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northern pain

English translation: possible meaning

11:49 Mar 25, 2009
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature
English term or phrase: northern pain
It is from a song and I would like to know what you understand or what this expression "northern pain" refers to - a friend of mine would like to get the meaning of it. I paste a large extract from the song :

I was there caught on Tenth Avenue
You elsewhere with Culver City blues
Then and there I knew that I’d lost you

What is left of love
Tell me
Who would even care ?
So much time has passed
I’d still meet you anywhere

Water under bridge
Evening after day
What is left of love here
That didn’t drift away ?

Don’t give me all your northern pain
Don’t sell me New York in the rain
Let’s leave our promises behind
Rewind
And try again


Many thanks in advance for any hint !
Sylvain Leray
Local time: 10:50
Selected answer:possible meaning
Explanation:
The guy/girl to whom this song is dedicated is probably from the North ( of the USA, I presume; most probably New England) and the songwriter probably isn't. The writer may be referring to the more melancholic/depressive mood of the people from the North compared to the people from the South. That's why the next line refers to New York "in the rain", i.e. sad New York. The writer is asking her/him not to show New York in the rain probably indicating a wish not to hear only the sad stories...

Or they may be some personal deeper meaning that only the two of them would understand: something that happened in the North, perhaps...


Selected response from:

Lirka
Austria
Local time: 10:50
Grading comment
Many thanks to all of you! I like your interpretation and it fits well with the rest of the song.
Have a nice week!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
3 +6possible meaning
Lirka
4 +2love and pain
Anna Quail


Discussion entries: 5





  

Answers


15 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +6
possible meaning


Explanation:
The guy/girl to whom this song is dedicated is probably from the North ( of the USA, I presume; most probably New England) and the songwriter probably isn't. The writer may be referring to the more melancholic/depressive mood of the people from the North compared to the people from the South. That's why the next line refers to New York "in the rain", i.e. sad New York. The writer is asking her/him not to show New York in the rain probably indicating a wish not to hear only the sad stories...

Or they may be some personal deeper meaning that only the two of them would understand: something that happened in the North, perhaps...




Lirka
Austria
Local time: 10:50
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Many thanks to all of you! I like your interpretation and it fits well with the rest of the song.
Have a nice week!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Michael Beijer: Good answer.
18 mins
  -> Thanks, Michael!
agree  Gary D: The pain you had living up north away from every one else
32 mins
  -> Thanks, Gary
agree  Shai Navé
37 mins
  -> Toda raba ve shalom lecha, Shai!
agree  NancyLynn: it's the reference to New York that seals the deal ;-)
2 hrs
  -> Yes, I agree. Thanks.
agree  d_vachliot (X)
23 hrs
  -> Thanks, D.!
agree  Alice Bootman
1 day 1 hr
  -> Thanks, Alice!
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +2
love and pain


Explanation:
It's not "northern pain" - it's "love and pain"! I don't think your friend will have any problem understanding that :-))

I checked the lyrics of the song (The Way It Used To Be) on the 'Xenomania news' website:
http://xenomania.freehostia.com/songs/petshopboys/thewayitus...

For info, the song is:
"Written by Neil Tennant, Chris Lowe, Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, Nick Coler.
Produced by Brian Higgins/Xenomania."

So I think you will agree that the source is reliable...

HTH
Flo


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2009-03-25 15:25:48 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

You can listen to the song here: http://www.parlophone.co.uk/yes/
(Link provided by the official Pet Shop Boys website: http://www.petshopboys.co.uk/browser.aspx
Click on 'Headlines', '19 March 2009', 'Exclusive album preview' if the link above doesn't work.)

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 3 hrs (2009-03-25 15:41:43 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Hi Sylvain -- I thought you probably already knew the song :-) It was more for the record, so to speak (no pun intended :-)). If the booklet says "northern pain", I have a theory about that, but I'd rather keep it to myself for now, as it's only a guess.

Having listened to the song twice, I'm not sure the lyrics on that website are 100% correct -- I hear "What is left to love?" rather than "What is left of love?"...



--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 hrs (2009-03-25 15:50:28 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

To Sylvain:
Yes, beautiful! :-)


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 21 hrs (2009-03-26 09:32:41 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Okay, so here is my theory, now that we've established that the words are actually "northern pain" :-)

I think lirka is possibly right -- its' anybody's guess, really, if we don't have the explanation from the horse's mouth -- but my understanding of "northern pain" is the opposite.

Juxtaposing
"I was there caught on Tenth Avenue
You elsewhere with Culver City blues"
with
"Don’t give me all your northern pain
Don’t sell me New York in the rain"
gives me the impression that the author of the song has his heart in New York, whereas the other person's heart is in Culver City (California), but it could be the opposite. It depends on whether the other person is complaining about the weather in New York and is feeling homesick for sunny California (Culver City blues) or whether he/she feels homesick in Culver City and is longing for New York and its rain.

However, the word “sell” does make it sound as if the other person likes New York, so lirka’s interpretation is probably correct.

As someone who was born in the rainiest country in the world, I can't understand anyone being homesick for rain, personally...

:-)

Anna Quail
France
Local time: 10:50
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks Flo, I already know the song actually. :) Well, your version was indeed the first published before the record came out, and the "northern" version seems to be more and more spreading around... I'd need to have a look at the booklet to be sure!

Asker: Beautiful song, isn't it ? ;-)


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  jccantrell: Yep, another lyric site: http://www.petshopboys.cz/texty/e_tx_yes.php#10 "Shout out to Culver City where only the sky is blue!"
35 mins
  -> Thanks, JC :-)
agree  Rachel Fell: http://www.geowayne.com/master.html?http://www.geowayne.com/... - managed to listen to it at last! - sounds like northern pain
10 hrs
  -> Wow! Thanks, Rachel! This is all very strange... Sylvain has just checked the lyrics supplied with the CD and it says "northern pain". I wonder if there are two versions, and if so, why?
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