“Oh you are in my blood like holy wine
You taste so bitter
And so sweet oh
I could drink a case of you darling and I would
Still be on my feet
Oh I would still be on my feet”
Don’t know who I insulted, maybe it was you
The drinks I had resulted in a tirade or two
I went downtown to get in trouble
I accomplished that
Drank some drinks, flew off the handle,
Right off of the bat
Drinks before dinner
And wine with dinner
And after-dinner drinks
Single-entendre, help me Rhonda
Look for my cufflinks
Come with me and you will see
It all will be all right
Rudolph the red-nosed wino
Is gonna guide our sleigh tonight…
Down in the cellars of Jean-Louis Chave
All the shadows are leaving
Bottles lying asleep in the caves
You’ll see history breathing
From Cote-Rotie down to Hermitage
The vines are trellised in evening
In the cellars of Jean-Louis Chave
You’ll see history breathing
Generations go slipping away now
What can you say now, five hundred years
Lives are written here
Pages on pages, ages on ages
Just disappear
From Cote-Rotie down to Hermitage
The vines are trellised in evening
In the cellars of Jean-Louis Chave
You’ll see history breathing
Ò vin, dissipe la tristesse Oh wine, dissipate the sadness
Qui pèse sur mon coeur! that lies heavy upon my heart!
A moi les rèves de l’ivresse To me give the dreams of intoxication
Et le rire moqueur! and the mocking laughter!
O liqueur enchanteresse, O enchanting liqueur,
Verse l’ivresse pour drunkeness
Et l’oubli dans mon coeur! and forgetfulness into my heart!
Douce liqueur! Sweet liqueur!
La vie est sombre Life is somber;
Les ans sont courts; The years are short.
De nos beaux jours Of our beautiful days
Dieu sait le nombre God knows the number.
Chacun hélas! Porte ici-bas Each person, alas! carries here
Sa lourde chaîne! his heavy chain -
Cruels devoirs, Cruel duties,
Longs désespoirs Slow despairs
De l’âme humaine! Of the human soul!
Loin de nous, noirs présages! Away from us, black omens!
Ah! Ah!
Good Gawd what a beautiful voice. Lovelovelove The Voice of Firestone!
One song, two great references. Elvis Costello, Battered Old Bird:
On the first floor there are two old maids
Each one wishing that the other was afraid
And next door to them is a man so mild
'Til he chopped off the head of a visitor’s child
He danced upon the bonfire
Swallowed sleeping pills like dreams With a bottle of sweet sherry that everything redeems
And on the second floor is the Macintosh Man
He’s in his overcoats more than out of them
And the typewriter’s rattling all through the night He’s burgundy for breakfast type
He says “One day I’ll throw away all of my cares”
And it is always Christmas in a cupboard at the top of the stairs
Additionally, the opener of the album - Uncomplicated - gets another wine nod with:
I asked for Water
And they gave me Rosé Wine
Jeremiah was a bull frog.
Was a good friend of mine.
Never understood a single word he said,
But I helped him drink his wine.
He always had some mighty fine wine.
– Joy to the World, Three Dog Night
Business men, they drink my wine.
Plowman dig my earth.
– All Along the Watchtower, Bob Dylan