Silverstein's passion for music was clear early on as he studied for a while at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. As a songwriter, Silverstein kept a low profile but cast a long shadow. He tended to shun publicity and even photographers. Nonetheless, his musical output included many songs which were hits for other artists. Most notably, he wrote the music and lyrics for "A Boy Named Sue" that was performed by Johnny Cash (for which he won a Grammy in 1970); "One's on the Way" (which was a hit for Loretta Lynn), and "The Unicorn Song" which, despite having nothing to do with Ireland nor Irish culture, became the signature piece for The Irish Rovers in 1968 and is popular in pubs all over the world to this day. He wrote the lyrics and music for most of the Dr. Hook songs, including "Cover of the Rolling Stone", "Freakin' at the Freakers' Ball", "Sylvia's Mother", and the cautionary song about VD, "Don't Give a Dose to the One You Love Most". He also wrote many of the songs performed by Bobby Bare, including "Marie Laveau", "Rosalie's Good Eats Cafe", "The Mermaid", "The Winner", and "Tequila Sheila". The song "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan",] recorded in 1979 by Marianne Faithfull and later featured in the films Montenegro and Thelma & Louise, was also by Silverstein.
Quaaludes Again
Shel Silverstein Lyrics
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Rolls down the hall.
She bounces off the sofa,
And walks into the wall.
It's easy to see that she buckles and bends.
She's doin' quaaludes again.
Quaaludes again.
If you've got aurora,
You know for shorra
She's your friend.
She's doin' quaaludes again.
She fumbles and stumbles
And falls down the stairs,
Makes love to the leg of the diningroom chair.
She's ready for animals, women or men.
She's doin' quaaludes again.
Quaaludes again.
Again.
Again.
Quaaludes again.
If you've got a lemon, a dog and three women,
Then she's your friend.
She's doing quaaludes again.
Quaaludes again.
[Dialogue between man and woman with riff in the background:]
He: Baby, you've been doing quaaludes again. Well, then who?
She: No. Not me. I don't have any quaaludes.
He: You don't have 'em 'cause you took em all already.
She: No.
He: You had six.
She: Nooo...
He: You had six yesterday, right? In your purse?
She: No...
He: How many you got now? Where'd they go?
She: No. I don't have ANY.
He: That's what I mean.
She: No...
He: Where'd they go? What'd you take?
She: I didn't take anything. I just had a small... a small headache.
He: So what did you take? What did you take for a headache?
She: No... Maybe an aspirin.
He: That's the biggest damned aspirin I've ever seen! You did... You keep... Don't keep pullin at me! Don't do that! Don't do that! c'mon... you're bumpin' into the furniture.
She: It hurts!
He: What?! I didn't mooove ANYTHING around!
She: [moaning]
He: You had FIVE quaaludes in your purse yesterday. You have none today!
She: I gave them away.
He: You gave away what? You gave EVERYTHING away!
She: I gave it to all my friends.
He: Yeah. How much time did you see your friends?
She: Wellll...
He: You were supposed to see them for five minutes?
She: Well... Don't you know how it is?
He: I DON'T know how it is.
She: Nooo...
He: I know you're doin 'ludes, and you said... you said that the next time you get them I should take them away and flush them down the toilet.
She: Noooo...
He: Didn't you say that?
She: NO....noooooo...
He: DON'T keep pullin' me to the damn bed! I don't want an old... I'm tellin you... You are turnin' me OFF!
[fading away]
He: Now let me tell you... Will you keep your eyes open! Get up!
The song "Quaaludes Again" by Shel Silverstein is about a woman who is addicted to quaaludes, a type of sedative that was popular in the 1970s. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the woman's behavior when she is under the influence of the drug. She is described as stumbling and falling down, and making love to the leg of a dining room chair. The man in the song confronts her about her drug use, but she denies it and becomes defensive.
The lyrics of the song are a commentary on drug addiction and the destructive behavior that can come with it. The woman in the song is unable to control her actions when she is on quaaludes, and her addiction is causing problems in her relationship. The man in the song is frustrated and concerned about her well-being, but she is unable or unwilling to acknowledge the problem.
Overall, "Quaaludes Again" is a cautionary tale about the dangers of drug addiction and the destructive behavior that can result from it.
Line by Line Meaning
She falls through the doorway,
Rolls down the hall.
The subject is moving in a disorienting, unstable manner, not in control of her movements.
She bounces off the sofa,
And walks into the wall.
The subject is physically colliding with objects in her environment.
It's easy to see that she buckles and bends.
The subject's physical responses to her environment demonstrate that she is heavily under the influence of a drug.
She's doin' quaaludes again.
Quaaludes again.
Quaaludes again.
If you've got aurora,
You know for shorra
She's your friend.
The subject is known for abusing quaaludes and those familiar with her behavior know that she is unable to control herself and is likely to engage in erratic, unpredictable behavior.
She fumbles and stumbles
And falls down the stairs,
Makes love to the leg of the diningroom chair.
She's ready for animals, women or men.
The subject's actions are heavily influenced and uninhibited by her drug use; her sexual behavior is no exception.
He: Baby, you've been doing quaaludes again. Well, then who?
She: No. Not me. I don't have any quaaludes.
He: You don't have 'em 'cause you took em all already.
The man confronts the subject about her drug use and she initially denies, but his accusation of her prior use implies she is lying.
She: No.
He: You had six.
She: Nooo...
He: You had six yesterday, right? In your purse?
The man continues to confront the subject with specific details about her drug use, to which she continues to deny any wrongdoing.
He: That's the biggest damned aspirin I've ever seen! You did... You keep... Don't keep pullin at me! Don't do that! Don't do that! c'mon... you're bumpin' into the furniture.
She: It hurts!
The man expresses disbelief at the subject's claim that she only took an aspirin, and the subject's physical pain suggests that the dose of the drug she took was significant.
He: You had FIVE quaaludes in your purse yesterday. You have none today!
She: I gave them away.
He: You gave away what? You gave EVERYTHING away!
The man accuses the subject of sharing her drugs with others and being unable to control herself from using them all.
He: I know you're doin 'ludes, and you said... you said that the next time you get them I should take them away and flush them down the toilet.
She: Noooo...
He: Didn't you say that?
The man believes the subject has previously acknowledged her drug problem and agreed to his intervention, but she denies even having that conversation.
He: DON'T keep pullin' me to the damn bed! I don't want an old... I'm tellin you... You are turnin' me OFF!
[fading away]
He: Now let me tell you... Will you keep your eyes open! Get up!
The man is increasingly frustrated with the subject's behavior and physical interaction with him, and becomes aggressive in his confrontation with her.
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