The Half Man Half Biscuit Lyrics Project

1. grim

   Not sure but would the pleasure grounds be more likely to feature a maze rather than a field of corn (maize)?

   May 2nd, 2008

2. chris

   It would, but they love our maize mazes round here, and if it’s “maze”, it would need to be “a maze”. Which it isn’t. As ever, your mileage may vary.

   May 2nd, 2008

3. ian

   I think it’s them lovely 10p a bag cheap maize crisps. We always referred to them as “maize” as kids. “space raiders” and such. A sled made of maize would have been our dream back then so it makes perfect sense to me

   Aug 15th, 2008

4. Charles Exford

   As a postscript to my comments in the National Shite Day Thread, I notice that the only other Biscuits number in dandelionradio.com’s Festive Fifty for 2008 is ‘Problem Chimp’ at number 35.

   Hmm. Again, had there been a year of proper Peel shows, the results would surely have featured the immense, the TOWERING “Evening of Swing”, somewhere in the Top ten or fifteen, behind NSD in its rightful spot at number one ?

   Jan 1st, 2009

5. Simon

   Just in case you would like to see what it looks like between Glyder Fach and Glyder Fawr… http://www.flickr.com/photos/simon_holt/2572574105/

   Apr 2nd, 2009

6. Charles Exford

   Now this is what I call quite tasteful, with the towering pomp of EoS in the top 15 not of the year but of the decade:
   http://www.wordmagazine.co.uk/content/now-hear

   Dec 31st, 2009

7. Charles Exford

   Revisiting this thread to see what sort of nonsense I babbled whilst in my cups the other night, I happen to read the rest of the above comments for the first time.

   Chris I can’t agree with your contentious point that it would need to be “a maze”. The sort of guidebook/leaflet/estate agent blurb that is being parodied would rarely have an indefinite article. Notice how few there are in, for example, a list like this one from a veritable doyen of topiary:

   http://www.maze-world.com/BritainHedge.htm

   Meanwhile, off at an entirely different tangent, I noticed some fairly obvious common ground between the idea of an “evening of swing” and the image of “a real rat pack” when I happened upon various websites mentioning this particular tribute artist.

   http://www.monitormusic.com/other_bands/robbie.html

   Can definitely imagine the sort of people that would book him, or indeed he himself, in a stretch limo, preferably at the bottom of a very deep ravine indeed.

   Jan 5th, 2010

8. Asymptote

   His light show is excellent though.

   Jan 7th, 2010

9. Charles Exford

   Blimey you go off at a tangent and end up on a bit of a learning curve.

   Anyway two more parabolic thoughts.

   1. should we open up the whole “had”/”hath”/”has” debate or not bother ?

   2. anyone else noticed the Pere Ubu reference in this song ? Anyone know of any other Pere Ubu references in the works ? It’s a band I’ve always wanted to know more about so maybe this is my cue.

   Jan 8th, 2010

10. Charles Exford

    I asked about the “hath/had” thing and NB57 said no, all “has”. Might be ‘cos of double tracking on the vocals again.

    I forgot to ask about my theory that the Behemoth & “seven score and nine” refers to “Cloud 149″, a seminal song by Pere Ubu, AKA David Thomas who used to be known as Crocus Behemoth. Probably one of me more bollocks theories to be fair though.

    But anyway, look at this for sheer value for money in Snowdonia, very tempting.

    Mar 19th, 2010

11. Charles Exford

    Oh yeah, anyway I only came on to say it’s confirmed as “maze”.

    Mar 19th, 2010

12. Norbert D

    Yeah, I always assumed it was “maize”, thinking “maze in the shape of a sled? That can’t be right.” Just reread the lyrics, changed my mind, and slapped my forehead with my palm.

    I was hearing it as “pleasure grounds…. with maize in the shape of a sled”. But in fact, surely it’s “pleasure grounds with maze… in the shape of a sled.” I.E. the pleasure grounds are in the shape of a sled, and they have a maze. Or to put it another way, “pleasure grounds (with maze), in the shape of a sled.” If you see what I mean.

    Mar 19th, 2010

13. Ricardo

    While pursuing my life’s goal of completing the entire works of PG Wodehouse (I am nothing if not ambitious), I came across the following in Lord Emsworth and the Girl Friend, one of the short stories in the Blandings Castle collection:

    “A function like the Blandings Parva School Treat blurred his conception of Man as Nature’s Final Word.”

    Jul 27th, 2010

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