Gold & Braid and the ever changing lyric

AliP · #1 09-27-2004, 12:05 AM

I was always curious about the significance of the lyric in Gold & Braid...
"Because I never did not love you, I never did run from you, In a dream I said to you that I would always love you."

Since Stevie has said that this song is about Lindsey...I'm just wondering why she always changes that lyric. If the "I" she is talking about is her, then she is singing from her perspective.

But, then I was listening to a bootleg today: San Fran 12/3/81 and she sings it this way...(I haven't actually listened closely enough to the other bootlegs from the BD tour so I'm not sure if she did this during all the shows or just during this one)
"Because you never did not love me, you never did run from me, In a dream you said to me that you would always love me."

So now, it seems that she is singing the lyric from Lindsey's perspective. Then, of course, on the Enchanted tour, she totally omitted that lyric all together. Very strange. I wonder why she would do this...seems very deliberate. I think this song has a much deeper meaning than even I can imagine. Any thoughts on this??

Kelly · #2 09-27-2004, 07:01 AM

I really have no idea why Stevie changed those lyrics in 81 but I was crushed she omitted them during Enchanted!
I will say that I think MUCH of what Stevie does has signifigance and whenever she changes lyrics, I think it is meaningful to her for some reason at that specific time. Sometimes she adlibs spontaneously but I think most of the time when she does it, she is doing it for a reason. Take the last night of the SYW tour for example, she changed one line in GB from "don't forget me" to "don't forsake me". Why? I have no idea, but just a random slip of the tongue? I don't think so.

skcin · #3 09-27-2004, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kelly

I really have no idea why Stevie changed those lyrics in 81 but I was crushed she omitted them during Enchanted!
I will say that I think MUCH of what Stevie does has signifigance and whenever she changes lyrics, I think it is meaningful to her for some reason at that specific time. Sometimes she adlibs spontaneously but I think most of the time when she does it, she is doing it for a reason. Take the last night of the SYW tour for example, she changed one line in GB from "don't forget me" to "don't forsake me". Why? I have no idea, but just a random slip of the tongue? I don't think so.

I agree, Kelly. Sometimes she just flubs a line, but that's usually pretty obvious. Many times it's smoother & doesn't sound like a mistake at all - more like she MEANT to sing it differently.

Paula

PS - I have never noticed that she sang G&B with those lyrics, I'll have to go back & check my BD boots...

gldstwmn · #4 09-27-2004, 10:18 AM

The demo version has the lyrics "when all the light is gone, there is lightning." I never knew this song was about Lindsey.
I would have to agree that the ad libs have special meaning to her at the time. There are so many, I couldn't even begin to list them all.

strandinthewind · #5 09-27-2004, 11:45 AM

Not that I know him at all, but from the interviews I have seen of him, I just could never see LB saying "don't hide behind your hair that way - baby"

- so, I think it is about Jimmy Iovine and, perhaps, Paul Fishkin. But, it could be about all three and maybe a few more

AliP · #6 09-27-2004, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

Not that I know him at all, but from the interviews I have seen of him, I just could never see LB saying "don't hide behind your hair that way - baby"

- so, I think it is about Jimmy Iovine and, perhaps, Paul Fishkin. But, it could be about all three and maybe a few more

Here is a quote from Stevie:

Billboard-April 18, 1998
"Gold and Braid is another song on Enchanted is an unreleased track from my Bella Donna sessions, and it's about Lindsey wanting more from me in our relationship. But wanting to know everything about someone, which goes hand in hand with being in love, was never something, I'd ever wanted to share with anybody. Professionally, everybody always wanted me to be their idea of what I should be. I'd flat out look at people and say, 'You know I'm not gonna do what you want, so why do you bother?'"

Doesn't mean it's entirely about Lindsey...but I think that most of it is.

AliP · #7 09-27-2004, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kelly

I really have no idea why Stevie changed those lyrics in 81 but I was crushed she omitted them during Enchanted!

Yes, I agree!! I was so disappointed when she left out those lyrics. IMO, those lyrics are the most powerful and meaningful lyrics in the entire song.

strandinthewind · #8 09-27-2004, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AliP

Here is a quote from Stevie:

Billboard-April 18, 1998
"Gold and Braid is another song on Enchanted is an unreleased track from my Bella Donna sessions, and it's about Lindsey wanting more from me in our relationship. But wanting to know everything about someone, which goes hand in hand with being in love, was never something, I'd ever wanted to share with anybody. Professionally, everybody always wanted me to be their idea of what I should be. I'd flat out look at people and say, 'You know I'm not gonna do what you want, so why do you bother?'"

Doesn't mean it's entirely about Lindsey...but I think that most of it is.

LOL - that explanation is as vague as the song - Lord love her

But, LB is in there somewhere and obviously alot!!!!!!!!!

AliP · #9 09-27-2004, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

LOL - that explanation is as vague as the song - Lord love her

But, LB is in there somewhere and obviously alot!!!!!!!!!

Even with the quote, it's possible other men are woven into the song. However, Maybe it's just me, but I just don't think that quote could be about anyone other than Lindsey

gldstwmn · #10 09-27-2004, 03:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

Not that I know him at all, but from the interviews I have seen of him, I just could never see LB saying "don't hide behind your hair that way - baby"

- so, I think it is about Jimmy Iovine and, perhaps, Paul Fishkin. But, it could be about all three and maybe a few more

That's what I thought too.

Kelly · #11 09-28-2004, 06:38 AM

I agree Ali, I thought the same thing. It's not like she is saying LB actually said dont hide behind your hair baby! He wanted her to open up, not hide her feelings, tell him everything. Not really vague to me and completely typical of LB and SN's relationship. (power/control)

strandinthewind · #12 09-28-2004, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kelly

I agree Ali, I thought the same thing. It's not like she is saying LB actually said dont hide behind your hair baby! He wanted her to open up, not hide her feelings, tell him everything. Not really vague to me and completely typical of LB and SN's relationship. (power/control)

Where I was getting the LB saying it thing was in concert (at least the ones I went to) she sings (emphasis supplied) "and he said don't hide behind your hair that way baby . . ."

So, I was taking that to mean LB was saying it because she is saying "he said" - so, if this song is all about LB, then LB must be saying it (literally) as LB is the "he" of the song - and I just could never think of LB as saying that

But, the reason it is vague to me is that in the explanation, she syas "Professionally, everybody always wanted me to be their idea of what I should be. I'd flat out look at people and say, 'You know I'm not gonna do what you want, so why do you bother?'" - that implies a response to a question or statement by these other people. That is where I got that there could be more than one actor in this song and that person could be the "he" saying "don't hide behind your hair . . . ."

But, to each their own

David · #13 09-28-2004, 11:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gldstwmn

The demo version has the lyrics "when all the light is gone, there is lightning." I never knew this song was about Lindsey.

I've always liked Stevie's lyrical forays into meteorology!

Great song, this one is -- one of my favorites.

Josh2003 · #14 09-28-2004, 11:14 AM

I adore Stevie, as most people know, but I really don't think that she puts that much thought into what she ad-libs live. Just because she changed the lyrics up a bit doesn't mean that her "new" lyrics have some significant meaning.

Case in point, at the TISL show in Cleveland, she simply messed up the lyrics to "Planets of the Universe"...instead of saying "They go into the seas that have no shores," she said "they go into the shores that have no seas"...she started singing the next line and you could tell by the look on her face that she realized she had messed up and that the next line wouldn't rhyme. So she obviously made up, on the spot, the next line that she sang: "...haunted by that same fantasy".

So I can just see in 5 years someone listening to this bootleg and trying to analyze what Stevie meant when she sang it that way. I think sometimes she just throws things in and doesn't really pay attention to what the "meaning" behind her words is.

David · #15 09-28-2004, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Josh2003

I adore Stevie, as most people know, but I really don't think that she puts that much thought into what she ad-libs live. Just because she changed the lyrics up a bit doesn't mean that her "new" lyrics have some significant meaning.

So I can just see in 5 years someone listening to this bootleg and trying to analyze what Stevie meant when she sang it that way. I think sometimes she just throws things in and doesn't really pay attention to what the "meaning" behind her words is.

I agree with Josh. People who perform onstage will tell you that you can know lyrics perfectly well in rehearsal & soundcheck but your mind will suddenly go blank in front of an audience -- & yet you are somehow able to spontaneously "create" entirely new lyrics that flow with the music. I just played some shows with my FM group, & the guy on lead, Marcus, forgot a bunch of words to "Monday Morning" but he just started singing words that "fit" out of nowhere. It's as if your brain tells you: "Paying customers are watching you now so you'd better sing SOMETHING that sounds like the song." If he had forgotten the words during rehearsal, he'd have just stumbled around or stopped singing entirely, but the adrenalin you get in front of people provides words for you! Much of the time, it seems to be that way with Stevie.

It's probably like being able to lift a car off a trapped child -- when ordinarily there's no way in hell you could lift that weight.