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.
Show It On The Beach
Shel Silverstein Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They think we're gonna grab it if it gets within our reach
And they won't let us show it at the beach
But you can show it in your parlor to most anyone you choose
You can show it at a party with your second shot of booze
You can show it on the corner wearin' overcoat and shoes
But they won't let us show it at the beach
Ah they won't us show it at the beach
Oh they're sure we're gonna grab it if it gets within our reach
So they won't let us show it at the beach
But you can show it in the movies on the cineramic screen
You can show it in the most sophisticated magazine
You can show it while you're bouncing on the high school trampoline
But they won't let us show it at the beach
But if you've got a gun it's legal to display it on your hip
You can show your butcher knives to any interested kid
But if it's made for lovin' then you'd better keep it hid
And they won't let us show it at the beach
Shel Silverstein's "Show It On The Beach" is a witty and ironic commentary on American attitudes toward sexuality in the 1960s. The song talks about the hypocrisy of the society that allows the display of weapons, alcohol and other adult content in public spaces, but prohibits bathing suits from showing too much skin at the beach. The refrain "they won't let us show it at the beach" is repeated throughout the song to emphasize the absurdity of this double standard.
The first verse addresses the restrictions on swimwear at the beach, suggesting that authorities believe beachgoers cannot control themselves in the presence of partial nudity. The second verse challenges the notion that private spaces, such as homes and parties, are more appropriate for sexual expression than public spaces. The third and fourth verses employ sarcasm to highlight the contradictions: while guns and knives are considered acceptable public displays, intimate relationships are not. The final verse ties the song together by repeating the refrain and emphasizing the song's ultimate message.
In summary, "Show It On The Beach" is a socially critical song that uses humor and irony to expose the hypocrisy of society's sexual norms.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh they won't let us show it at the beach no they won't let us show it at the beach
The authority prohibits us from displaying it at the beach.
They think we're gonna grab it if it gets within our reach
They believe that we will take it if it's within our grasp.
And they won't let us show it at the beach
The ban on public display of it at the beach remains.
But you can show it in your parlor to most anyone you choose
It's acceptable to present it within the confines of your home to whomever you wish.
You can show it at a party with your second shot of booze
It's allowed to display it at a social gathering after a drink or two.
You can show it on the corner wearin' overcoat and shoes
It's permissible to exhibit it in public while wearing an overcoat and shoes.
But they won't let us show it at the beach
The decree to refrain from displaying it still stands.
No they won't let us show it at the beach friends
The rule against parading it in public at the beach still applies, folks.
Ah they won't us show it at the beach
The authorities won't allow us to show it at the beach.
Oh they're sure we're gonna grab it if it gets within our reach
They're convinced that we'll take it if we have the chance.
So they won't let us show it at the beach
The restraint on showcasing it at the beach endures.
But you can show it in the movies on the cineramic screen
It's permitted to exhibit it in movies on a large screen.
You can show it in the most sophisticated magazine
It's acceptable to show depictions of it in high-end magazines.
You can show it while you're bouncing on the high school trampoline
It's allowable to show it while jumping on a high school trampoline.
But they won't let us show it at the beach
Prohibiting showing it in public at the beach remains.
But if you've got a gun it's legal to display it on your hip
It's legal to exhibit a gun on your hip.
You can show your butcher knives to any interested kid
You can present your butcher knives to an inquisitive child.
But if it's made for lovin' then you'd better keep it hid
However, if it's intended for love, you need to keep it concealed.
And they won't let us show it at the beach
The regulation prohibiting its exhibition at the beach persists.
Contributed by David F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ronja´s Dr Hook Channel
Lyrics:
Oh they won't let us show it at the beach no they won't let us show it at the beach
They think we're gonna grab it if it gets within our reach
And they won't let us show it at the beach
But you can show it in your parlor to most anyone you choose
You can show it at a party with your second shot of booze
You can show it on the corner wearin' overcoat and shoes
But they won't let us show it at the beach
No they won't let us show it at the beach friends
Ah they won't us show it at the beach
Oh they're sure we're gonna grab it if it gets within our reach
So they won't let us show it at the beach
But you can show it in the movies on the cineramic screen
You can show it in the most sophisticated magazine
You can show it while you're bouncing on the high school trampoline
But they won't let us show it at the beach
But if you've got a gun it's legal to display it on your hip
You can show your butcher knives to any interested kid
But if it's made for lovin' then you'd better keep it hid
And they won't let us show it at the beach
Mike Weber
I remember one of the Dr Hook frontmen - Ray Sawyer or Dennis Lecorriere (i'm pretty sure it was Dennis) talking about getting a call from Shel.
At 4AM.
Now, they'd already recorded a couple of Shel's songs - "Sylvia's Mother" and "Roland the Roadie" at least - and they were on good terms, but ... still.
"Shel - it's 4AM."
"Grab a pencil - i just came up with a song I wanna play for you."
"Why don't YOU write it down, Shel?"
"I can't - I'm in a phone booth."
Dennis said "Now, I knew better than to ask Shel what he was doing in a phone booth at 4Am ... with his guitar ... because more likely than not, he'd'a told me."
So he scrounged up pencil and paper, and as Shel sang and played it, he wrote down "Cover of the Rolling Stone".
Ronja´s Dr Hook Channel
Lyrics:
Oh they won't let us show it at the beach no they won't let us show it at the beach
They think we're gonna grab it if it gets within our reach
And they won't let us show it at the beach
But you can show it in your parlor to most anyone you choose
You can show it at a party with your second shot of booze
You can show it on the corner wearin' overcoat and shoes
But they won't let us show it at the beach
No they won't let us show it at the beach friends
Ah they won't us show it at the beach
Oh they're sure we're gonna grab it if it gets within our reach
So they won't let us show it at the beach
But you can show it in the movies on the cineramic screen
You can show it in the most sophisticated magazine
You can show it while you're bouncing on the high school trampoline
But they won't let us show it at the beach
But if you've got a gun it's legal to display it on your hip
You can show your butcher knives to any interested kid
But if it's made for lovin' then you'd better keep it hid
And they won't let us show it at the beach
Tina Durski
Shel was a legend
Tommy Two Toes
It's amazing how many popular songs he wrote including Boy named Sue, The Unicorn song, throw another log on the fire and many, many more.
LEONARDO THE FABULOUS
I didn't know he wrote "A Boy named Sue."!!
Lindsay Hengehold
Love his books like A Light in the Attic, the Giving Tree & Where the Sidewalk Ends
Kevin Fowler
My uncle taught me this song when over 30 years ago. One of my favorites.
John L
The Giving Tree, which he wrote, is a wonderfully written story!
John L
Yep!
Birgitte Kjær
@John L yes
Linda S Dawson
Where the Sidewalk Ends