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"till the 4th of july" references
Sunday, July 13th, 2008 01:29 amI never understood the 4th of July reference in the song, Lake of Fire. Recently I heard another song that had a similar reference, and this song sounded older, which got me to wondering what the origins of this expression are, and what exactly it means. So, I did some research.
Still not sure. Seems to originally come from an old children's rhyme. May refer to the Apocalypse and Rapture, or to the civil war...
Meatpupets/Nirvana - Lake of Fire:
Where do bad folks go when they die?
They don't go to heaven where the angels fly
They go to the lake of fire and fry
Won't see them again 'till the fourth of July
http://www.songmeanings.net/lyric.php?lid=373
comment by aldeayeah:don't know why but 4th of july is often associated to the end of the world. i think that's what it means in this song
comment by hongo: i agree with aldeayeah.. i think that the meaning of the "4th of July" is associated with the Apocalypsis
comment by Monkets291: It says 4th of July i think because all the fireworks remind you of a nuclear war (hence the end of the world)
comment by djdude2828: i think this song was written bout duluth, minnesota, not georgia, because of the big lake superior out there and every forth of july they shoot fireworks up from boats in the lake, creating the name "lake of fire"
comment by Scark: [quote from Wikipedia article on Rapture] ...it seems like "see them again" refers to this, but I'm not sure why It's called the Forth of July. Despite certain movies I don't think there's a history of independence day being the end of the world (though it's certainly a poetic thought, mortal coil and all that), on second thought I guess that really makes sense, and would be along the lines of meat puppet's attitude, so to hell (pun not intended) with the idea of fireworks looking like the faithful rising...
Viva Voce - Drown Them Out
Gray, gray is the color when I go outside
And the rain won't stop until the Fourth of July
Rudy Toombs - PIECE A-PUDDIN'
Mom said, "Son here's fifteen cents
Go watch the elephant jump the fence"
He jumped so high, he started to fly
He didn't get back till the Fourth of July
Green Day - Walkin' the Dog
Asked your mother for fifteen cents,
See the fellow he jumped the fence.
Jumped so high he touched the sky,
Don't get back till the fourth of july.
Aerosmith - Walkin' the Dog
Ask yo mama for a-fifteen cents
To see the elephant jump the fence
It jumped so high, touched the sky
Didnt come back till the fourth of july
Several other bands/musicians have done versions of "Walkin the Dog", too - Rolling Stones, Rufus Thomas/Grateful Dead, Johnny Rivers...
Mary Mack (clapping game)
She asked her mother, mother, mother
For 50 cents, cents, cents
To see the elephants, elephants, elephants
Jump over the fence, fence, fence.
They jumped so high, high, high
They reached the sky, sky, sky
And they didn't come back, back, back
'Til the 4th of July, ly, ly!
or
They jumped so high, high, high
They touched the sky, sky, sky
They never came down, down, down
Until the fourth of July, ly, ly, ly, ly, ly
From Wikipedia:
The origin of the name Mary Mack is obscure, and various theories have been proposed. According to one theory Mary Mack originally was Merrimack (an early ironclad that would have been black, with silver rivets) suggesting that the first verse refers to the Battle of Hampton Roads during the American Civil War. In America, slave children would sometimes sing the hand-clapping song while they worked.
Still not sure. Seems to originally come from an old children's rhyme. May refer to the Apocalypse and Rapture, or to the civil war...
Meatpupets/Nirvana - Lake of Fire:
Where do bad folks go when they die?
They don't go to heaven where the angels fly
They go to the lake of fire and fry
Won't see them again 'till the fourth of July
http://www.songmeanings.net/lyric.php?lid=373
comment by aldeayeah:don't know why but 4th of july is often associated to the end of the world. i think that's what it means in this song
comment by hongo: i agree with aldeayeah.. i think that the meaning of the "4th of July" is associated with the Apocalypsis
comment by Monkets291: It says 4th of July i think because all the fireworks remind you of a nuclear war (hence the end of the world)
comment by djdude2828: i think this song was written bout duluth, minnesota, not georgia, because of the big lake superior out there and every forth of july they shoot fireworks up from boats in the lake, creating the name "lake of fire"
comment by Scark: [quote from Wikipedia article on Rapture] ...it seems like "see them again" refers to this, but I'm not sure why It's called the Forth of July. Despite certain movies I don't think there's a history of independence day being the end of the world (though it's certainly a poetic thought, mortal coil and all that), on second thought I guess that really makes sense, and would be along the lines of meat puppet's attitude, so to hell (pun not intended) with the idea of fireworks looking like the faithful rising...
Viva Voce - Drown Them Out
Gray, gray is the color when I go outside
And the rain won't stop until the Fourth of July
Rudy Toombs - PIECE A-PUDDIN'
Mom said, "Son here's fifteen cents
Go watch the elephant jump the fence"
He jumped so high, he started to fly
He didn't get back till the Fourth of July
Green Day - Walkin' the Dog
Asked your mother for fifteen cents,
See the fellow he jumped the fence.
Jumped so high he touched the sky,
Don't get back till the fourth of july.
Aerosmith - Walkin' the Dog
Ask yo mama for a-fifteen cents
To see the elephant jump the fence
It jumped so high, touched the sky
Didnt come back till the fourth of july
Several other bands/musicians have done versions of "Walkin the Dog", too - Rolling Stones, Rufus Thomas/Grateful Dead, Johnny Rivers...
Mary Mack (clapping game)
She asked her mother, mother, mother
For 50 cents, cents, cents
To see the elephants, elephants, elephants
Jump over the fence, fence, fence.
They jumped so high, high, high
They reached the sky, sky, sky
And they didn't come back, back, back
'Til the 4th of July, ly, ly!
or
They jumped so high, high, high
They touched the sky, sky, sky
They never came down, down, down
Until the fourth of July, ly, ly, ly, ly, ly
From Wikipedia:
The origin of the name Mary Mack is obscure, and various theories have been proposed. According to one theory Mary Mack originally was Merrimack (an early ironclad that would have been black, with silver rivets) suggesting that the first verse refers to the Battle of Hampton Roads during the American Civil War. In America, slave children would sometimes sing the hand-clapping song while they worked.