When I was a girl my mother would get mad at me for taking so long with the dusting - or maybe never getting to it - because I was reading. When I was a young mother I forced myself to give up reading for the sake of my babies so I wouldn't forget they were there. It's an addiction, reading, but now there's no one to scold me except me. My plans for today have totally disintegrated because I've been reading. I managed to make coriander pesto and mushroom soup, but I haven't done any work, have not completed my assignments for the day. The author of the book which held me captive deserves to be mentioned. Wonderful writer, Michael Crummey, and the book is GALORE, with lots of awards and nominations. Never mind them, it's a wonderful good read. I met Michael last year when I took a cruise, a circumnavigation of Newfoundland, because I wanted to see L'Anse aux Meadows, with Adventure Canada. Michael was on staff, as a guide and expert about the Rock, as well as navigator/driver of a sightseeing boat (not sure if it was a Zodiac) for our land excursions. He's in his forties I think, but he looks 12, well, maybe 17. And he is a wonderful writer, have I mentioned that? So I'm late for my blog, too, but it's not my fault.

I have some more songs to talk about (see yesterday's blog). Neil Diamond wrote terrific songs and I actually love his oh-so-deliberate grammatical mistake in one: "Songs I sang to you/Songs I brang to you." I love it! I have heard singers correcting the verb from brang to brought, but of course that doesn't rhyme. In this case I think the editor is wrong.

My next song is not wrong but its rendition reveals not only the fussiness on the part of the performer but also the complete misunderstanding of the composer's intention. In this case, the composer is also the lyricist, the great, witty, urbane, brilliant Cole Porter. His song "The Lady is a Tramp" is ironic. The lady (in "Pal Joey") sings about her behaviour that causes others to label her a tramp. In fact, her "sins" indicate what a genuine person she is. Here are a couple of examples:

"Don't go to Harlem in ermine and pearls" - that is, she doesn't try to show off.

"Don't dish the gab with the rest of the girls" - that is, she's not a gossip.

I heard a version of this song performed by Frank Sinatra who changed the title to "The Lady is a Champ" He or the "translator" didn't trust the audience to get the point., so they spelled it out.

I do think editors have to be very careful.