--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "authfriend" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <no_reply@> wrote: > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "authfriend" <jstein@> wrote: > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, cardemaister <no_reply@> > > > wrote: > > > > > > > > But that (understanding spoken language) might have improved > > > > a bit lately. Namely, when I listen to the lyrics of some > > > > favourite songs > > > > from my youth, I notice I now understand the contents > > > > of those lyrics somewhat better than I used to. :0 > > > > > > I have *always* had great difficulty understanding > > > sung lyrics. Even when the lyrics are very clear, > > > I have trouble paying attention to them. Oddly > > > enough, I'll find that I've automatically memorized > > > the lyrics to songs with which I'm very familiar, > > > but unless I make a great effort to divorce them > > > from the music and contemplate them on their own > > > terms, in my mind the lyrics are just sounds--like > > > scat-singing--not meaningful words. > > > > I'm replying because this is a subject of some > > interest to me. I've found that *many* people > > cannot hear the lyrics of songs. I've always > > been able to, and the lyrics of songs have in > > fact always been a major influence in my life. > > > > I'm not sure what the issue is, whether it's > > systemic or a matter of conditioning. But there > > seems little question that some people can't > > hear the lyrics of song *as language* and as > > having content, no matter how long they sit > > and listen to them. I've watched friends *try* > > to hear song lyrics, and fail completely. Odd. > > Not sure what kind of "conditioning" it could be. > I suspect in my case it's that music tends to > completely monopolize my attention; my brain just > finds it inherently more significant than words. > > There may be one element of "conditioning," though, > in that when I *do* manage to really pay attention > to lyrics, in far too many cases it turns out that > they don't seem to have been worth my attention in > the first place.
That's interesting, but hardly surprising. I learned long ago that basically there were two kinds of people -- those who could hear lyrics and those who cannot. I also learned very early never to bother with women who cannot. If they can't hear and appreciate the lyrics to songs, it's never going to work out between us, so it's better not to get involved in the first place. Turning a potential love interest on to my favorite singer/songwriters is kind of a litmus test for me as to whether to pursue things. And my "test" has never failed me. I think it's a systemic or genetic thang; some people descend from bards and some do not and I resonate better with those who do.
