13 July 2021, 05:43 PM
pianojugglerNagging Question: I.G.Y.
This question has been lurking in the back of my brain for decades. Every once in a while it wanders to the fore. This morning in the shower was one of those times.
Donald Fagen. The Nightfly. First track: "I.G.Y." (International Geophysical Year).
A few verses in is the line:
Just machines that make big decisions
Programmed by fellas with passion and visionIn this lyric, does "just" mean "only" or "fair"?
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pj, citizen-poster, unless specifically noted otherwise.
mod-in-training.
pj@ermosworld∙com
All types of erorrs fixed while you wait.
14 July 2021, 08:43 PM
CHASquote:
Originally posted by pianojuggler:
This question has been lurking in the back of my brain for decades. Every once in a while it wanders to the fore. This morning in the shower was one of those times.
Donald Fagen. The Nightfly. First track: "I.G.Y." (International Geophysical Year).
A few verses in is the line:
Just machines that make big decisions
Programmed by fellas with passion and vision
In this lyric, does "just" mean "only" or "fair"?
(b) Both
15 July 2021, 05:30 PM
pianojugglerI saw a woman at Costco who was wearing a T-shirt that said "I can remember lyrics from an obscure song from the sixties, but I can't remember why I came into the kitchen".
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pj, citizen-poster, unless specifically noted otherwise.
mod-in-training.
pj@ermosworld∙com
All types of erorrs fixed while you wait.
15 July 2021, 06:59 PM
ShiroKuroquote:
In this lyric, does "just" mean "only" or "fair"?
Unanswerable without the context of the entire song/lyrics.
16 July 2021, 10:39 AM
pianojugglerThe song is a snarky take on a utopian future, a counter to the futurist event called the International Geophysical Year in 1957-58.
Standing tough under stars and stripes, we can tell
This dream's in sight
You've got to admit it
At this point in time that it's clear
The future looks bright
On that train, all graphite and glitter
Undersea by rail
90 minutes from New York to Paris
By '76* we'll be a-ok
What a beautiful world this will be
What a glorious time to be free
What a beautiful world this will be
What a glorious time to be free
Get your ticket to that wheel in space** while there's time
The fix is in
You'll be a witness to that game of chance in the sky
You know we've got to win
Here at home we'll play in the city
Powered by the sun
Perfect weather for a streamlined world
There'll be spandex jackets, one for everyone
What a beautiful world this will be
What a glorious time to be free
What a beautiful world this will be
What a glorious time to be free
On that train, all graphite and glitter
Undersea by rail
90 minutes from New York to Paris
More leisure for artists everywhere
Just machines that make big decisions
Programmed by fellas with passion and vision
We'll be clean when the work day's done
We'll be eternally free, yes, and eternally young
What a beautiful world this will be
What a glorious time to be free
What a beautiful world this will be
What a glorious time to be free* The International Geophysical Year was 1987-58. So, he's referring to 1976.
** The space habitat that Will Lee conjured up in his sci-fi: a giant wheel in space that spins to create artificial gravity.
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pj, citizen-poster, unless specifically noted otherwise.
mod-in-training.
pj@ermosworld∙com
All types of erorrs fixed while you wait.
16 July 2021, 11:01 AM
ShiroKuroSo, reading the whole thing, I would say "just" means only/solely... But then again, the interpretation of fair or morally right would also fit.
I believe the best conclusion is: strategically ambivalent.
16 July 2021, 01:22 PM
RealPlayerI think just meaning “fair” is out of character for the vocabulary and syntax of the rest of the lyrics.
16 July 2021, 02:57 PM
piquéI definitely read it as "fair minded" machines. Otherwise the syntax is too weird.
Plus calling the machines fair minded adds to the irony.