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The Crunge lyrics


Zephyrus

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ok, I've listened to The Crunge about a hundred times over today. I was reading through the liner notes for all the LZ albums and had forgotten that there's lyrics in Houses Of The Holy. I was reading through the lyrics for The Crunge and saw that Robert sings about a female friend of his, but I could have sworn he sings "he" in the actually song, several times. I've listened over and over to the song and it seems to me that the way he's singing he must be saying "he" and not "she", which doesn't make much sense to me, but there it is. does anyone know what the lyrics are officially? is it "HE" or "SHE" ??

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ok, I've listened to The Crunge about a hundred times over today. I was reading through the liner notes for all the LZ albums and had forgotten that there's lyrics in Houses Of The Holy. I was reading through the lyrics for The Crunge and saw that Robert sings about a female friend of his, but I could have sworn he sings "he" in the actually song, several times. I've listened over and over to the song and it seems to me that the way he's singing he must be saying "he" and not "she", which doesn't make much sense to me, but there it is. does anyone know what the lyrics are officially? is it "HE" or "SHE" ??

Not sure of the official version, but it sure sounds like Plant sings 'he.'

Would make sense (if there are any to the lyrics to this song), as he later says, "now, let me tell you about my girl..."

Heard a rumor once that it was about a Page 3 girl from a London rag/newspaper ("I open up a newspaper and what do I see?") where each day they publish a picture of a topless girl. I guess they call that an eye-opener.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

I dont know, i could be wrong (and probably am) but i feel like the "he" at the beginning of the song is a drug pusher and robert is singing from the perspective of the dealer. "i wanna tell you bout my good friend, i aint disclosin' no names but, he sure is a good friend, and i aint gonna tell you where he comes from, but if i tell you, you wont come agian." He buys from the pusher "his good friend" and sells to "you." he doesnt want you to go to the pusher because you will get a better price.

this is just my interpretation of the lyric. if i am missing something obvious that is telling something completly different please let me know. i dont want to go around saying something that is not true. thanks

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"The Crunge"

I wanna tell you bout my good thing

I ain't disclosing no names but--

He sure is a good friend and!

I ain't gonna tell you where he comes from, no!

If I tell you you wont come again! Hey!

I ain't gonna tell you nothin but I do will, but I know, yeah!

I should do but I know now let me tell you bout my girl:

Open up a newspaper and what do I see? Ahh, ah

See my girl, ah, looking at me

Ooh, And when she walks, Ooh, lemme tell ya:

She walks and when she talks, she talks and

When she looks at me in the eye

She's my baby lord I wanna make her mine

Tell me baby what you want me to do!

You want me to love you, love some other man too?

Ain't gonna call me Mr. pitiful, no!

I don't need no respect from nobody...

I ain't gonna tell you nothing I ain't gonna no more, no!

She's my baby let me tell you that I love her so and

And! She's the woman I really wanna love

And let me tell you more, oooh!

She's my baby she lives next door

She's the one a woman the one a woman that I know.

I ain't gonna... tell you one thing that you really ought to know ooh!

She's my lover baby and I love her so and

She's the one that really makes me whirl and twirl!

And she's the kind of lover that makes me me fill the whole world and

She's the one who really makes me jump and shout, ooh!

She's the kind of girl--I know what it's all about!

Take it take it

Excuse me

Oh will you excuse me

I'm just trying to find the bridge... Has anybody seen the bridge?

(Have you seen the bridge?)

I ain't seen the bridge!

(Where's that confounded bridge?) [spoken by Robert Plant]

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The Crunge and Hot Dog are my two choices for worst Led Zep music. I've never understood these songs. It's kinda like the Beatles "Number 9" song. They're not good.

The Crunge is a dig on James Brown musically and a little lyrically. Especially about the Bridge.

It's a fun song to listen to and one of my favorite Zepp songs.

Hot Dog is basically Zeppelin making fun of country. I love the humor sometimes shown with the band in songs. They took their music seriously don't get me wrong but they also put a little sarcasm in their songs and kinda made fun of those genres while respecting them at the same time.

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The Crunge is a dig on James Brown musically and a little lyrically. Especially about the Bridge.

It's a fun song to listen to and one of my favorite Zepp songs.

Hot Dog is basically Zeppelin making fun of country. I love the humor sometimes shown with the band in songs. They took their music seriously don't get me wrong but they also put a little sarcasm in their songs and kinda made fun of those genres while respecting them at the same time.

Well, ya learn something everyday. I've never heard that about James Brown. I knew Hot Dog was Zep trying out country. Still don't like the songs though. Thanks for the info!!

Edited by LedZepIV
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Yes, John Bonham was a huge James Brown fan. He was messing with a James Brown groove in the vein of Sex Machine and Mother Popcorn and the band fell in and The Crunge was born. Take a listen to those songs and you'll see how brilliantly Zeppelin pulled it off.

As for Hot Dog, well that's Robert. You either get him or you don't. Personally that's been a song my band's been covering for 20 years. A definite fave. If you don't like Hot Dog, you probably won't like Darlene (another of my personal favorites). Some peole just don't want anything to do with Zeppelin's humorous side. But to each his own.

Edited by Evster2012
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  • 1 month later...
Yes, John Bonham was a huge James Brown fan. He was messing with a James Brown groove in the vein of Sex Machine and Mother Popcorn and the band fell in and The Crunge was born. Take a listen to those songs and you'll see how brilliantly Zeppelin pulled it off.

I would also refer the members of the board to listen to this James Brown song, with reference to Zeppelin's interpretation of Funk on "The Crunge":

"SUPER BAD"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UH635bu6b8

-----------------------------------------------------

I can't hear James Brown, without seeing Eddie Murphy doing his parody of the man on SNL ... and that's very very funny ! :D

Edited by The Rover
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I've loved The Crunge since the first time I heard it- I would choose it to play for a non Zeppelin fan, to convert them. IMHO (30 years of playing different styles of music behind me) it is one of their best. But maybe it's just a matter of different strokes for different folks.

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I've always thought that they were joking around at the end because they didn't have an ending for the song. They needed a bridge to get out of it, musically speaking.

Yeah, me too. That song kills me. When I first heard it, I didn't think it was Robert speaking at the end, because he sounds so different. The bass is what makes that song for me, though. It makes me want to grab JPJ and kiss him.

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Led Zeppelin could've very easily been an instrumental band...

I still fantasize about having JB and JPJ follow me around, laying down a groove for my day. ....I guess they'd have to be on wheels. Or, I'd just open a door, and there they'd be! Then I'd go somewhere else and lo and behold! Everywhere I'd go, they'd be there rockin out for me. Oh, yeah. B)

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It only took me 35 years to notice this, but he does says "he" at the beginning of the song. As far as the song itself, it is definitely a goof on James Brown, especially at the end. "Mother Popcorn", I think, is a song where Brown sings "take me to the bridge", and Plant sings "I'm just trying to find the bridge". Funny!

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  • 11 years later...
21 hours ago, michael pasquarella said:

what is said at the beginning of the crunge ?  Can anybody play the right drums?  Oh yeah I can.... is that the lines?

"do you want to take it away John?" 

"if you like Jim" 

 

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Plants vocal is annoying as hell but, The Crunge rhythmically speaking is a motherfucker. That beat and bass line are totally unique though derivative of James Brown. It's in 9/8  for Chrissakes...where the hell did they pull that one out from?  I don't know if Jones came up with the riff and Bonzo created the beat to it, or vice versa but it sure sounds like Jonesy's type thing and it's brilliant . Hot Dog is a joke compared to The Crunge , IMO. 

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  • 4 weeks later...

I think that The Crunge was meant as a joke. It’s a rather playful send up of James Brown. As someone else said, both Bonham and Jones were big fans of his. The joke is that, while the song is funky like a JB song, it’s virtually impossible to dance to it. I think it’s hilarious.

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  • 2 months later...

I realize this post is ages old, but I've never once mistaken the "she" for "he" that could just be the fact that I'm only 18 and I mostly ever hear the remasters. Also interesting that some people were unaware of the "Where's that confounded bridge?" line was a direct James Brown reference (well the whole song), that's probably the first thing I ever read about the song.

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