Sometimes I easily "get" the meaning of words & phrases in folk songs & other songs. But other times the meaning of a particular word or phrase in a song is as murky as mud.

Maybe that's because words & phrases don't always live long and prosper. Sometimes words have a short life span, or they die out after being around for a very long time, and folk's memory of the word's meaning fades. Or the meaning changes over time and place.

Other words are brand new. Or they may be slang and their meaning may be known only to members of a specific culture within my country or outside of my country. Or a word or phrase may have multiple meanings, and what it means in a song depends on the context or the way the word is enunciated. Or a word or phrase may have no meaning whatsoever, and it's just the sound that counts.   

Be that as it may, there are times that I read some song's lyrics and think "Say what?!' I either don't have a clue what that word or phrase means or I've later found out that I attached the wrong meaning to it.

I don't think that I'm alone in wondering about the meaning of certain words & phrases in songs. And I believe that I may know the the meanings of some words & phrases that might be unfamiliar to other folks. So, that's the reason why I'm starting this thread.

I'll start this exploration of the meaning of specific words & phrases in songs [folk and otherwise]in my next post.

Please join in this discussion if you have a mind to.

And if you want to add the etymology of specific words being discussed, that would be great!