"Have you ever seen a squonk's tears? Well look at mine..."

[Richardo]

What the %$^@ does this mean?

"Any Major Dude" has been one of my favorite Steely Dan tunes since forever, but I've never understood this line (in fact I had to look up the lyrics just this morning to figure out what Fagen was trying to tell me.) :eyes:

Anyone? :shrug:

[wryter2000]

1. It means

"Sometimes hipness is what it ain't." :evilgrin:

[Richardo]

2. "Back to Oakland" with ya, smartass!

:hi: wryter!

[wryter2000]

10. Or...

Riding on a white horse
Galloping over the skies
That's the way that I feel when I'm with you
Do you know what I'm talking about?

Thanks for putting up the album cover. :yourock:

[On the Road]

3. Here We Are from the Wikipedia:

Squonk

The Squonk is a legendary creature reputed to live in the Hemlock forests of northern Pennsylvania. Legends of squonks probably originated in the late 19th century, at the height of Pennsylvania's importance in the timber industry.

The earliest known written account of squonks comes from a book by William T Cox called Fearsome Creatures of the Lumberwoods, With a Few Desert and Mountain Beasts (1910). Mr. Cox's account is reprinted in Jorge Luis Borges' Book of Imaginary Beings (1969).

To summarize the legend of the squonk: It is a very ugly creature, and it knows this. Its skin is ill-fitting, and covered with warts and other blemishes, therefore the squonk hides from being seen, and spends much of its time weeping sorrowfully over its own ugliness. Hunters who have attempted to catch squonks have found that the creature is capable of evading capture by dissolving completely into a pool of tears and bubbles when cornered. A certain J.P. Wentling is supposed to have coaxed one into a bag, which while he was carrying it home, suddenly lightened. On inspection, he found that the bag contained only the liquid remains of the sad animal.

The latin name of the squonk, Lacrimacorpus dissolvens, comes from latin words meaning "tear", "body", and "dissolve".

Cultural References
Probably inspired by Borges' book, a couple of rock bands in the 1970s incorporated the legend of the squonk into their lyrics. First, Steely Dan mentioned squonks in the song "Any Major Dude Will Tell You" on their 1974 LP, Pretzel Logic. Two years later, on their 1976 LP, A Trick of the Tail, Genesis included the song "Squonk", written and sung by their frontman Phil Collins.

In more recent years, the name of the squonk has been used in various contexts, including Squonk Opera, a performing arts group in the Pittsburgh area.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squonk

-------------------------------

I love that song, and I could never understand that line either. Thanks for bringing it up.

[DarkPhenyx]

7. Or you can always go out and find a reference for it...

...if you want to be a cheater! :P

[Richardo]

8. Wow! That makes it extremely poignant...

:cry:

Thanks ribofunk! :thumbsup:

[MallRat]

4. You're trying to interpret Steely Dan lyrics? Good luck.

Jo would you love to scrapple
She'll never say no
Shine up the battle apple
We'll shake 'em all down tonight
We're gonna mix in the street

Love to scrapple? Battle apple? :wtf:

I just enjoy the music. I don't analyze.

-MR

[Richardo]

6. That's just an extended metaphor for sex...

...as is the whole song "Josie".

..and I'm sticking to that. ;-)

[DarkPhenyx]

5. A "Squonk" is a rare creature...

...who's feet are too small, it's skin too loose, and it is perpetually unhappy, thus it is crying all the time. One has never been caught because once caught it cries itself away into a puddle of tears.

At least that's what the "Rare and Fantastic Creatures" book told me when I was very little.

[Richardo]

9. Thanks DarkPhenyx...

...that makes a lot of sense in the context of the song. :cry:

[DarkPhenyx]

12. No problem.

Always glad to help. :)

[DemWitch]

11. Or from the Genesis album...

In season, out of season
What's the difference when you don't know the reason
In one hand bread, the other a stone
The hunter enters the forest
All are not hunters who blow the huntsmens horn
By the look of this one you've got not much to fear
Heare I am I'm very fierce and frightning
Come to match my world against yours
Now listen here listen to me don't you run away now
I am a friend I'd really like to play with you...

Trick of the Tail is one fo the best classic albums ever