A self-imposed mystery

August 17, 2010 9:22 PM

I have a list of seemingly unrelated words that I wrote some time ago. I can't remember writing it, nor what it was meant to signify. Please help shed some light on this for me.

I found a scrap of paper with these terms on it, listed vertically. I don't know when it was written, though it's my writing and would certainly have been within the last 3-4 years. If you can draw any connections between these things, or interpret some of the odder ones (shapiro resp?), it would be wonderful.

The list:

godiva
silver lining
shapes yard
want faith
searches room
shapiro resp (possibly shapivo resp)
honeycombs
petula one
hermits
sons and loves (I'm reasonably sure it's not Sons and Lovers)
ugly's (that misplaced apostrophe is quite out of character)
torsin'/dorsin' (one of the two)

I've met amputees who were less stumped than I am here. It could possibly be drunken scribble when I arrived home one night ('This is an amazing idea! Better write it down for the morning!'), but even so I'd have thought there'd be some sense to it.

So, go nuts. Any ideas, any vague links between the terms, any theories at all - I'd love to hear them.

posted by twirlypen to writing & language (30 answers total)

Stoned and watching a P.J. Harvey video marathon?
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:24 PM on August 17, 2010

Writing down ideas for a short film or a music video. Fund it, make it.
posted by Sticherbeast at 9:28 PM on August 17, 2010

You were doing anagrams of friends' names?
posted by MS_gal at 9:35 PM on August 17, 2010

Is it possible that you were high at the time, and free-associating interesting words and phrases? Not so much trying to communicate a specific idea, but more like "Yeah, shapes yard! Want faith! That's so deep... I have to write this stuff down, for later. Yeah. Later. And shapiro resp."
posted by Sara C. at 9:39 PM on August 17, 2010

Petula is an unusual name, likely referring to Petula Clark, and "one" to her song, "You're the One."

"resp" is an abbreviation, but for what? respect? respective? respectively? or perhaps respiratory. Several MDs named Shapiro are in respiratory medicine.

Any of this ring a bell?
posted by exphysicist345 at 9:53 PM on August 17, 2010

This might be a long shot, but any chance you were taking notes during a computer game? Back when I used to play a lot of point-and-click room escape games, I had a bunch of papers on my desk mysteriously covered with 6-digit numbers and combinations of shapes. Those were the days.
posted by oinopaponton at 9:53 PM on August 17, 2010 [4 favorites]

I once heard the tail end of a song that sounded good, and I wanted to be able to find it again, so I wrote down a few words. Here is what I wrote:

bob dylan, corndogs, someone westaburger

Add a few months, maybe some alcohol, and I imagine I'd be pretty stumped too.

PS: For bonus points, can anyone identify the song? I did find it, with some help from a forum from the TV program I heard it on.
posted by antiquark at 10:01 PM on August 17, 2010

Interesting words/phrases from CAPTCHAs?
posted by punchdrunkhistory at 10:03 PM on August 17, 2010 [1 favorite]

(antiquark, the Minutemen's "History Lesson Pt II" is the only song I know of mentioning both Bob Dylan and corn dogs. No westaburgers, though.)
posted by punchdrunkhistory at 10:05 PM on August 17, 2010 [1 favorite]

want faith
searches room
shapiro resp (possibly shapivo resp)

"resp" is an abbreviation, but for what? respect? respective? respectively? or perhaps respiratory. Several MDs named Shapiro are in respiratory medicine.--exphysicist

Shapiro's the one responsible. Go talk to him.
posted by eye of newt at 10:08 PM on August 17, 2010

I think it's referring to sixties songs, see this link:
http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/19583306
Shapes yard = Shapes of Things--Yardbirds
The Honeycombs is on there, as is a song called Lady Godiva and one called Silver Lining.
posted by janerica at 10:09 PM on August 17, 2010 [4 favorites]

Sorry, link again.
posted by janerica at 10:10 PM on August 17, 2010

I think janerica's the winner here. Also from the link:

"When you walk in the room / Searchers
What do you want / Adam Faith"
posted by oinopaponton at 10:11 PM on August 17, 2010

And a song by Herman's Hermits, as well as "Not Responsible" by Helen Shapiro. And "Wake Up My Mind" by the Ugly's. Go janerica!
posted by punchdrunkhistory at 10:14 PM on August 17, 2010

The first two sound like hope or expected goodness.
The next three sound like jobs or tasks to undertake.
Petula one reminds me of petulant one, so, difficulty?
No idea on the others ... is it all of a piece (you probably don't know, right?)? I've had this experience before myself, but no one to ask. I did figure it out, but it wasn't 4 years ago.
Good Luck!
posted by bebrave! at 10:15 PM on August 17, 2010

From the list:
# Not responsible / Helen Shapiro

My mistake, Shapiro wasn't responsible.
posted by eye of newt at 10:15 PM on August 17, 2010 [3 favorites]

Dang, 7 minutes late with the "sixties song titles" suggestion.

I snost, I lost.
posted by Aquaman at 10:16 PM on August 17, 2010 [3 favorites]

No way! Full marks, janerica!

They're all there! It all makes sense... all, that is, except for the fact that I decided "shapes yard" would be the best way to clearly annotate 'Shapes of Things, by the Yardbirds'.

For those playing from home - sons and loves was, in fact, sons and lovers. 'Ugly's' did have the apostrophe there. 'torsin', isn't there, but I suspect it may actually be 'poison' (which is there) with a horrible handwritten 'p'.

Okay! Now to track all the songs down and see if the lyrics therein form the next clue in some kind of multi-level cryptic code that holds the terrifying truth I uncovered during my previous life as a secret agent.
posted by twirlypen at 10:20 PM on August 17, 2010 [9 favorites]

Or maybe "torsin" was Tossin' and turnin' / Ivy League
posted by exphysicist345 at 10:26 PM on August 17, 2010

(punchdrunkhistory: yep. I guess I misheard the Westaburger bit.)
posted by antiquark at 10:31 PM on August 17, 2010

Hmm. I just listened to them all, and I could swear that's the first time I've heard those songs. And half of them I don't particularly like. Oh well. I suppose, at some point, I did like them enough to write them down (albeit terribly).
posted by twirlypen at 10:42 PM on August 17, 2010 [1 favorite]

Have you tried listening to them... BACKWARDS???
posted by rdc at 10:44 PM on August 17, 2010 [3 favorites]

It's a mixtape of British Invasion happy love songs you're making for your girl:

godiva - Lady Godiva by Peter and Gordon
silver lining - I'm guessing Hi Ho Silver Lining by Jeff Beck. Could be Chet Baker, but that's not British
shapes yard - Shapes by the Yardbirds
want faith - What Do You Want by Adam Faith
searches room - When You Walk In The Room by The Searchers
shapiro resp (possibly shapivo resp) - Not Responsible by Helen Shapiro
honeycombs - something by the Honeycombs. Maybe Have I The Right or I Can't Stop
petula one - Petula Clark - You're The One
hermits - something by Herman and the Hermits, maybe I'm Into Something Good or if your name's Henry, perhaps Henry the VII
sons and loves (I'm reasonably sure it's not Sons and Lovers) Well it could be a song from the Sons & Lovers soundtrack. Looks like it's just a score though. Maybe it's one of the things that played during a love scene. Like the one called Love Scene, for example. It's from the 60s.
ugly's (that misplaced apostrophe is quite out of character) something by the Uglys. Perhaps Wake up My Mind. More likely, given the theme, it's Real Good Girl (link is just to a band page, no sound)
torsin'/dorsin' (one of the two) - Aside from a Dutch guy (I think), all I can think of is Tossin' and Turnin' by Bobby Lewis. It's from 1961 and it's about not being able to sleep for thinking of your girl. It breaks the English pattern but otherwise fits.
posted by Askr at 10:52 PM on August 17, 2010 [87 favorites]

DAMN IT! Must... learn... to preview... on long researched answers.
posted by Askr at 10:53 PM on August 17, 2010

Aww, please give Askr the gold star! That was beautifully presented!
posted by disillusioned at 11:02 PM on August 17, 2010

Indeed it was. Metafilter, you have outdone yourself today.
posted by twirlypen at 11:39 PM on August 17, 2010 [3 favorites]

Wow
posted by vitabellosi at 12:25 AM on August 18, 2010 [4 favorites]

Life imitates art.
posted by Rhaomi at 4:52 AM on August 18, 2010

Flagged as fantastic. Moving on.
posted by swift at 8:38 PM on August 18, 2010

This reminded me of this:

"I found a note on top of a (completely unrelated) letter today, written in my dad's handwriting, that simply said this:

Rollerballs.
Balls roller.
Balls.

No, I haven't got the foggiest either."

from here.
posted by neuromodulator at 9:59 PM on August 18, 2010