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I heard this when it came out (Richard Harris) in the late 60s on the radio in Maryland.

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Jul 4Liked by Ellen from Endwell

This song always sounds wrong to me, like its tempo is not right somehow, and it feels like the vocal is almost ahead of the backing, and there both trying to catch up with each other. I think I've heard a live version and covers that I like better. It would be cool to do a slow deconstructed version.

I don't feel the lyrics are particularly surreal, but delivered in the phrasing of poetry , they stand out.

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author

That's interesting. I could hear what you're saying when I listened again. I wonder if it's because Richard was not a professional singer and wasn't always in synch with the band and the music. I suspect the emotion he imbued it with, and his reputation, were behind why we loved the song anyway. I was a kid and remember being taken by the evocative lyrics. Agree that they weren't so surreal as poetic the way Richard did them. He could read a medical manual about bunions or toe fungus and I'd find it fascinating!

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