In "The First Noel" with the line "was to certain poor shepherds in fields where they lay" does the certain mean to specific shepherds or does it mean to keep them from getting scared? I was wondering this while listening to the Christmas muzak at the dealer yesterday.
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David
The chief cause of failure in this life is giving up what you want most for what you want at the moment. -
Dang, crokett... and I thought I wondered obscure things!
I'll ask my wife -- she'll probably have a good answer for this one.online at http://www.theFrankes.com
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"Life is short, Art long, Occasion sudden and dangerous, Experience deceitful, and Judgment difficult." -Hippocrates -
I don't know if the writer of lyrics had much more in mind than to find a word that would fill the musical script. Certain was a good match so he deftly stuffed it in there. I think that it gives license to the listener to assign meaning rather than to have it mean one thing emphatically. The context doesn't allude to the meaning in one way or the other. But then again, I've been told that I've been wrong in the past... frequently!Blessings,
Chiz
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The lyrics are:
"The First Noel, the Angels did say
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay."
In this context, plus the context of later lyrics, "certain" could be replaced by "some" - in the sense that it refers to shepherds "who happened to be present to witness the event."
RayDid I offend you? Click here.Comment
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I just wanna know, what's figgee pudding? Cause we ain't going until we get some!Jeff
“Doctors are men who prescribe medicines of which they know little, to cure diseases of which they know less, in human beings of whom they know nothing”--VoltaireComment
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In this context, a more obscure meaning of "certain" is used. Here, it means to "encourage" or "strengthen".Comment
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Apparently certain has been since the dawn of time (well, at least since around the turn of the 14th century) meaning fixed from the Latin certus (meaning settled) which is from the Latin cernere (meaning to decide upon or to separate out). It generally has not been used as a verb.
The First Noel (Noël/Nouel/Nowel/Noewl) is probably from the 16th century. Noel is from the nael, which is from the Latin natalis (e.g. natal, having to do with birth). Noel is from around the same time as certain, so it's possible that the song could go back even earlier -- especially since the musical term noewl was used as a kind of hymn around that time.
So in this light, the wife and I think it's an adjective like RayintheUK says.online at http://www.theFrankes.com
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"Life is short, Art long, Occasion sudden and dangerous, Experience deceitful, and Judgment difficult." -HippocratesComment
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All you ever wanted to know about figgy pudding.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figgy_puddingDavid
The chief cause of failure in this life is giving up what you want most for what you want at the moment.Comment
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Yea, that's funny how we hear things differently from what is said and then, hold onto the wrong word. For years, in the song, "Winter Wonderland", I heard, "In the meadow we can build a snowman,
then pretend that he is Parse(pronounce like in parsley) and Brown". I couldn't figure out what the heck 'parse' meant until, for some reason, I heard it clearly and came to the realization that it was 'Parson Brown'. Kinda like your substitution of 'John' for 'round', huh!
Blessings,
Chiz
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The mention of figgy pudding brought back memories of Mumsy's Christmas Pudding. Lots of dried and glaced fruits, flour, suet, carrots and other stuff I can't remember.
Mix it up and put in a bowl with a cloth cover tied on. Steam for eight hours. Steam for another 4 hours just before service. Ours was served with whipped cream or Birds custard.
It tasted great. But the best part, for the kids, was the finding of a silver sixpence or thrupney bit. I'm suprised no-one choked or broke a tooth.
SteveI would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong. Bertrand RussellComment
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On that note (sorry!), here's the archive of mis-heard lyrics http://www.kissthisguy.com/
Some funny stuff.Bob
Bad decisions make good stories.Comment
You know; "Round John Virgin, mother, and child..."
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