tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post751268154454035229..comments2024-03-29T05:01:52.320-05:00Comments on Althouse: "Stephen Sondheim, the man who rhymed 'the hands on the clock turn' with 'don’t sing a nocturne'..."Ann Althousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-77898806540712111582013-06-11T22:06:38.753-05:002013-06-11T22:06:38.753-05:00The man who gave us:
It's fop
finest in the ...The man who gave us:<br /><br /><i>It's fop <br />finest in the shop<br />and we have some shepherd's pie peppered<br />with actual shepherd on top.<br />And I've just begun -<br />Here's a politician so oily,<br />it's served a doily, have one.<br />Put it on a bun.<br />Well, you never know if it's going to run.</i><br /><br />...has earned the right to criticize as he chooses. (But I'm wildly biased in Mr. S's favor...)Mrs. Xhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01977677237948845083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-25998229311262947542013-06-11T21:13:53.640-05:002013-06-11T21:13:53.640-05:00Modern trend?
I'd like to bitchslap Sondheim ...Modern trend?<br /><br />I'd like to bitchslap Sondheim on behalf of Eliot and Yeats. Blue@9https://www.blogger.com/profile/16371286571496793710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-37554048240827817462013-06-11T18:27:37.713-05:002013-06-11T18:27:37.713-05:00At least those are better than the hymns that pret...At least those are better than the hymns that pretend that "move" rhymes with "love".<br /><br />It's really hard to maintain a spirit of reverence when you're pissed off about what you're singing...Crunchy Froghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12817138913728820310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-75665347111158932842013-06-11T17:13:52.789-05:002013-06-11T17:13:52.789-05:00From the Master, Yip Harburg:
I'd unravel an...From the Master, Yip Harburg:<br /><br /><i><br />I'd unravel any riddle<br />For any individ'le<br />In trouble or in pain<br /> <br />. . .<br /><br />I would not be just a nuffin'<br />My head all full of stuffin'<br />My heart all full of pain<br />I would dance and be merry<br />Life would be a ding-a-derry<br />If I only had a brain<br /><br />Yeah, it's sad, believe me Missy<br />When you're born to be a sissy<br />Without the vim and verve<br />But I could show my prowess<br />Be a lion, not a mowess<br />If I only had the nerve<br /><br />I'm just a dandylion<br />A fate I don't deserve<br />I'd be brave as a blizzard<br /><br />(Tin Man)<br />I'd be gentle as a lizard<br /><br />(Scarecrow)<br />I'd be clever as a gizzard<br /><br />(Dorothy)<br />If the Wizard is a wizard who will serve<br /><br />(Scarecrow)<br />Then I'm sure to get a brain<br /><br />(Tin Man)<br />A heart<br /><br />(Dorothy)<br />A home<br /><br />(Cowardly Lion)<br />The nerve<br /></i>SomeoneHasToSayIthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03648946322945404947noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-26970805649942610072013-06-11T16:30:45.149-05:002013-06-11T16:30:45.149-05:00Sondheim is a homosexual.Sondheim is a homosexual.Titushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06593014816206957874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-86194151383991150092013-06-11T15:35:50.058-05:002013-06-11T15:35:50.058-05:00@traditionalguy
Then there's also this great ...@traditionalguy<br /><br />Then there's also this great true rhyme from another "My Fair Lady" song:<br /><br />"'I know each language on the map,' said he,<br />'And she's Hungarian as the Hungarian Rhapsody!'"FWBuffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15659814282551363901noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-79620873309178534442013-06-11T15:34:30.615-05:002013-06-11T15:34:30.615-05:00And from the immortal Burt Bachrach:
What do you ...And from the immortal Burt Bachrach:<br /><br /><i>What do you get when you kiss a guy<br />You get enough germs to catch <b>pneumonia</b><br />After you do, he'll never<b> phone ya</b><br />I'll never fall in love again</i>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-15786150291162152262013-06-11T15:30:31.536-05:002013-06-11T15:30:31.536-05:00>>He makes his living off of the peoples'...>>He makes his living off of the peoples' taxes.<br /><br />Can I just interrupt this thread to remind people that police detectives pay taxes, too? Even in Texas.<br /><br />DanTheManhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07388305611132014815noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-7149622654600116282013-06-11T15:01:29.972-05:002013-06-11T15:01:29.972-05:00Dora the Explora.Dora the Explora.Rumpletweezerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17325566554310097014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-60425945423899492962013-06-11T14:48:51.135-05:002013-06-11T14:48:51.135-05:00He made a home in
That fishes abdomen
"It Ai...He made a home in<br />That fishes abdomen<br /><br />"It Ain't Necessarily So", Ira Gershwin, one of the all time greats.<br /><br />Beta Rubehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14246756651556769169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-21958710724212223122013-06-11T14:40:04.003-05:002013-06-11T14:40:04.003-05:00Wouldn't it be loverly...Someone's ead res...Wouldn't it be loverly...Someone's ead restin on my knee. Warm and tender as e can be, 'ho takes care of me. <br /><br />(Rhymes sung by Holly Golightly in a prior role.)traditionalguyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05706120413005530014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-6122240442351170012013-06-11T14:39:44.485-05:002013-06-11T14:39:44.485-05:00Wouldn't it be loverly...Someone's ead res...Wouldn't it be loverly...Someone's ead restin on my knee. Warm and tender as e can be, 'ho takes care of me. <br /><br />(Rhymes sung by Holly Golightly in a prior role.)traditionalguyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05706120413005530014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-34732739582924689882013-06-11T14:01:39.010-05:002013-06-11T14:01:39.010-05:00Agree with Krumhorn on Cole Porter.
Not too many...Agree with Krumhorn on Cole Porter. <br /><br />Not too many people, however have that talent.<br /><br /><i>I get no kick from Champagne<br />Mere alcohol doesn't thrill me at all</i><br /><br />In honor of our Blazing Saddles POTUS, "Sir, he specifically requested two 'niggers'. Well, to tell a family secret, my grandmother was Dutch".edutcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15033144261502435196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-35238084625369980702013-06-11T14:00:52.004-05:002013-06-11T14:00:52.004-05:00A sly pleasure in Leonard Cohen's "Hallel...A sly pleasure in Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" is the AABCCB rhyme scheme in which the B always rhymes "do you/to you" variants with "Hallelujah."<br /><br /><i>I've heard there was a secret chord<br />That David played, and it pleased the Lord<br />But you don't really care for music,<b> do you?</b><br />It goes like this<br />The fourth, the fifth<br />The minor fall, the major lift<br />The baffled king composing<b> Hallelujah</b></i><br /><br />As Cohen sings it, it's always the colloquial pronunciation: "do ya," "to ya" etc. which hits the ear funny in such an otherwise solemn song, so in performance it's a full rhyme.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-30081405179870968642013-06-11T14:00:23.905-05:002013-06-11T14:00:23.905-05:00In Robert Pinksy's introduction to his transla...In Robert Pinksy's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/books/dp/0374524521" rel="nofollow">introduction to his translation of Dante's Inferno</a> he offers a very interesting discussion of rhyme (including referencing the Yeats example, above). He describes a systematic approach to rhythmic effect that is far more thoughtful than adherence to a rhyming dictionary:<br /><br /><i>the translation is based on a fairly systematic rhyming norm that defines rhyme as the same consonant-sounds -- however much vowels may differ -- at the ends of words. For example, the opening tercets of Canto I include the triads "tell/feel/well," "sleep/stop/up," and "night/thought/it."<br /><br />....<br /><br />...consonantal or "Yeatsian" rhyme can supply an audible scaffold of English</i> terza rima<i>, a scaffold that does not distort the English sentence, or draw excessively on the reaches of the English lexicon. In this scaffolding, mere vowel rhymes -- even as close as "claim/feign" or "state/raid" -- have been arbitrarily excluded, as taking away some of the backbone or stringency of effect."</i>Henryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14520113896946845614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-82323517305721369582013-06-11T13:48:32.483-05:002013-06-11T13:48:32.483-05:00By the way, Julie London absolutely owned that son...By the way, Julie London absolutely owned that song. Hear her with that amazing Barney Kessell guitar accompaniment. <br /><br />http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=DXg6UB9Qk0o&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DDXg6UB9Qk0o<br /><br />And Diana Krall can do no wrong either. <br /><br />http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=related&v=rpREZzSIj10<br /><br />-Krumhorn<br /><br />Krumhornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01196023921287085693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-15356754430128822782013-06-11T13:45:39.343-05:002013-06-11T13:45:39.343-05:00Yeats rhymed "stones" and "swans&qu...Yeats rhymed "stones" and "swans"<br /><br />The trees are in their autumn beauty, <br />The woodland paths are dry, <br />Under the October twilight the water <br />Mirrors a still sky; <br />Upon the brimming water among the stones<br />Are nine and fifty swans.<br /><br />First stanza of The Wild Swans at CooleHenryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14520113896946845614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-40804338803693068852013-06-11T13:43:07.459-05:002013-06-11T13:43:07.459-05:00Everyone knows that alliteration is where it's...Everyone knows that alliteration is where it's at.Henryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14520113896946845614noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-28582303487766689482013-06-11T13:35:23.876-05:002013-06-11T13:35:23.876-05:00"Rhyme police, spelling police, grammar polic..."Rhyme police, spelling police, grammar police, punctuation police..."<br /><br />Agreed. Slanted rhyme can be more clever than straight rhyme.<br /><br />deborahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00305989647913371151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-20839277835393752772013-06-11T13:34:04.487-05:002013-06-11T13:34:04.487-05:00Some guy did a sort of homage to Stonehenge using ...Some guy did a sort of homage to Stonehenge using car bodies and called it <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carhenge" rel="nofollow">'Carhenge.'</a> I believe this rhymes with orange. Jeff Geehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02556922556611887235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-72836325640903438192013-06-11T13:31:47.164-05:002013-06-11T13:31:47.164-05:00Can't beat Cole Porter for some of the most el...Can't beat Cole Porter for some of the most elegant and sophisticated rhymes in lyrics. <br /><br /> "So sweet to waken with/so nice to sit down to eggs and bacon with." - Easy To Love<br /><br />"Though I'm not a great romancer, I know that I'm bound to answer." - Anything Goes<br /><br />Can't ignore Begin The Beguine. <br /><br />I'm sure that this would dazzle Sondheim if he had written it instead of Arthur Hamilton:<br /><br />"You told me love was too plebeian<br />Told me you were through with me and<br /><br />Now you say you love me<br />Well, just to prove that you do<br />Come on and cry me a river<br />Cry me a river<br />I cried a river over you"<br /><br />- Krumhorn<br /><br />Krumhornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01196023921287085693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-75962803176719956492013-06-11T13:24:58.954-05:002013-06-11T13:24:58.954-05:00With "purple," I would cheat with "...With "purple," I would cheat with "circle" or perhaps make reference to "a twerp 'll," continuing the thought on the next line.Pettifoggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02400037927752400908noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-32757895169712842232013-06-11T13:23:48.052-05:002013-06-11T13:23:48.052-05:00Isn't "clock turn" and "nocturn...Isn't "clock turn" and "nocturne" an actual rhyme, not a near-rhyme?Publius the Clownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08907863394176544606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-15888450254893553712013-06-11T13:19:16.616-05:002013-06-11T13:19:16.616-05:00Balfegor is right that changing pronunciation acco...Balfegor is right that changing pronunciation accounts for some near rhymes. For example, in the nursery rhyme Jack and Jill, "water" is rhymed with "after." It was probably always a near rhyme, but much less of one when "after" was pronounced "ahfter."<br /><br />I write doggerel from time to time and try to avoid near rhyme. "Miraculous" and "calculus" are a reasonably good rhyme, because that last three syllables match and the accent is in the same syllable in each. The obvious problem is the difference in pronunciation of the "a" in the two words.<br /><br />I will indulge in near rhyme in extremis as when I had to rhyme "chupacabra":<br /><br />There once was an old chupacabra<br />Who traveled to see the Alambra<br />He enountered a goat<br />And slashed out its throat<br />The scene became quite macabre.<br /><br />Not only are "chupacabra" and "Alhambra" not perfect rhymes, but "mah CAH brah" is not the preferred pronunciation of macabre. But these were the best I could do.Pettifoggerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02400037927752400908noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-84028102086497502602013-06-11T13:14:38.713-05:002013-06-11T13:14:38.713-05:00No rhyme for 'purple'? Roger Miller begs t...No rhyme for 'purple'? Roger Miller begs to differ:<br /><br />"Roses are red<br />and violets are purple,<br />sugar is sweet<br />and so is maple surple."Dr Weevilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10059306888033890029noreply@blogger.com