Lyr Add: Carolina Rua (Thom Moore)

Subject: Lyr Add: CAROLINA RUA (Thom Moore)
From: Ezio
Date: 28 Feb 98 - 02:15 AM

CAROLINA RUA

Stories never end 'till you come to conclusions
Carolina Rua has a hand in my confusion
Waits for me to choose which quarter to bend in
To Susie-make-me-blue or redhead I'm attending

Now Carolina Rua has my heart and all I want to do is
Go down the windy road where my Carolina goes
Down the crooked road where Carolina goes to school
Mo Carolina Rua, do you love me?
Tell me true, tell me...

Oh standing on three queens, thought the game was over
Then, from the blue, Carolina's at my shoulder
Oh laughter in her eyes and a smile that touches all the guys

Oh down the windy road where my Carolina goes
Oh down the crooked road where Carolina goes to school
Mo Carolina Rua, do you love me? Tell me true, tell me...

Now Carolina Rua has my heart and all I want to do is
Go down the windy road where my Carolina goes
Down the crooked road where Carolina goes to school
Mo Carolina Rua, do you love me?
Tell me true, tell me...

(Recorded by Mary Black;- Recorded by Thom Moore on 'Dreamer in Russia')

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Carolina Rua
From: MorwenEdhelwen1
Date: 02 Sep 11 - 09:30 AM

What do "which "quarter to bend in", "standing on three queens" and "Susie-make-me-blue" refer to? Anyone have an idea? Anyone else interested in what these words mean/

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Carolina Rua
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 02 Sep 11 - 11:06 AM

I believe that 'quarter to bend in' and 'Susie make me blue' are references to playing bluegrass music. He means which quarter note to bend, that is to deliberately make the note sharp or flat.

'Susie make me blue' is prob. the name of a tune. Rua is red in Irish, I believe, so he is making a little joke about red and blue.

'Carolina Rua' probably means that Carolina has red hair.

'Standing on three queens' is a reference to card playing. Poker, I suppose. He was losing, I guess, but Carolina came up to his shoulder, impressed all the other guys, and made it all okay.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Carolina Rua
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 02 Sep 11 - 05:29 PM

I think the quarter to bend in and Susie-makes-me blue are more literal than that - he has to choose which of two girls to go for:

"... which quarter to bend in
To Susie-make-me-blue or the redhead I'm attending."

(the omitted in the words above - there are a few minor differences with what Mary Black sings).

The choice is between Susie (who presumably makes him blue) and Carlolina (Rua - the redhead as leeneia says).

Mick

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Carolina Rua
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 02 Sep 11 - 06:46 PM

Mike Pearce is right. And three queens is a middling hand to stand on in poker.
The song was included in Mary Black, "Looking Back," a cd which appeared in 1995.

Some lyrics sites spell the name Ruadh, but it is Rua on the cd.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Carolina Rua
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 02 Sep 11 - 06:47 PM

Sorry- Mick!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Carolina Rua
From: michaelr
Date: 02 Sep 11 - 07:21 PM

Also known as "The Crooked Road", this song was written by Thom Moore, author of the much-loved "Cavan Girl" and many other songs. While often thought of as Irish, Moore was born in California and worked for a while in Russia.

Mary Black first recorded the song on her 1989 album No Frontiers along with another Thom Moore song, "The Fog in Monterey".

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Carolina Rua
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 02 Sep 11 - 07:36 PM

Yes, Thomas Lanning Moore, ASCAP Work ID 3307522815.

I have the 1995 on cassette, thought it was the earliest.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Carolina Rua (Thom Moore)
From: GUEST
Date: 12 Jan 14 - 02:28 PM

The old dude has a ridiculously young redhead that has him all a-tizzy! He was nearly done with his present live -in (Susie Make-Me-Blue)and young Carolina is putting pressure on him to just move in with her (Which QUARTER(s) to bend (dwell/have sex) in.
He is such a fool for that fine young redheaded vixen that he just folded on three queens and went with the laughing Carolina for an impromtu session of hot monkey love, greatly impressing his friends!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Carolina Rua (Thom Moore)
From: GUEST,piersante sestini
Date: 26 Jun 22 - 03:36 PM

These are the notes given (probablly) by Thom Moore himself on Broadjam.com (a musical blog that he used to frequent)
Unfortunately, the site was restyled lately and some of his contributions are lost or cut. The Defence Language Institute is the school where Thom studied slave languages after returning in the States from LLebanon

story Behind The Song
Hothouse atmosphere at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey: old guy gets flirted with by kittenish youngster sharpening her claws, fall heavily and stupidly, with only this song to comfort him in his dotage.

Song Description
Man rests on his laurels, unprepared for the notion that yet another woman -- this time an absurdly young one -- is going to harpoon him. As performed by Mary Black, the fundamental conflict of the word "school" in the various dialects of English means th.. (sentence interrupted on the web site)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Carolina Rua (Thom Moore)
From: GUEST,Chris B (Born Again Scouser)
Date: 29 Jun 22 - 11:49 AM

'Where Carolina goes to school'. Where are the police when you need them? Sounds like the school needs to pull their socks up where the old safeguarding is concerned.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Carolina Rua (Thom Moore)
From: Lighter
Date: 29 Jun 22 - 11:58 AM

Since Moore is an American, "school" could easily refer to a university.

Or not.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Carolina Rua (Thom Moore)
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Jul 22 - 09:21 AM

The melody of the song is taken from the Irish reel known as "The Duke of Leinster's Wife" or "The Lady's Pantalettes". This is commonly played after another reel called "The Crooked Road", hence the alternate title to the song.
It's a great song.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Carolina Rua (Thom Moore)
From: Lighter
Date: 06 Jul 22 - 11:35 AM

Thanks for that tune ID.