Britishisms in Queen lyrics

I remember some nice lists about British slang used in Beatles' music (http://www.recmusicbeatles.com/public/files/faqs/britguide.html), and I wonder if we could compile such a list with Queen tracks. Any contribution is welcomed

I can contribute a question.

In "Friends Will Be Friends," there is something about "taking all the cash and leaving you with the lumber."

Does "leaving you with the lumber" actually mean anything, colloquially, in that line? I wasn't sure if it was an unknown Britishism or just random lazy lyricizing.

I've never asked any actual British people for fear of sounding like a big nerd, but I never worry about that here on Queenzone :)

--Egret

No "leaving you with the lumber" actually means something along the lines of "all the problems that come with it".

So in Friends Will Be Friends, "taking all the cash leaving you with the lumber" literally refers to the problems that are faced when you have no money.

i assume it means the house,perhaps mortgaged thru the nostrils lol.

Yes but shouldn't it be "Mates Will Be Mates" then?

;)

pcgenius9 wrote:

No "leaving you with the lumber" actually means something along the lines of "all the problems that come with it".

So in Friends Will Be Friends, "taking all the cash leaving you with the lumber" literally refers to the problems that are faced when you have no money.

Thanks for the explanation. I'm glad it means something. I feel all enlightened and cosmopolitan now :)

--Egret

online dictionary says

Something useless or cumbersome
and calls it a chiefly british expression. there you go

if you want a song full of britishisms
you need look no further than
killer queen

Yes I thought about Killer Queen when I wrote the post

hammer to fall - "it' doesn't rain but it pours" - is that british too?

I don't know of that line in Hammer To Fall. I even checked in the lyrics booklet with the CD

spymyshadow wrote:

hammer to fall - "it' doesn't rain but it pours" - is that british too?

"Lock your door the rain is pouring..."

Thats it. No that isn't just British

spymyshadow wrote:

hammer to fall - "it' doesn't rain but it pours" - is that british too?

Under Pressure -

'It never rains but it pours'

But I heard that expression in American movies.

How about "Driving back in style in my "saloon"will do quite nicely",from Good Old Fashioned Loverboy.That is 100 percent british.

Ravenetta wrote:

what about "soups in the laundry bag?" call me naive but i havent heard that phrase outside the song...



but i love all the euphamismns to craziness in IGSM

I think it means poverty, the old imagery of a bum carrying a stick over his shoulder with a laundry bag tied to the end of it with soup or whatever else inside the bag. Hence the next line the song "now you got strings gonna lose your rag"