Now I am venturing into an area where I do not belong- the interpretation of song lyrics.  I’ve had a hard time understanding the words of popular songs.  I can listen to a performance, focus hard and try my best to decipher the varied vocal affectations, and still walk away wondering what the heck was said.  Of course, people do the same with my sermons every Sunday.

So we come to the song “Lodi”, by Creedence Clearwater Revival.  I understand it was released in 1969 on the Green River album, and I remember it as the flip side of the “Bad Moon Rising” 45rpm.  I would have been 14-years-old at the time, listening to WFPA radio; “Wonderful Ft. Payne, Alabama” would croak the local DJ.  The station offered request line most nights, where listeners could phone in their requests and hear them on-air.  Being a nerdy-punk-kid, I liked to call in early, during the news broadcast, to enjoy hearing the faint but constant ring of the phone in the background.  And this did not endear me to Ned, the DJ.  And I liked to make obscure requests that he hated to play.  “Look At Them Beans” by Johnny Cash, and “Hanky Panky” by Tommy James and the Shondells, were favourites.  Soon I was banned from the request line.  Disguising my voice did not help; with about the third word Ned recognized this nerdy-punk-kid and quickly slammed down the phone.  And so was the joy of being a red neck kid growing up in a small town.

One day my friend, Jimmy, was walking along and singing “Lodi”.  It was a catchy song, country-rock with an edge, a roughly hewn trait that made Creedence sound so good.  And most of the words were easily understood…

Just about a year ago
I set out on the road
Seekin' my fame and fortune
Lookin' for a pot of gold
Thing got bad, things got worse
I guess you will know the tune
Oh ! Lord, sucking on Lodi up again…

"What?  Jimmy, did you say “sucking on Lodi up again”?"
"No.  I said, “stucking on Lodi up and again”."
"What does that mean?"
"I don’t know.  But that’s the words."
I was not convinced.  I’m still not.

I find it interesting how, if a song has a catchy tune and a pleasant sound, we are quite willing to accept stupid lyrics, even if we have to create them.  “Stucking on Lodi?”  I don’t think John Fogerty, even if he were sitting on his back porch watching tambourines and elephants playing in the band, as he drawed upon a long weed, would come up with such lyrics.

So, what does the song say?

The man from the magazine
Said I was on my way
Somewhere I lost connections
Ran out of songs to play
I came into town, a one night stand
Looks like my plans fell through
Oh ! Lord, Stuck in …a low diaphragm? 
….shucking on low guys, again?

Here is an opinion of the song from George Starostin’s Reviews: 
“And 'Lodi' has to be CCR's best philosophical song ever; again, not that it has a great melody, but John brings forth all the talents he can muster in his voice. That's probably why it sounds so unconvincing in concert - because Mr Fogerty just can't reproduce the studio sound. The story tells of a (presumably) folk singer trying his luck in different cities - and ultimately failing. Fate has spared John such a turn of events, but parts of this story are certainly autobiographical, and the convincing power of his voice is amazing - ranging from humble and quiet to all-out screaming, sometimes in prayer, sometimes in desperation, sometimes almost in self-mockery.”

I’m in agreement.  I just wish to understand that one puzzling phrase. 

I challenge you.  Don’t Google the subject, and don’t look at the words on your dusty LP cover.  Just listen to the song, and tell me what you hear.  Not so easy, is it?

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posted by: heavyarms (reply)
post date: 03.14.07 (8:26 am)

Uhh, its just "Oh, Lord, stuck in Lodi again." (Lodi, CA) That's what I've always heard. Granted, I've only ever listened to the song on CD, so the audio may be a bit clearer than an LP, but that's what I hear. He changes it to "Oh, Lord, I'm stuck in Lodi again" after the second verse.

Personally, whenever I listen to "Bad Moon Rising" I always hear "There's a bathroom on the right" in place of "There's a bad moon on the rise."

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posted by: evilmammoth (reply)
post date: 03.14.07 (9:16 am)

I'm with heavyarms on this one. Except for a bit of a dialectal twitter, I don't think there is anything patently unclear about it. Great song.

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posted by: PastorDave (reply)
post date: 03.14.07 (9:56 am)

Reply to: heavyarms
If "again" is the ending word of the phrase, which I agree it most likely is, then I have never heard it annunciated in such a way. Taking quite a bit of libertality with the English language, and he's not even a Southerner!

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posted by: PastorDave (reply)
post date: 03.14.07 (9:58 am)

Reply to: evilmammoth
I have spent most of my life listening to difficult dialect- I'm from Alabama. So I can usually understand even the most unclearly spoken and mangled phrase. But I missed this one. Thanks for the clarification.

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posted by: eraserhead667 (reply)
post date: 03.14.07 (11:36 am)

I'll refrain from my interprestation of what being "stuck in Lodi" might mean, out of respect to your profession.

LOL

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posted by: cuz (reply)
post date: 03.14.07 (11:52 am)

DAVE you WERE somewhat "Nerdy" and maybe even a little "Dorky", but you NEVER fit the bill as a "Redneck". NO way, No How. You should have ask, my friends and I could have saved you all these years of "wondering".

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posted by: bawdy (reply)
post date: 03.14.07 (4:07 pm)

Like heavy arms, I've never had a problem hearing it as "Oh Lord, stuck in Lodi again." I never heard of the town, but I imagine that to a band, one podunk town is exactly like the rest, and you have to do your time in these towns on the way to the big time...and with no guarantee you'll ever get there, I imagine it could get pretty depressing.

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posted by: mimi (reply)
post date: 03.14.07 (5:00 pm)

i agree with the "stuck in Lodi again" theory, but i would like to add, what a wonderful post! excellent job! xoxox

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posted by: surrogate (reply)
post date: 03.15.07 (12:14 am)

I cheated without realizing it. As soon as I read the first paragraph or two I googled the lyrics - then saw your request that we not do so in the last paragraph.

There's a couple of cool sites out there devoted to misheard lyrics. Some are funny.

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posted by: heavyarms (reply)
post date: 03.15.07 (6:30 am)

Reply to: PastorDave
I promise that's what he's saying. It does come out sounding like "uh-gaon" or something. I spent most of my life BI (Before the Internet) thinking CCR was from down my way (Born on the Bayou), and was willing to forgive his funny pronunciation. Then I find out they're from la-la land.

I always thought the line in Born on the Bayou (after "wish I were beck onna bye-you") went "Wish I were on a fat Fett train, just-a jew-blin' on down to New Orleans." I didn't know what he was saying. Turns out I wasn't too far off.

Thanks for taking me back to my Simon and Garfunkel phase.

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posted by: fractalmom (reply)
post date: 03.16.07 (3:35 pm)

ahhh dave, what a wonderful post. that song, man does that bring back some memories again. the line is "Oh LORD! I'm stuck in Lodi aGAIN!! philosophically it says quite a bit LOL. having been to Lodi, and also having been STUCK in Lodi, i can certainly emphathize with JF on that one...but it may also be a metaphor for doing the same behavior over and over again.

the funny mis heard lyric for me is "do the funky lady" which is, in reality, "the dude looks like a lady".

isn't it funny how we all hear differently.

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posted by: doeeyed (reply)
post date: 03.26.07 (7:25 am)

Listen to "blinded by the lights" and see what you think?

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posted by: doeeyed (reply)
post date: 03.26.07 (7:28 am)

OOPS, it's LIGHT, not lights.

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