Commas Cause Problems

[sisabet]

Huh - today I caved and stopped listening to the local radio. I couldn't even make it a full three days. It sucks - I mean, I was dangerously close to vidding Southern Cross just 'cause the local classic rock station plays it on repeat as if they want it vidded.

I was confused.

Speaking of confusion - I just realized there is a comma in the Jackson Browne song "Doctor, My Eyes" which... I didn't know that.

So the song is mainly calling out for the doctor to pay attention to his eyes, right? If the doctor's name was Gene then the song could theoretically be "Gene, My Eyes" cause that is just really strange.

I always thought word "doctor" was used as a verb. "Doctor my eyes" as in a command. As in fix or heal my eyes. Perhaps this is because I was raised out in bumfuck where the word doctor can be a verb.

Doctor, my eyes
Tell me what is wrong
Was I unwise to leave them open for so long

I mean - this makes so much more sense to me if he is just wanting someone to fix what he has seen in a metaphorical sense. Making the doctor real - that makes the song suck way more than it already did for me. And that was a lot.

ETA: The word doctor can also be used to indicate tinkering with something or, in Emeril Speak, kicking it up a notch. I liked that interpretation of the song way more as well. Man. This Dr. Gene - he sucks all the fun outta everything.

Comments

[luminosity]

Since I knew it had a comma (I have the album *on vinyl*), I always read it as "Doctor, my *eyes* omigod *my eyes* for god's sake do something!" Which works for me.

[king-tirian.livejournal.com]

I think it goes both ways. In the opening of the song it's definitely "Doctor, my eyes have seen the years through a slow parade of tears...."

But in the chorus I agree with your long-term belief that it is an imperitive asking the doctor to fix your eyes. Maybe it's that the emphasis is on the second syllable of "doctor" in the chorus that doesn't make it sound like a noun to me.

But then I'm the person who argued that Carly Simon was singing "You had one eye in the mirror as you watched yourself go by", so me being on your side isn't necessarily a blessing.

[bailunrui.livejournal.com]

For the longest time I wasn't aware of the comma either. You're in good company. *g*

[drdawn.livejournal.com]

Which is why it is all about Hawkeye at the end of MASH calling for Sidney to save him---Saying "Doctor my eyes" and "Doctor, My eyes" this after the incident where Hawkeye scolds refugees to be quiet but a baby begins to whimper and its mother responds by smothering the child. Hawkeye repressed this by replacing the memory of the baby with that of a chicken.

See you could vid with baby/chicken split screen or---cut from baby to chicken back to chicken---have them morph---think of the effects.

[sisabet.livejournal.com]

Well, see - obviously you need to just bid on a vidder at the nest VVC auction.

[drdawn.livejournal.com]

I shouldn't have to buy a vidder---when I have birthdays and Christmases that need presents.

[sisabet.livejournal.com]

Finish my freaking scarf and we will talk vids.