmony where Brian does that. Now imagine if Brian, Al, Mike, Bruce, Blondie, Ricky, David, Mark Linett, Steve Desper, or any other living engineer/musician/co-producer/co-writer had a chance to sit in the studio with someone who has the materials ready to go, talking about anything that tickled his or her fancy!

And if you'll excuse me, thanks to revisiting that dream, I now have to change my pants and then cry myself to sleep.

[Chris Brown]

Sheriff I would LOVE to see one of those "making the album" documentaries like the ones you mentioned.  I love when they have the producer in the studio, playing certain cool isolated tracks and giving little anecdotes from the sessions.  Imagine Brian sitting at the board with a H&V tape, or a tape from a "Child" vocal session...how awesome would that be? 

Every so often in the non-BBs forum on this board, one of us brings up those sorts of documentaries and without fail we start dreaming: what if the Beach Boys had such things, not just for an album here and there, but for EVERYTHING!? Think about the moments in Endless Harmony where Brian does that. Now imagine if Brian, Al, Mike, Bruce, Blondie, Ricky, David, Mark Linett, Steve Desper, or any other living engineer/musician/co-producer/co-writer had a chance to sit in the studio with someone who has the materials ready to go, talking about anything that tickled his or her fancy!

And if you'll excuse me, thanks to revisiting that dream, I now have to change my pants and then cry myself to sleep.

Its hard to resist indulging the fantasy, no doubt.

[Dove Nested Towers]

I believe that as Van Dykes and Brian were writing, it hit a nerve with the illuminati and masons that have been running America (and the world) for years. So they had to stop them. Thus bugging Brian's house and puting stuff in his drink to make him paranoid.

But, seriously, I think the only way we can figure out what Smile is REALLY all about is to get Mike Love on here to explain it to us.

Like you said,
the various secret societies simply couldn't tolerate such acute insight and exposure of their methods and motives to be completed and released in an atmosphere of peace, so they enlisted John Frankenheimer (I think) to install the
concept of Spector's mind gangsters in Brian's head by saying Hello Mr. Wilson at the start of Seconds,
and actually recruited and paid a real witch to impersonate Michael Vosse's girlfriend and cast a spell
on him so he would think that Anderle's painting had captured his soul. I hate it when that happens!

Uh huh...

[Mr. Cohen]

Like you said,
the various secret societies simply couldn't tolerate such acute insight and exposure of their methods and motives to be completed and released in an atmosphere of peace, so they enlisted John Frankenheimer (I think) to install the
concept of Spector's mind gangsters in Brian's head by saying Hello Mr. Wilson at the start of Seconds,
and actually recruited and paid a real witch to impersonate Michael Vosse's girlfriend and cast a spell
on him so he would think that Anderle's painting had captured his soul. I hate it when that happens!

I think it was done telepathically by black crows, who as a collective were more than a bit perturbed when Van Dyke uncovered the secrets of their cornfield activities. There's a reason that Mike refused to sing those lyrics in "Cabinessence", and it has nothing to do with the 'fable' that popularly circulates. But that's a story for another day...