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I am trying to find the correct lyrics (the 2nd and 3rd lines) for "Back When My Hair Was Short" by Gun Hill Road. I have found several sites that printed the lyrics, but something does not sound right to me when I listen to it on You Tube...

The following lyrics are what I have found on several sites:
Back when my hair was short
I was a white socked sport
Wore pointed shoes and pegged pants.


I found one other site where the 2nd line was:
I was a high toned sport

Neither one of those "Sport" lines makes any sense to me.

When I play the You Tube version, I can't quite make out the "White Socked Sport" line, and I am hearing a plural ("sports"). Also, I'm not sure if I am hearing "wore pointed shoes and pegged pants" or "pink pants."

Can some of you take a listen and tell me what you are hearing? Here's the YouTube link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE2kQe0PghU

Sounds like I was a white socked sport to me.

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The Line Array Experiment is over. Nothing to see here. Move along.

I don't know why. "Sport" is a term describing a fellow with a certain cachet. Haven't you ever had someone call you "Sport"?

Also, the pipestem pants and penny loafers with white socks was a definite "look" back in the early '60s, when hair was short. So the line "Back when my hair was short, I was a white-socked sport" makes lots of sense to me.

_________________
[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

I copied this from YOUTUBE:

THE ORIGINAL LYRICS from Gil Roman!

What a treat! "michruth" just posted the original lyrics to "Back When My Hair Was Short" - "michruth" was good enough to ask Gil Roman (the singer of the song), for the lyrics to the first version. Below is the reply from Gil, as well as the lyrics.

Thank you Gil!


"Hi all,

Gil Roman emailed me his original lyrics! What a guy. I will post them for you in parts due to space limitations.

Part one: his email reply to me:

Hi Mike, Nice of you to send me an e-mail about the song. I don't know if I said it on the U-Tube reply but the original lyrics went along with a differnt recording of the song that was slower.

Its on the first version of the second album. We put it out twice, with some songs re-recorded. One was, Back When My Hair Was Short.
So here's how it originally went. I'm glad the song left you with fond memories, left me with some too.

Yours in a song,

Gil Roman

Back when my hair was short I was a white sock sport,
Only beer parties till three. College appealed to me, eastern philosophy
Feeding my mind. LSD, THC, STP

I was into a heavy scene, reading screw magazines, Seeing three concerts a week
An honest to god hippie freak, too busy eating to speak
Except about Love
I knew all kinds of Love, Love of a man for his brother, And love to rip off on another,
while screaming right on!

Back when my hair was short before I'd been to court, for selling dope to some kids, Only a couple of lids, they stood around and made bids
And talked about Love, they were experts on Love, Love of a man for his vision, and Love to make no real decisions when they're called upon
Soon when my hair is short I'll make a full report, Of how I came back alive, And what it takes to survive, wringing the truth out of jive

I'll tell you of Love, I knew all kinds of Love, Love of a man for his neighbor, and Love to put nails in your savior, then cry when he's gone. END

michruth"



Back When My Hair Was Short - Gunhill Road - Karma Sutra Records 1973 -
Gunhill Road released a trio of LPs in the 1970's. The first release, on Mercury Records, was Gun Hill Road First Stop in 1971. The second album, Gunhill Road, was released in 1972 and produced by Kenny Rogers. It was remixed and rereleased in 1973 to great success from the track Back When My Hair Was Short. The original recording had heavy drug references while the remix was a growing up story about everything remaining the same. The album received great reviews, and was often featured on many FM and college radio stations. The band members were Glenn Leopold, Steven Goldrich, and Gil Roman. Gunhill Road recorded 42nd Street with three different producers: Jay Leer, Kenny Rogers, and Kenny Kerner. Back When My Hair Was Short was recorded twice. The original version released in 1972 has more edgy lyrics than the radio ready 1973 release.

Mckjy, I have heard the term Sport before (as you refer to it). I guess senility is setting in (or I don't want to age myself too much)
But, I could swear that I'm hearing "sports" and not "sport" when I play the Youtube song. "Sports" definitely does not make sense in that context.

As for the 3rd line, Back in the 60's, Pink Pants was a look too (especially for the Hippies)... so is the line "pegged pants" or "pink pants"?




Oh and by the way.... no need to thank me when you're up at 3 AM (humming this tune cause you can't sleep).

Cue, you just reminded me of my friend's brother's skin tight peach colored wide whale cordoroys that he would wear with a sock stuffed-uh-when we would be running down the sidewalks of San Francisco trying to get student rush seats to "Hair."

Interesting read there. I actually knew about the original lyrics and the radio edit remix/remake 1 year later. And, I found a link that plays both versions... the original version and the radio remix version....


http://unpopular.typepad.com/unpopular/ ... short.html

Pegged means a rolled-up cuff, typically on jeans. I remember striped pants (I owned a pair of the ugliest elephant bells you could imagine) but not pink ones.

_________________
[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Actually,

When white socks, penny loafers, and short pants were in vogue, the leg of the pants for men and ladies were tapered.

And as you may have noticed, tapered legged pants/slacks are back in style FOR FEMALES, though they are not short in length. It took awhile, but even my daughter has finally embraced them accepting other than flared bottoms in her wardrobe! If the craze lasts I imagine it won't be long before the guys are also wearing them again

OH>>>>> and back in the day, those tapered legs were referred to as being "PEGGED"

I am almost 52 years old, and I don't remember hearing that term.... I don't think I led a sheltered life either.

Thanks for the input guys. I'm getting someone to make me a custom CDG with this song (using the 1973 Radio Edit version).

You could have been only 7 or not yet born. I'm 57 and I think we were "pegging" our pants by sewing them to be skin tight when I was 12 or 13--worn with black turtlenecks like the Beatles. So Tov's definition fits what I experienced. But Micky's definition of pegging meaning to roll the cuffs is what comes up the most often on Google and he is probably much much much older than any of us so it would be a different era. Guess his definition of "pegged" pants have been spotted making a comeback on Katie Holmes.

Are they removing the vocals from the original track or creating a track for you without vocals at all? How much are you paying to have it done? Just curious.

I have just taken a look at various internet sites that discuss fashion of the early 60's and let me tell you that the descriptions I found differ greatly from my wardrobe "back in the day". And, understandably, most available pictures are of female clothes. I disappointingly found a major site that described early 60's fashion as drab, which I believe is far from correct.

I lived through those times and it was my favorite period for fashion, including the intro of the mini skirt. My family owned several clothing stores and what I am providing is a lot about 60's fashion that has been lost on the internet!

In the beginning of the decade shirts/blouses of solid lavender, lodent green, orange and mustard yellow were very popular with both males and females. Poncho cut shirts/blouses and banlon pullover shirts in those colors were extremely popular (banlon, a trade name, was a synthetic material used for both shirts and socks and was introduced at that time).

Jeans/dungarees "Colored" other than blue were introduced ,and black, white & lodent green were the most popular "colors"

Both colored and black half-sneakers designed to look like loafers (they had no laces) were the "in thing". Some were made from corduroy in addition to the standard denim . At the same time, colored socks (often to match the sneakers) replaced white ones.

Sweaters were the rage, particularly Cardigan sweaters and my grandmother knitted me an orange cable-knit cardigan sweater that I treasured.

Ties and belts were extremely narrow. Pointed-toe shoes were in and I had a pair with Cuban heels which I was wearing when I was inducted into the army in April, 1966!

If you use the following link http://www.thelettermen.com/Biography.html you'll see pictures of a popular singing group that started achieving fame in the early 60's. Note in one picture they are wearing suites with thin ties; in another they have on orange banlon shirts and then there is the picture of them wearing their trademark cardigan sweaters (with letters as in "The Lettermen") that they abandoned in the late sixties!

And while the lyrics Cueball questioned talked about a time when the guys hair was short, at that time my hair was over my collar and considered long for the day. The Beatles changed that perception and my hair soon was seen as short cause I never grew it any longer. Meanwhile, if you look at earlier Beatles' pictures, consider their hair wouldn't be considered all that long nowadays!

Pegged legs were, of course, around long before the Beatles achieved fame and they were introduced to America wearing pegged pants. And at about that time, paisley prints became the rage, followed by madras! And by the mid-sixties pegged legs were on the way out.

btw. I have a suspicion which I have no support for that the term peg leg trousers reflects the reality of what was worn by those with a peg leg

To my understanding, they will be removing the main vocals. They will be able to supply the background vocals. They will create the graphics. Cost $80.

Call me crazy, but I have been wanting this song for over 10 years now (I have been asking on different Manufacturer sites for years to no avail). BTW... the guy I contacted and commissioned to do this for me came recommended by Harryoke (in his facebook page).