Subj : When reality is surreal,
To   : AUGUST ABOLINS
From : Mike Powell
Date : Sat May 14 2022 09:24:00

> Now.. as I dig into the lyrics that is made so convenient
> through various sites, some of it seems very weird:

I was one who liked to figure out lyrics when I was younger but, in the
case of this song, yes the music first caught my attention.

> She said, "I'm here on a shore leave,"
> Though we were miles at sea.
> I pointed out this detail
> And forced her to agree,
> Saying, "You must be the mermaid
> Who took King Neptune for a ride. "
> And she smiled at me so sweetly
> That my anger straightway died.

LOL, those lyrics did not make the final cut of the studio version, but
were sometimes found in extended live versions.

The part of the lyrics I thought hinted at infidelity was in the chorus:

And so it was later
As the miller told his tale
that her face, at first, just ghostly
turnd a whiter shade of pale

So, when she heard the miller's tale of an unfaithful wife, she turned pale
like a person with a guilty conscence might.  Of course, someone offended
by the story's generally bawdy nature might also have a similar reaction. :)

> WTF?  :/   "shore leave" yet "miles at sea"  What does that
> actually mean?

I think he is pointing out that he knows she is lying.

> "took Neptune for a ride" == sexual innuendo?

Possibly, but I always took it to mean that she is the lady who took advantage
of him or made a fool of him.  It may be reference to a seafarer's tale
that I am not familiar with where a mermaid got the best of King Neptune.

Mike


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