RonH Posted April 25, 2009 Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 RE: SONG:"You're My Home" QUESTION: In the stanza; "If I travel all my life and I never get stop and settle down, long as I have you by my side there's a roof above and good walls all around", Why didn't Joel write it; "If I travel all my life, and I never get stop and settle down long as I have you as my wife there's a roof above and good walls all around"? Joel seemed to miss such an obvious rhyme (Life / Wife)! The "Wife version" would have rhymed better and been more appropriate as a love-song written specifically for ... HIS WIFE! Joel is a talented songwriter and prolific balladeer. In several songs he included nuances that showcase his writing skills and his ear. I can't believe this missed rhyme was just an oversight. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawna Posted April 25, 2009 Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 I would not think it an oversight so much as maybe he didn't want to go for the obvious. And perhaps he didn't write it for his wife... maybe he wrote it for someone else in his life. Or maybe she wasn't his wife yet. Songs would get pretty boring if they were always predictable, no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levis Posted April 25, 2009 Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 Shoddy rhyming really is annoying, especially when there is clearly a better option to make the song flow better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeBB Posted April 25, 2009 Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 That doesn't look like shoddy rhyming to me. The main rhyme is "down/around", and "life/side" is a fine pair for the non-stressed centre of the lines. I hope we have moved past lips/fingertips by now, to a point where we can be more flexible and just *hint* at rhyme when the situation demands. But then again, I'm no poet ;-) LBB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Joe Posted April 25, 2009 Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 Perhaps he meant that whether or not she was his wife as long as he had her by his side he'd be home. No matter...it's a great song. Ron H....welcome to Songfacts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levis Posted April 25, 2009 Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 That doesn't look like shoddy rhyming to me. The main rhyme is "down/around", and "life/side" is a fine pair for the non-stressed centre of the lines. I hope we have moved past lips/fingertips by now, to a point where we can be more flexible and just *hint* at rhyme when the situation demands. But then again, I'm no poet ;-) LBB Oh, no - I'm not pinpointing this song. I just mean that I can understand the OP's frustration as I've felt the same way with some lyrics. You instinctively fill in a better word when the one the writer chose just doesn't 'fit' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levis Posted April 25, 2009 Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 Though in this case, if the object was indeed his wife, I can imagine the life/side rhyme would be cringe-worthy when compared to the life/wife. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyberjudge Posted April 25, 2009 Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 FYI. The Piano Man album was released in November 1973, only 2 months after Billy Joel married his first wife, so it is likely that the song was written, and may have even been recorded, before they were married. In any event, using the words "by my side" instead of "as my wife" gives more fans (male and female) singing at home the chance to sing along to their loved ones, married or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawna Posted April 25, 2009 Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 Given the "shoddy rhyme" argument, I guess most artists are guilty of it. My two all-time favorites are forever writing songs that don't rhyme exactly... but in music, it works, because it's the vowel that's sung, not the consonants. So when Stevie Nicks sings, "Thunder only happens when it's raining Players only love you when they're playing" it works because the sound of it is close enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Seeker Posted April 25, 2009 Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 I much prefer 'by my side' to 'as my wife'. Nothing to do with rhyming or anything like that, it just seems a lot nicer. "As my wife" would be a bit 'Billy Joel's love song for Billy Joel's wife', and you know how some songs just seem TOO personal? Not sure why this one word is making such a difference to me, but it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Viaene Posted April 25, 2009 Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 obvious rhyming is done a million times and becomes kinda dull imo I prefer 'By my side' too, poetry isn't about perfect rhyming only. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky Posted April 25, 2009 Report Share Posted April 25, 2009 (edited) Taking into account cj's FYI, by my side makes complete sense, and makes the song more universal and less personal. I do agree with Radhi though, inefficient (or rather ineffectual) rhyming can be annoying as h*ll. By the way welcome to SF Ron. Nice intial question/post. Edited April 25, 2009 by Guest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyberjudge Posted April 26, 2009 Report Share Posted April 26, 2009 I much prefer 'by my side' to 'as my wife'. Nothing to do with rhyming or anything like that, it just seems a lot nicer. "As my wife" would be a bit 'Billy Joel's love song for Billy Joel's wife', and you know how some songs just seem TOO personal? Not sure why this one word is making such a difference to me, but it is. Billy Joel writing a song that was a personal 'Billy Joel's love song for Billy Joel's wife'? No way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Seeker Posted April 26, 2009 Report Share Posted April 26, 2009 But he doesn't sing anything along the lines of "I love you, wife". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blind-fitter Posted April 28, 2009 Report Share Posted April 28, 2009 Assonance is infinitely preferable to rhyme. There is little worse in poetry than "rhymes" being shoehorned in, to the detriment of sense, melody or rhythmic flow. Moreover, there are very few rhymes for the word "life" in the English language. "Wife", "strife" and "knife" being the three to spring immediately to mind. Consequently, any attempt to combine any of the aforementioned words in rhyme risks a trite, banal and cliched outcome, which a songwriter of Joel's undoubted talent would wish to avoid. There is no conceivable justification for "as my wife" to be considered preferable to that which Joel actually intended to say. If that wasn't what he meant to say, why say it? To make it "rhyme better"? Meh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blind-fitter Posted April 28, 2009 Report Share Posted April 28, 2009 Just a point of clarification: I'm not opposed to rhyme per se. Deft and imaginative rhyming can be a scintillating feature of inspiring poetry, and a joy to encounter. However, "life" and "wife" don't quite fit the bill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levis Posted April 29, 2009 Report Share Posted April 29, 2009 But if it IS in fact about his wife, it seems to be missing the obvious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawna Posted April 29, 2009 Report Share Posted April 29, 2009 Assonance is infinitely preferable to rhyme. There is little worse in poetry than "rhymes" being shoehorned in, to the detriment of sense, melody or rhythmic flow. Moreover, there are very few rhymes for the word "life" in the English language. "Wife", "strife" and "knife" being the three to spring immediately to mind. Consequently, any attempt to combine any of the aforementioned words in rhyme risks a trite, banal and cliched outcome, which a songwriter of Joel's undoubted talent would wish to avoid. There is no conceivable justification for "as my wife" to be considered preferable to that which Joel actually intended to say. If that wasn't what he meant to say, why say it? To make it "rhyme better"? Meh! I just love that you're so able to articulate exactly what it is I want to say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeBB Posted April 29, 2009 Report Share Posted April 29, 2009 But if it IS in fact about his wife, it seems to be missing the obvious. Obvious, but not necessarily related to what the writer is trying to say. The important thing about my relationship with Francesca, for example, is that she is "by my side". Whether or not she is my wife is relatively unimportant to me, and more of a legal/societal matter than a personal one. Plus, "wife" would be a bit naff ;-) LBBBB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levis Posted April 29, 2009 Report Share Posted April 29, 2009 To be honest, I don't really like the word 'wife' in a song because then listeners have more limits on them when they 'adopt' it as their own. You can't sing it to girlfriends without freaking them out. 'By my side' is definitely more saleable. 'Wife' is just not a good word in a song - it makes it sound old. If you want to attract a young crowd (which should be the aim of anyone selling anything) you appeal to young sentiments and young sentiments don't include marriage (though they do include love). BUT from a rhyme perspective you can NOT deny 'wife' is a better rhyme than 'side' when it comes to 'life' no matter how boring, banal, trivial, expected, ho-hum, unimaginative, cliche etc. it is. (no, you can't - like, don't try) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blind-fitter Posted April 29, 2009 Report Share Posted April 29, 2009 You're testing me? I can argue anything until the cows come home, if you push me hard enough. Incidentally, does anybody suspect, as I do, that the original poster (RonH)was pulling our collective leg? I reckon he's one of these Internet pranksters. We've been stitched up like a kipper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Levis Posted April 29, 2009 Report Share Posted April 29, 2009 We don't care, life/wife > life/side, QED Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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