Aug 26, 2009
Ungrammatical but not unnatural lyrics. Or as Paul McCartney put it, “Wronger but cuter.”
Ever been annoyed by the McCartney lyric, “…the world in which we live in”?
David Crystal offers a bit of explanatory analysis.
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© 2012 Abuyo. All rights reserved.
Ugh. Yes. I always thought it was “the world in which we’re living” until a “friend” (I use the term loosely) informed me otherwise. Why do writers think ridiculous lines like that are cute? My version rocks way harder. :)
It annoys me more when people say it in every day language. And that’s because it is unnatural. No one talks about the “house in which I live in”. It’s an attempt to obey the ‘rule’ that you can’t end sentences with a preposition, (hence the first ‘in’) followed by forgetfulness and habit causing the second in.
Paul McCartney’s version is annoying too though.
John Cougar Mellencamp, in the generally-less-than-impressive “Small Town,” also has the gem “No I cannot forget from where it is that I come from.”
And he can’t fall back on “Listen, I wrote ‘Hey Jude’.”
There’s a more subtle one which (I believe) errs in the direction of dropping a preposition: Casting Crowns’ song “Voice of Truth”. “I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth”
Could also be interpreted as “I will choose to listen, and [I will choose to] believe the voice of truth”. Still, it falls short of good writing.
But if this ever changing world in which we live in makes you give in and cry – duh duh duh – say live an let die. . .
Best James Bond theme ever?
Uh, musically speaking?
Huh. I always thought — or maybe, hoped — it was “this world in which we’re livin’….”
I can’t listen to that song for that very reason. I think it’s terrible. :)
no
Abraham,
Do you think that Sir Paul wrote it that way on purpose?
I’m far more offended by the ultimate anthem in that song: live and let die.
It’s like the kids clothes they make today covered in skull-and-crossbones poison symbols. Blech.
I’m more bothered by whoever the Christian artist is who sings, “…even though my praise was few.”
Maybe I shouldn’t mind, but it really makes me cringe.