Today’s slow drag is with “Jimmie Standing in The Rain,” from “National Ransom,” released in 2010. The songwriting is credited to Elvis Costello. It’s a piece that is punctuated with complicated nostalgia, and tinged with a sense of angry melancholy. The word choice in many of the verses serve to fit the rhyme as it also helps to obscure the exact time and place the action occurs. This will go on to be a stroke of genius when the sequel to this piece, “Under Lime,” from the 2018 Grammy Award winning, “Look Now,” takes over the story. Third-Class ticket in his pocket Punching out the shadows underneath the sockets Tweed coat turned up against the fog Slow coaches rolling o'er the moor Between the very memory And approaches of war Stale bread curling on a luncheon counter Loose change lonely, not the right amount For as “wordy” as many Elvis Costello pieces are, and this piece is no exception, it’s the economy of words that stands out as the most remarkable feat, perhaps. In the last two curt lines of this image-laden verse, the diner scene comes to life by its use a couple well-placed adjectives. There’s a total of eight lines in this verse, split into three passages of 3 lines, 3 lines, and then 2 lines. It makes excellent use of slant rhyme, end rhyme, and alliteration. The first rhyming pair, pocket/socket, coil around the short vowel sound in the word /fog/. The second grouping, moor/memory/war all have the /or/ sound lurking inside of them. The last two lines use a charming device to string together stale/curling/luncheon/loose/lonely, capping it off with embedding the rhyme of the /ount/ sound within counter/amount. The smooth sounds sweep the listener along on this journey. The question that seems to accompany the mention of a third-class railway ticket is whatever happened to second class? The second-class car was done away with somewhere around the turn of the 20th century, leaving this mysterious gap between first and third classes until 1956, when third class was then updated to second class. Rather than the class of the travelers themselves, the railway ranking system, according to an informative Guardian article, was originally based on ancient universities, and cost a penny a mile to use. Somewhere around the early 1800s, The Liverpool and Manchester Railway revamped these terms to refer to the types of trains themselves, paving the way for other railways to begin applying the moniker to upper and lower classed passengers as early as 1837. At its peak in 1865, there were as many as seven distinct classes of train, for everyone “from dustman to duke.” As of 1988, this third- then second-class accommodation is now known as “standard.” The mention of tweed also helps to place this piece in history and in class. A stiff wool fabric that was originally worn by farmers, Tweed coats were popularized for the ruling classes in 1848 when Prince Albert brought “estate tweeds” into fashion at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. The train, the coat, and the approaches of war: all these vignettes provide a moving target of time and temperament for this piece’s protagonist. Forgotten Man of an indifferent nation Waiting on a platform at a Lancashire station Somebody's calling you again The sky is falling Jimmie's standing in the rain It’s rather endearing to give a name, the baseline of human dignity, to what is described as a “forgotten man.” “The sky is falling” could denote a heavy rainstorm, sure, but is also a famous exclamation in the children’s tale, “Chicken Little,” or as it is might be known in the UK, “Henny Penny.” Whether Mr. Costello meant to make this connection isn’t exactly clear. However, the moors that surround Lancashire are called the “West Pennine Moors.” It’s always nice when the heavens seem to align in our fables and allegory. This chorus is repeated four times throughout this piece; the first two have this line about the sky falling. The third and fourth will have “it’s finally dawning” in its place. A reference to cold nights and redemption, maybe? Probably not. Either way, the story has a long way to go until we get there, of course. Nobody wants to buy a counterfeited prairie lullaby in a colliery town The hip flask and fumbled skein with some stage-door Josephine is all he'll get now Eyes going in and out of focus Mild and bitter from tuberculosis The use of these very low frequency words to paint a picture of a performer out of step with what’s considered fashionable is masterful. It reminds me of how I felt as a young writer; I needed to intentionally blur, obscure, and to write as pretentiously as possible. You might share this comical memory; using archaic and pompous words, such as gossamer and bequeathed, because that was what we thoughtpoetry was. Now, am I suggesting Mr. Costello is a starry-eyed academic? Absolutely not. He’s the modern-day Shakespeare many of us aspire to have a fraction of his talent. It is precisely his command over words that I still can only dream about. It’s certainly what keeps me an ardent fan. Take the word, “skein,” as in “fumbled skein,” for instance. Synonyms include such provocative words as: entanglement, morass, and labyrinth. A hip flask and a scrap of clothing from what sounds like a fleeting tryst, paints yet another indelible picture of Jimmie’s plight, enabled by words that haven’t even been uttered. The theme of economy of words flows throughout this piece. Her soft breath was gentle on his neck If he could choose the time to die Then he would come and go like this Underneath the painted sky She woke up and called him "Charlie" by mistake And then in shame began to cry Tarnished silver band peels off a phrase And then warms their hands around the brazier A storytelling device found in such great works as “Georgie and Her Rival,” and “My Mood Swings,” “Jimmie Standing in the Rain” deploys the shifting point of view between verses. Whereas the first verse told of Jimmie’s pursuit of fame and recognition, the second part of this second verse, divided by two passages of four lines each, explores someone other than Jimmie, a woman with whom he’s found temporary comfort against the elements with, perhaps; is she a stage-door Josephine? My guess would be no, he’s left that world behind, or rather, that world has left him behind. Fellow travelers, perhaps. “Tarnished silver band peels off a phrase” is a dense line that again relies on an economy of words to evoke a deeper tale. The impact of the word “brazier” in this context cannot be overstated. The internal rhyme of phrase/brazier is graduate level work. It’s also a great example of a loanword, a word that’s come in from a different language, in this instance, French, with little to no modification. If Mr. Costello were to use the synonym, heater, say, it might not evoke the same sense of nostalgia, the same feeling of huddling against the elements, grateful for a temporary reprieve. There is something, at once, desperate and romantic about this scene, spurred on by the use of the most fitting words. Forgotten Man / Indifferent nation Waiting on a platform at a Lancashire station Somebody's calling you again It's finally dawning Jimmie's standing in the rain The vagueness of “someone calling you again” gives this piece its ability to bounce between triumph and despair. As mentioned above, the first two choruses used, “the sky is falling,” now “it’s finally dawning.” It’s been a very long night. Brilliantine glistening Your soft plaintive whistling And your wan wandering smile Died down at The Hippodrome Now you're walking off to jeers, the lonely sound of jingling spurs, the "toodle-oos" and "Oh, my dears" down at "The Argyle" Vile vaudevillians applaud sobriety There's no place for a half-cut cowboy in polite society This final verse mirrors the construction of the first verse; two groups of three lines, and a final group of two lines. It reads like a cutting concert review or a wholly insensitive obituary. At the risk of repeating myself, the economy of words found in this verse is staggering. “Brilliantine,” is the dark shoe polish-type substance that’s also known by brand names, such as Elvis Presley’s favorite, “Pomade.” With two words, an entire outfit and stage decoration can be conjured. “Died down at the Hippodrome,” takes us far away from the Lancashire station, to London no earlier than when the Hippodrome opened in 1900. “Hippodrome” is yet another loanword used in this piece, this time from the Greek into Latin into French, meaning a Horse racing course. The “Argyle” is another reference that keeps us London as it calls back to the mid-1800s. The Argyle Rooms, or perhaps the Argyle Subscription Rooms; both have storied histories. Most online articles are quick to point out that the subscription rooms, located where the Palladium now stands, should not be mistaken for the Argyll rooms on Argyll street; because former had a “rather dubious reputation.” The last two lines of this verse, pairing sobriety/society, issues the final word, for now, on the fate of this “half cut cowboy.” What can be done when even the vaudevillians (another loanword) go on to embrace something so out of character? Forgotten Man / Indifferent nation Waiting on a platform at a Lancashire station Somebody's calling you again It's finally dawning Jimmie's standing in the rain — Dig it Again, this has been a slow drag with “Jimmie Standing in The Rain” from 2010’s “National Ransom.” This entire album is filled with dense, visually pleasing glimpses of faraway places where faraway people live extraordinary lives of opulence and misery. As mentioned above, “Jimmie Standing in the Rain,” will ultimately become the prequel to a song on the 2018’s Grammy Award winning album, “Look Now.” Unlike the connection I’ve personally drawn between “Miss MacBeth” from “Spike,” as a continuation of “Battered Old Bird” from “Blood and Chocolate,” Mr. Costello has confirmed that the piece entitled, “Under Lime,” is a re-introduced to Jimmie: “and the last time we saw him he was out in the rain / watching the train roll down the track / now he’s back in showbiz / trying to make a comeback.” Jimmie’s plaintive whistling has become “out of tune,” and not to give away the ending, “and upset, said, “hey pet / would you kindly pass that pill / and allow me to just dictate my dying will.” It’s an utter farce, a fitting send-off for such a humorous man whose first mistake seemed to be that he hung around too long. That’s it for today’s slow drag, my friend. Thank you for listening. Other gems from “National Ransom” you’ll enjoy a slow drag with are episode 3, “Sing hallelujah Sister,” a slow drag with “Church Underground,” episode 37, “Gallivant in Peg-Leg Pants,” a slow drag with “A Voice in the Dark,” and episode 44, “The Black Keys of Her Fine Wine,” a slow drag with “Stations of the Cross.” So, until next time, adieu, my little ballyhoo. Show Notes: ---------------------- Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson, MA/MFA Twitter: https://twitter.com/slowdragremedy Email: [email protected] Podcast music by https://www.fesliyanstudios.com Rate this Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/slowdrag ---------------------- References: Elvis Costello Wiki Resource, “Jimmie Standing in The Rain”: http://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php/Jimmie_Standing_In_The_Rain “Jimmie Standing in The Rain”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1PbA88w9jk “Scrapping first-class train carriages leaves us all in third”: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/mar/17/chris-grayling-scrapping-first-class-trains-leaves-us-all-in-third “First, second third class train travel in 19040s & 1950s Britain”: https://www.1900s.org.uk/1940s-trains-class.htm Third Class rail travel ends in Britain: https://moneyweek.com/394050/3-june-1956-third-class-rail-travel-ends-in-britain Tweed’s history: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-tweed#what-are-the-origins-of-tweed “Where London’s history happened — in the pub”: https://londonspubswherehistoryreallyhappened.wordpress.com/2017/12/19/the-argyll-arms/ “The London Trocadero, Leicester Square, and Piccadilly Circus,” Introduction to the early years: http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/TrocaderoLeicesterSquareLondon.htm Comments are closed.
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AboutSlow Drag with Remedy is an Elvis Costello podcast appreciation. It's an exploration of linguistics, language, poetry, and clever wordplay as framed by the peerless poetry of the modern-day master, Elvis Costello. Slow Drag by Song
Poor Napoleon Alibi Church Underground The Big Light Georgie and Her Rival Joe Porterhouse No Hiding Place 20% Amnesia All This Useless Beauty Let Him Dangle King of Thieves Damnation's Cellar Stripping Paper Pidgin English Riot Act Bedlam The Quickening Art Luxembourg Chemistry Class Living in Paradise My Mood Swings Waiting for the End of the World Little Atoms Two Little Hitlers Crimes of Paris You Tripped at Every Step Needle Time Men Called Uncle Peace in Our Time The Loved Ones I Almost Had a Weakness Our Little Angel Invasion Hit Parade Turpentine Miracle Man A Voice in the Dark The Greatest Thing Satellite Hand in Hand Clubland Tart Glitter Gulch Stations of the Cross Science Fiction Twin Possession This Sad Burlesque Flutter and Wow Soul for Hire After the Fall Blue Chair Monkey to Man Mouth Almighty Watch Your Step ...This Town... Distorted Angel Worthless Thing No Dancing Miss Macbeth Charm School Poor Fractured Atlas Brilliant Mistake My Little Blue Window Suspect My Tears Coal Train Robberies Fish 'n' Chip Papers I Hope You're Happy Now Man Out of Time 13 Steps Lead Down Go Away Sweet Pear The Name of This Thing is Not Love Jimmie Standing in the Rain The Deportees Club The Birds Will Still Be Singing Starting to Come to Me Pay It Back Five Small Words Pretty Words Radio Silence Human Hands Night Rally I'll Wear It Proudly Motel Matches Drum and Bone Harpies Bizarre Nothing Clings Like Ivy Why Won't Heaven Help Me Next Time 'Round The River in Reverse A Room with No Number Clown Strike The Invisible Man My Most Beautiful Mistake All the Rage The Town Where Time Stood Still Episode of Blonde e of Blonde No Flag A Slow Drag with Josephine That Bridge I Burned Sour Milk Cow Blues You Little Fool Spooky Girlfriend Suit of Lights There's a Story in Your Voice Dishonor The Stars The Other Side of Summer Mischievous Ghost They're Not Laughing at Me Now White Knuckles Honey, Are You Straight or Are You Blind? Black and White World The World and His Wife
God's Comic The First to Leave Green Shirt The Man You Love to Hate Lip Service American Gangster Time Blame It on Cain The Spell That You Cast Lipstick Vogue The Difference Stella Hurt Tears before Bedtime |