From: blbeast@win.bright.net (Greg Meier)
Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 01:02:02 -0600 (CST)
Subject: In Search of the Purple Poor
Multiple Warnings!
The following may interfere with the listening pleasure you
derive from what may be your favorite LM song. Please proceed
with caution! What I've discovered may add a humorous
dimension to what should be a deadly serious subject. I don't
want to inadvertently infect readers with news of this discovery,
in fact, I recommend that you delete this message immediately
before this relatively minor, yet somewhat interesting tidbit
can cause permanent damage. There is no turning back! Once you
read this, you will never be the same. You will never be able to
forget or ignore what I've told you. Remember, curiosity killed
the cat! You have been warned!
(There...... that should protect me from the wrath of disgruntled OldWaysers')
I've debated with myself for some time whether I should
bring this matter up as it really isn't that important, but
it has been dwelling on my mind, and curiosity has got
the better of me. I need to know if what I've heard is true,
or if my hearing is defective. So, here it is, even tho I
realize some readers may be adversely affected by this
information. In short, I've found a blooper. Our Loreena
has slipped up. (Oh No! How could she?)
(For you own good, ONE FINAL WARNING! It's still not too
late if you stop now!)
OK, here it is. In The Highwayman, near the beginning there
is a line that's supposed to read, "over the purple moor."
Well, I've listened to this dozens of times and what I hear
LM sing is, "over the purple poor." She is definitely
pronouncing the "p" sound instead of the "m" sound.
The way I see it, there are three explanations.
1. She made a mistake.
2. She deliberately sang "purple poor" as it flows better than "purple moor".
(say it yourself..... pur-ple poor....pur-ple moor. see the difference?)
3. She is sending us a subliminal message.
I think it is number 3.
The fact is, (got my padded cell ready yet?) I've already deciphered
what she is trying to convey.
It goes something like this.
Tho' the outward display of purple has traditionally been reserved
for royalty, I sense here the formation of an idea that I will call
"The Cult of the Purple Poor", where those of us who reject the
glamorous, ostentatious existence will seek glory in the purple
light of our humble souls, rich beyond the ken of mortals who
justify their supposed superiority by virtue of the state of their
birth or worldly riches.These "Purple Poor" would embrace and
expand upon the teachings and example portrayed by the
Great Yet Humble Loreena, whose example stimulates our desire for
continuing spiritual improvement and compels us to share in
our quest of understanding. All Purple Poor would promote the
unique combination of Loreena's talents amongst their fellow humans,
sharing with all our love and appreciation of the most beautiful music in
this reality.
The Purple Poor could recruit and convert followers of the
"McKennitt Mystique", (those who love LM's music, but aren't
fully aware of their responsibilities.) but that's another story.
As you can see, I am a devote LM fan (fan-atic) who struggles
to find deep meaning in the most insignificant detail.
(no wonder she dislikes the idea of having fans/fanatics!) :-)
Well, enough for now. This should give you all sufficient ammunition
to hit me with a devastating broadside that will make me lower
my flag. (maybe the metaphor of the red flag and the bull would
be more appropriate here?) I have the feeling the first volley
will, "shred me sails and blast off half me riggin' ."
In deference to the unknown density of some of my audience.....
"This entire message has been writ' with tongue firmly planted in cheek!"
Greg Meier-
Jack of Many Trades, Master of Few
"The Original Christie Mountain Blue Hills Beast"
http://www.win.bright.net/~blbeast/index.html
And Now....A Few Comments from OldWaysers
- From: BlkHatWhtDog agreenky@ix.netcom.com
Maybe she is showing compassion and empathy with the fans of the artist
formerly known as Prince and the fleasing they got over tickets to his last
tour that started at $75 and I believe went to $500.
- From: nrbt@juno.com (Nancy R. Tomasheski)
And now to Greg Meier and The Purple Poor. Very cool concept. And
Loreena _definitely_ says "poor". With headphones, one can even hear the
pop! Our esteemed mistress is not above the occasional misspeak.
- From: Dawn Reynolds -drey@swbell.net
I've always wondered why sometimes her H's are almost gutteral. It
doesn't seem as common in some of her earlier albums and gets more
pronounced in the later works, for instance in The Highwayman, I hear,
"She loosened her kair". Does anyone else hear this?
Dawn
- From: "MC Fitzgerald" -crom-abu@pipeline.com.au
While I don't hear this myself, I have no doubt that you do. After all, I'm
the person who swore blind that in Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" Freddy
Mercury was *not* singing "Spare him his life from these monstrosities",
but was in fact singing "Spare him his life from these pork sausages". Go
figure.
- From: BlkHatWhtDog - agreenky@ix.netcom.com
someone said....
> What do you mean " compassion for Prince fans"? If she cared about that at
> all, she would have released a newsletter or something. And why would she
>to inspire compassion for them, because if she did it SUBliminaly, she would
>cause all her fans to SUBconciously to support Prince, or the artist formerly
>known as. And as I said Before,
> It is ILLEAGAL to sell ANY mass-media product, including CD's, movies or
> anything else that is sold to the mass public with a subliminal message in it
>anywhere!
> Here, from the Quinlan Road home page, a direct snip, and you can check it if
> you don't believe it:
> The Highwayman 10.19
> Music Loreena McKennitt; Lyrics Alfred Noyes, adapted by Loreena McKennitt
> I don't see that she CHANGED it, she just ADAPTED it, not change, there's a
>difference. Come on, use your senses!
OK, take a deep breath, let it out, ahhh! Now that we are a little more
relaxed. Let us return to the original post, and if we would read the whole
thing, even though it is all so preposterous, really off the wall, and soon you
get to the very very end, you would have noticed that there was a little
disclaimer for the sarcasim impared. The whole thing is a joke, well, a silly
play on words, something to get the creative juices flowing.
- From: visions -visions@wwa.com
Subject: Re: Purple Poor
Humor can be a difficult concept for some. :)
- From: nrbt@juno.com (Nancy R. Tomasheski)
As much fun as we're having (no better pastime, think I, than musing!),
"The road was a ribbon of moonlight across the purple poor" just doesn't
make any real sense. So it "must" be a mistake or a quirk of the
recording, making it sound like "p" when it is really "m". This is why I
didn't address the idea of "purple poor" in context; I like Mr Meier's
analysis of the phrase taken _out_ of context.
The End. |