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"My Father's Gonna Hurt Me"?

December 10, 2007 5:01 AM

n college, my friend--let's call her Valentine--was notorious for misunderstanding song lyrics. The title of this post is a reference to one of her most endearing blunders: she thought that, in "Why Bother," Rivers Cuomo sings "My father's gonna hurt me" instead of "Why bother, it's gonna hurt me." I referenced another of her misunderstandings here: she thought that the chorus to The Pixies' "Hey" is "We're shoot to aim," rather than "We're chained." In any event, her interpretation of song lyrics was always good for a laugh.

But now I fear that I might have significantly misunderstood some song lyrics myself, so I'd like your help. In the second verse of "Gone til November"--the one that's sort of rapped--does Wyclef Jean say "Hip hop turns to the future of rock when I smash a punk" or "hip hop turns to the future of rock when I smash a pumpkin"? I've always thought that it was the latter, but I can hardly be objective about a potential reference to my favorite band. So am I just getting it wrong because of wishful thinking?

The internet's not very helpful. Although the majority of lyrics pages say it's the former, there are still a lot that say it's the latter. And I swear I can hear a syllable spoken under the "bing!" someone else sings.

So what do you guys think?



7 Comments


tRJ said:

I can't even find this bizarre rap version you speak of (seriously, you like this, but can't get into Winehouse?). But the "smash a punk" lyrics certainly make more sense.

December 10, 2007 8:27 PM



Ismael Tapia II said:

Bizarre rap version? Is there a nonrap version I should be aware of? I didn't know that. I've always liked this song, ever since the video with Bob and Jacob Dylan.

December 10, 2007 8:51 PM



Lauren said:

Dude, its not 'we're chained'?!?!?! That's how I always sang it. Son of a bitch.

December 10, 2007 9:32 PM



tRJ said:

The only version I had ever heard was this one, which apparently is the pop version, and different from what's on the album. This is a shame, as this version is excellent.

December 10, 2007 10:35 PM



TheExpat said:

I have no clue, and I'm guessing neither does Wyclef. The man's creative spirit is too erm, let's say, capricious to know for sure. Once you've smoked a hole in your brain, some things just leak out and never come back.

You should just go with the 'smash a pumpkin' lyric, not because it seems like the logical choice, but because you like Smashing Pumpkins.

December 10, 2007 10:54 PM



Lily said:

I have absolutely no idea. I'm not even sure I've ever listened to Wyclef Jean. :-/

But yeah . . . I misunderstand lyrics all the time.

December 10, 2007 10:55 PM



Ismael Tapia II said:

Lauren,
For someone with your level of intelligence and education, your reading comprehension skills are, well, just pathetic. That's fine, though, I know how distracting ovaries can be when you're trying to read.

tRJ,
I hadn't realized that there were two versions. I like the one you linked, but the one I was thinking of is here. I guess that's the album version. In any event, the lyric in dispute happens at about 2:19. Let me know what you think.

December 10, 2007 10:55 PM



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