Treat [pronoun] right
Jun. 22nd, 2013 08:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
come_to_thinkSome years ago, on some venue or other, I asked: When, in song & story, an American says "He didn't treat her right", is that really as vague as the literal meaning of the words, or are we to understand more specifically "He beat her" or "He was unfaithful to her" or "He didn't satisfy her sexually"? I can't remember if I got an answer. This evening, however, I happened on one man's notion of it. Namely, listening to Dave Van Ronk sing "If You Leave Me, Pretty Momma", I heard
If you leave me, pretty momma,
Better not treat me right.
I'll just have to forget you
After tomorrow night.
That pretty clearly calls for the third interpretation, mutatis mutandis.
If you leave me, pretty momma,
Better not treat me right.
I'll just have to forget you
After tomorrow night.
That pretty clearly calls for the third interpretation, mutatis mutandis.
