From the "No Sh*t, Sherlock" Department

[the_gneech]

Those of you who watched a lot of "Tom and Jerry" over the years may remember an episode in which Tom, attempting to impress a kitty cowgirl, lipsynchs to Phil "Baloo" Harris's "If You're Ever Down In Texas, Look Me Up." Well, ever since I was a kid, there was a line in that song that's driven me nuts:

  "Am I right
  or am I riller?
  Man, this song's
  a killer-diller!"

For 30+ years I've been wondering what the hell "am I riller?" means -- and this morning it just clicked into place. He's singing about Texas. So it should be:

  "Am I right
  or Amarillo?
  Man, this song's
  a killer-diller!"

He's just slurring "Amarillo" to make a (very questionable) rhyme! Argh!

Curly, do you have any idea the mental anguish you've caused me over the years???

-TG

Comments

[spasmsproject.livejournal.com]

No. Way.

I've wondered about that for years, too.

Thanks.

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

Pleased to be of service!

-TG

[paradisacorbasi.livejournal.com]

That bothered me for a long time too. I was like "what is riller"?

[grifter-t-wolf.livejournal.com]

Are you Gellin'?
I'm Gellin' like Magellan!
You are such a fellon!
That's 'cause I'm gellin!

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

You are so not gellin'!

-TG

[bauske.livejournal.com]

Is you is or is you ain't mah baby.

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

That song, I can make out the lyrics to. ;)

-TG

[bauske.livejournal.com]

Maybe baby found somebody new? Do-da-lo-dee-do dee-dah.

[jamesbarrett.livejournal.com]

They play that song at work and it drives me nuts, cause it didn't have to go that way. -Frisk

[torakiyoshi.livejournal.com]

That is one of the best episodes of Tom and Jerry. Ever.

...

EV-ARRRR.

Have the best

-=TK

[scixual.livejournal.com]

I much prefer the one where he does "Is you is or is you ain't my baby?"

[stargazer.livejournal.com]

All that effort you went through, and it still doesn't make any more sense. ;)

[kylet.livejournal.com]

What's the context of the lyrics (right about what?) I'm wondering if he means amarillo in the sense of being yellow (cowardly)...

[bauske.livejournal.com]

Ding! Sounds like a perfect solution.

By the way, every time I see that icon of yours I want to give you a hug.

[the-gneech.livejournal.com]

There isn't any context really. It's a novelty song with lyrics like "Where the men are men and love it and the gals are sure glad of it! If you're ever down in Texas, look me up!"

The rhyme is all; the content is tapioca.

-TG

[torakiyoshi.livejournal.com]

Heh... that reminds me of the Wyoming State motto:

"Wyoming, where the men are men, the women are scarce, and the sheep are scared."

At least, that's what Coloradans say the Wyoming State motto is!

(And I had a friend once tell me there were so few women in Torrington, WY, that the sheep were starting to look good to him...)

Have the best

-=TK

[larksilver.livejournal.com]

My oldest sister has a dear friend who's.. well, got a bad case of no sh*t, Sherlock-itis.

The last time I saw her, we were all going to dinner together, and the radio played an old-ish song. Mel was singing along gleefully, when the lightbulb came on over her forehead. "Hey! I just realized that "R-O-C-K in the USA" spells ROCK!"

Trust me. Your Amarillo thing is nothin' in comparison. hee!

[bauske.livejournal.com]

I had a friend like that too. My best friend's sister in high school would never get jokes when they were first told, but give her an hour or two and she'd suddenly make an exclamation, usually at the expense of everyone else's sense of peace, announcing she finally got the joke. She'd then laugh for a few minutes about it.

Ahh... I miss her.

[larksilver.livejournal.com]

I had an acquaintance like that at school. Sweet, sweet gal, absolutely a doll, but just very literal-minded. When she heard a joke, she would poke and prod until she figured out why it was funny, but this often took a while. It was worth the effort, however; once she got a joke, she had a darn good time with it.

Case in point: Teach one day told a joke which no one, including the teacher, could later remember. We snorted and chuckled, and he moved on with class. 30-45 minutes later, just before class let out, she squealed and literally fell out of her chair. Literally!

Imagine our surprise - we thought she'd been bitten by something, but no. There, in the middle of discussing the bloodiest battles of the not-so-Civil War, she had grokked the joke.

As I said, we never could remember what the joke was. All she could say when she got it, between peals of laughter, was "A Shovel! Oh my God a Shovel!" and then she would burst into giggles again.

For as long as I knew her, you could walk up to her and say "shovel!" and she would giggle. It was the cutest thing.

[susandeer.livejournal.com]

Actually, I think it's:

Am I right?
Or Amarill?
Man, this STATE'S
a killer-diller!

[susandeer.livejournal.com]

*tosses the lost 'o' up onto the end of 'Amarillo'*

[chipuni.livejournal.com]

I still love another song in that series...

I was riding down the trail to Santa Fe,
When I met a purrty gal along the way,
I said, 'Baby, you're a dream.'
She said, 'Touch me and I'll scream.'
So I tipped my hat and slowly rode away.

I was riding down the trail to Santa Fe,
When I met another gal along the way,
I said, 'Ain't we met before?'
And she drew her .44,
So I tipped my hat and slowly rode away.

[cyberhorn.livejournal.com]

if you listen to some of the older texans you can hear it come out am'a'rilla

"oh so yer from am'a'rila are ya? ive got a few kin out thair"

my two cookies worth

[larksilver.livejournal.com]

'tis funny, ain't it, how those folks in East Tehxus tawlk?

Ah'm from Houston, my accent isn't nearly so profound.. unless I spend an afternoon with someone from a smaller town. Still.. when they drawl without swallowin' their words, it can make for some seriously sexy menfolk-talkin'.

(After all, McConnaugheyyyyyyy came from Texas. yuuuum.) Er. sorry. nm.

[cyberhorn.livejournal.com]

well howdy! this here dragon done been living most all of 15 years in tha houston area humble,greenspoint,deerpark conroe
then also porter and new caney but i had to moveaway from texas and im glad i did