Lyrical SPECulation (put on your sunglasses, folks)

ok, so the title is a little sarcastic, but basically I’m convinced that the lyrics to Give Up the Funk are actually:
We want the bump
Give up the bump
We need the bump
We gotta have the funk.

Now I don’t know if they just decided that it was easier to sing along with in concert to just sing funk at the end of every line, or if they just genuinely forgot what their original lyrics were. Or maybe this is a well known thing I’m not aware of, but every lyric site I’ve seen has “funk” at the end of every line. Anyways, I know this is a very silly/petty thing but I do think it’s interesting and I’m also wondering if I’m the only one who hears this.

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:face_with_hand_over_mouth: Cute.

It mostly sounds like “funk” to me. Although, I will admit that some are ambiguous, and can hear “bump”. You could throw it into a stem-seperation AI. Regardless, I’d like to hear a “Bump” version.

But here’s my “Give Up The Funk” conspiracy I just noticed:

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Bump, bump, bumpity, bump
Bump, bump, be bo bump
Psychotic, baby :metal:

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Alright, so this is kind of just a series of random thoughts, as I’ve been reflecting more on the lore of P-Funk.:
Is Give Up the Funk supposed to be a continuation of the aliens on the Unfunky UFO pleading for the funk?
Does anybody know what the line “turned on the fun with the water pipe” from Sir Nose’s title track means? Also Starchild says he loves those meeces and Sir Nose says he hates them, what/who are the meeces?
Does the title “You’re a Fish and I’m a Water Sign” refer to astrology signs? (that one is probably obvious, but the title always confused me).
Where does the name Motor Booty Affair come from? I guess it’s like Motor City cuz that’s where United Sound is but like… I don’t really get it? Is it like motor boat(ty) = Atlantis? I don’t really understand how it relates to the album.
Any and all thoughts/answers would be appreciated

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  1. dunno, I’ll get back to ye
  2. water pipe = Bong :smiley:
  3. the meeces = old Hannah Barbera cartoon. Pixie and Dixie and Mr Jinx the cat.
  4. she’s a mermaid (Rita) and he’s Pisces the water sign (Neptune?)
  5. Dunno, will have a thinks :thinking:

*1 could be right. It follows order wise and note the use of ‘ You’ve got a real type of thing goin’ down, gettin’ down’ as opposed to ‘we want the funk give us the funk’ and also ‘let us and we’ll turn this mother out’.

Looks like the same unfunky aliens to me, Phunklord. They wants the funk :metal:

Is Night of the Thumposaurus People the moment where the aliens finally get their hands on the funk???

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Here’s my bit, but I’ll skip 2 & 4 since @FreedomFlower’s responses seemed to answer it (and their 3 makes sense too, but I have a different angle), and skip 1 since I’ve never listened to the album in that way, yet.

  • I thought they intentionally used the wrong plural of mice (three blind mice) because it sounds good/rhymes (although @FreedomFlower’s cartoon reference makes sense). And I would guess that Sir Nose hates the mice because they are “such a sight”, I assume looking so uncool chasing “after the farmer’s wife”. In numerous interviews George has mentioned that Sir Nose wants to look cool above all else, and that he thinks he’s too cool even for sex.

In George’s memoir/autobiography he says it’s a “layered pun”: both “motor boat” and “Motor City” (and people say You Shouldn’t-Nuf Bit Fish is bad, at least you notice something is going on). Also there are a number of tracks that I believe could be outtakes like “Funky Parts”, “Insurance Man For The Funk”, “I’ll Be With You”, “Chug-A-Lug (The Bun Patrol)” and “Body Shop” which have a heavier (Auto) Motor-Booty Affair slant in lyrics and sounds. I think that there could have been an earlier vision for the album themed more around Detroit and the automotive industry. (I also think the same thing could have happened with the baby/toddler theming of Electric Spanking, with lots of baby themed tracks popping up later, but the album landing on the politics/war theme.)

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maybe so. I’ve still never figured out what they’re saying on that track haha. I was listening to Rumpofsteelskin and trying to isolate some of the vocals to figure out what they’re saying. there’s one part where he says “where ice can be like a sauna, and fire can put out water” which I think solves the puzzle of what he says during the verse “fire could still… HA! Put out water!” But my favorite part is “Starchild here, sayin’ 'my kids bring an end to man, you know, but kill the thangs, you don’t have to pay no bills n thangs”

that would make a lot of sense

Completely fascinating. I’ve been messing with Rumpofsteelskin for years trying to figure it out. I even asked George himself about it. All he was able to confirm was the chant “fire crystal hot”. I always thought the part you are talking about was “ice can be red hot”. For some reason my funkentelechy has always told me it was Bootsy that came up with Motor Booty and the term P-Funk. I know at the 3:40 mark of Tear The Roof Off there is a lone male voice coming out of the right channel lagging behind the rest of the chorus. He seems to be saying “funk”, sounds like Glen Goins. He does it again and again and it’s really pronounced at about the 4:46 mark.

As for the Unfunky UFO lead in, give a listen to that Archie Ivy piece Casablanca put out in the 70’s where he was pretending to be GC. He gives a great run down of the whole Mothership/Clones concept. Says the planets lined up on Night of The Thumpasaurus Peoples and they came out of the pyramids to reclaim the Funk.

We used to think the 3 blind meeces was a reference to Calvin, Fuzzy & Grady. Water pipe may refer to some drugs, since he’s talking about a nickel bag full. In fact, alot of the funk is referencing drugs. The term P-funk is a play on p-blow.

Back to Rumpofsteelskin:
Now you can dance here underwater down the bimini road
while some surf ??? technically I’m told
where ice can be red hot and fire can put out water
where thinking of thinking what you think is not what you aughta
harmonious influences, we are the clones of dr funkenstein saying
a hard head makes a soft rump of steel skin

I think Garry is chanting “golem man” all thru the song.

What is the character Rumpofsteelskin actually saying at the 2:30 mark? Other than he’s got the motor booty and he’s ???.

At about the 2:52 mark, the starchild comes back on:
Oh, and that’s how it goes in the land of no nose
??? body snatchers and antibodies can’t stop us now

After that I get garbled up. I always thought he ended with “don’t have to take no pills and thangs”.

I have been wrangling with it since I heard it over 40 years ago. I had been in contact with Junie years ago and he said one day we could sit down and he would give me lyrics of the Motor Booty Affair album, unfortunately he passed before it could happen. That whole record need deciphering. Well, it IS underwater I guess lol.

We need some kind of lyric forum on here. I would love to get the rap he does on Lunchmeataphobia. Got some of it. But he’s so far under the mix I can’t hear the rest. I’ll be willing to bet GC couldn’t even tell me lol. I think he has done these things on purpose knowing we’d be combing over the awesome tracks for Eternity.

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I thought so too, since he says it in “The Pinocchio Theory”.

[1:13] Now you can dance here underwater down to Bimini Road while some surf the undercurrent electrically I’m told, where ice can get red hot and fire can put out water, where thinkin’ an’ thinkin’ what you think not what you [wanna?], harmonious influences, we are the clones of Dr Funkenstein, sayin’ a hard head makes a soft rump of steel skin,

[…]

[2:32] I’m [late for the plate/play/bait?] [baba man/thang?]. I’ve got a [motor//long?] booty and I’m gonna [get ya?] baby. Baby bla-e-ah black- been there baba-bubba.

[2:52] Hoh, and that’s how it goes in the land of no [nosin’//nose-y?] so he was no [rumples-in-it?] body snatchers and antibodies [can//can’t?] stop us now. Star child here sayin’, I mean like you can breathe easy man, you know, with the gills and thangs, you don’t have to pay no bills and thangs- blow known, [for//or?] they’ll be waggin’ their future behind them.

Which parts? A lot of it sounds like he’s just doing variations on “it ain’t illegal yet”.

Just wow. I think “breathe easy with gills and thangs” is spot on! It sounds like “float on” after that to me. But that’s damn good.

I can hear the think it ain’t illegal yet parts but he’s running a rap on all sorts of stuff on Lunchmeataphobia:

At about the 2:05 mark he says “a hit from the thought police”

Then at 2:15 he says something I can’t make out at all.
He does it again at the 2:23. Says something else I can’t make out.
At 2:47 he plainly makes a George Orwell reference and says “1984 is only 6 years away, but we gone be???”

If I could get the bass out of it and turn the treble up and slow it down I might get it. See what you can make of it.

I can hear that (and it makes more sense).

[2:05] A hit from the thought police, look out-tah. They say I had [a illegal expression on my face?].

[2:23] Once I lived an’ learned it, it’s all that I [lived?] know [how/now?]

[2:39] Ain’t. It ain’t illegal yet.

[2:47] 1984 is only 6 years away.

[2:54] But we gonna keep on [goin’?]. Oh!

[3:05] Ain’t.

[3:18] Ain’t. It ain’t illegal yet. In-stinct, it ain’t illegal yet. In-stinct, it ain’t illegal yet.

[3:47] [?] [Somethin’ smells, somethin’ smells?] Nothin’ but a party, we are one nation under a groove. [Givin’ up?] the funk, heh heh. [?]

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Chris that is the best I’ve seen on it. You’re good at this for sure. I need to get you on a few more.

Sure thing. I’ll take a stab at whatever you’ve got. I did that whole “Nosey Knows” track, so I’m ready whenever.

Great. I think he is saying “once I lived and learned to read, to???”
On the song Mothership Connection at about the 2:40 mark he starts up something about “doing it on the chocolate milky way, what’s happening CC?” I think a reference to Chocolate City perhaps.
At 2:50 before he says something about easter island, is he saying “have you forgot me?”

And on the same album Handcuffs at 2:25. I’ve heard everything from “sounds corny” to “sean connery”. None of which makes sense to me or what I am hearing.

On “I Can Move You If You Let Me”:
At :27, is Garry saying “I’m checking out your signals”?
then at about :45 he sings ‘til we’re somewhere sharing fantasy ??? or otherwise’?

Trombipulation.
1:40 we be strutting like a what? giving up plenty of sound we be funking like what?
2:11 remember when we were what?

Sorry for the delay. I’ve been continuously working on it.

That sounds right. This was my first P-Funk album, and I remember thinking it was Sensei (and sometimes still forget, since I’m not too big on CC).

“Have they forgot me?”.

I assume “they” is CC or Earth in general.

[Sean/sounds carney/Connery/carny] (1) I thought it was “Sean Carney”, but I knew that “Sean Connery” is someone who might be named-dropped. “Aw [?] can go to Hell” makes sense as a person. (2) But “sound carny”, as in carnival, makes sense with the first part, like handcuffs in a magic act. Their stage clothes were compared to Mardi Gras afterall. (3) “corney” would also work with the first part.

This one has stumped me.

“Ah. Checkin’ out your signals”.

I think he’s always saying “Ah” by itself. Makes more sense to me like that. I’d guess that (1) it functions as a sex-noise to match the theme of the track/album, and (2) as a filler sound to avoid grappling with the lyrics to create that enjoyable call-and-response between him and the background singers’, with the “I” in “I can move you if you let me”, perhaps communicating that the parties are in-sync with each other. (Wow. I didn’t think it would get that deep.)

“‘til we’re somewhere sharing fantasy normal an’ or otherwise”.

“normal and or otherwise”. “otherwise” huh :thinking:. If you’ve seen the original album cover of Up For the Down Stroke (Whatever Makes Baby Feel Good), it would fit the kink(?) of mid-70’s Parliament. (That cover deserves it’s own thread.)

[1:35] “we be struttin’ like a fella givin’ up plenty of sound, we be funkin’ like the [call?] they were doin’”.

Fairly sure it’s fella. “all” doesn’t make sense, but “call” does and fits with the album’s horn theme.

[2:11] “remember when we were dozy’”.

Fairly sure it’s “dozy”.

“once I lived and learned to read so [I//I’ll] [?] [know how?]”.

I agree. There’s so much to unpack in their lyrics.

haha I think you’re right about this one. I kinda wish it was what I originally thought lol.

Here’s what I get:

Now you can dance here underwater down on Bimini road,
Wild trump (like trumpet fish) serp your security cyclically, I’ve saw
Where ice can be like a sauna and fire can put out water
Where spankin’ is thinkin’ what you’d make of it, and not what you ought’a
Harmonious influences, we are the clones of Dr. Funkenstein

Sayin’ a hard head makes us all lolo tail fish (this one might be a stretch but a Kala lolo fish aka unicorn fish has a horn-esque feature on it’s head, hence “hard head”)
Where ain’t nothin’ blowin’ but the Nose!
But that’s how it goes in the land of no Nose…

I’m ready for the race, baba! …hey!
I’ve got a motor booty and I’m full of gas, baby!
Let me blow your black- yeah, yeah, baba baba!

Ho! And that’s how it goes in the land of no Nose!
Though he was well represented, body snatchers and anti-bodies can’t stop us now!
Starchild here, sayin’, I mean like you can breathe easy man,
With gills and thangs you don’t have to pay no bills and thangs…

Float on!
Or they’ll be waggin’ their future behind them
Like the blowfish said to the shark
“Got anything from the hammerhead? A tool or something?!” Oh!
Yeah she’s got a good little future behind her

Yo! Rumpofsteelskin! He’s a bump above the rest, but he can’t funk with the best!
Let’s go wiggle it out, sucka! Knock this funk off my shoulder! Ho!

I used the Isolate Vocals action in the Vocal Reduction and Isolation effect in Audacity with a strength of about 5 and then you have to amplify it to high heaven. But that makes it a lot easier to hear the compressed radio sounding voice of George.

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Yeah, if I can’t do it by ear, get a copy and think about putting it into a music separator AI. I mean, this is for research purposes of course, so I don’t think there is too much to worry about.

You could rename the topic, since that’s basically what the topic started as (I mean, if you want to, no pressure either way :grin:).

///

My call for lyrical speculation or help, from anyone interested, would be to figure out the lyrics to “Nosey Nose” from those Mammoth Session leaks (yeah, I know, “again” :roll_eyes:). Idk, I’m just very interested in it since I can’t tell when it was first created (like late 70’s, mid 80’s, or 90’s). Clearly the rapping sounds 90’s, but maybe the base of the track is older.

And the lyrics themselves are pretty interesting to the fans of the P-Funk Mythology.

Nosey Nose - Partial Transcription

Narrator (George Clinton?):
Now, check this out.

Those who knows a nosey nose, knows-not.
Those who know not and knows they know not, knows.
It’s-not logical, it goes like this.

Now suppose Nose, knows, why in-the-funk would he’d be chose. Would he, could he, should he disclose, all that he knows, Nose knows, he knows? Nose, y‘know, he’s no Nose, [as all length goes(?)], [as all length arms, arms (?)], to the one dance, to the rhythm, to the beat, that I rose, funk will groove, just groove, (drug yes), groove [through(?)], funk it [all knows(?)].

[P-n’(?)] it on the one, as all [night grows(?)], as all like the [hoes/nose(?)].

“Through funk, Nose knows no funk,” crows Nose.

“Uh-oh,” goes Nose.

“Nose knows, he no-knows,” Nosey No-Nose blows. “Funk knows Nose! Who knows Nose, knows Nose. Nose? He knows. Now Nose, he knows of the funk he must dispose.”

Chorus:
Those who knows not, also knows not Nose.
Those who knows, who knows, who know, knows not.
Those who knows not, those who knows not, knows.
Those who knows, who knows, who know, knows not.
Those who knows not, and those who knows not, knows.

Narrator:
Nosey know.

Deep Voice:
So he knows. He knows Nosey know. Nose’s nose grow. Nosey know, he no know. Nosey knows no. Now [pre-sing//policing] is old Sir Nose[ta(?)].

Narrator:
As he struck that familiar pose, cool, way past chill. No sweat he shows. Knowing truth he knows. Nose knows he cannot disclose. It is funk. It is it: power. Power grows, no-one but he, better than he knows. Fortified and half the funk felt in months, he [disclose(?)], as funk run through him.

Deep Voice:
From his head down, down to his toes; (none fear).

Narrator:
[No cape said/says I’m over all other foes/nose(?)], so it’d be wise, others doze.
[Eyes-eyes-a-eyes(?)] he did not close. [In(?)], again and again, overplaying, he goes to [select, that model, while plump,(?)] [bruel clothes(?), into the big], some others throws. [But(?)] the motor-booty, [big-butt-bomb], blow, as then, and then, and, then at that moment the players in time funk[in’// in(?)] [forever/we(?)]] be froze.

Lady Abstract (Rap):
Those who know, and they know that they know, they don’t know those that don’t know they know that he dont’ know, don’t know. [He go fakin’ up on] just-like-a-Pinocchio. Fakin’ as the nose grow out the win-dow. (Ha!) [Every scene/casio] can know, every time they think they know, being nosey, I suppose, he just don’t know. (Ha!) As much as he be thinking he knows, bustas think they know about that George Clinton funk and that Lady Abstract flow, but they don’t know that, those who knows not, the Nose he knows not, know-o.

Solo Woman (Singer):
Those who know not, those who knows not, know. [with GC:] [ Those who knows, and knows, and knows(?)], knows not.

Narrator:
As [replace the fleece/police(?)], there was a golden [nose(?)], [in the motor-signal fleet(?)], burn into the golden rose, with his toe, as the story goes. Come the day after new sun arose. Down, way down [North(?),] up river, [closin’(?)] up South. Even a bird [goes(?)] once [there, play/place (?)] the magic word. A palm against the [princes/ses, noses (?)]. “Who so ever behold [glory whole(?)], now, forever and [for-ensures(?)] that [braunny(?)] funk forever, [(forever) flows(?)], [for now sacred spell bestoes(?)]”. Nosey nosey, so he knows. He knows Nosey knows. Nosey knows, nose, Nosey no-knows Nosey No-Nose, Nosey knows Nozy, not to be [seen in those third nose club(?)]. As he’s [dreamin’(?)] of a-million bones; cool. Cool, way past chill. Nosey’s [spreads/bed he shows/chose(?)]. Knowing true, they [Nose knows Nose, again, not to flow(?)]. Hip, it is funk[y(?)] in a zip-pound, bro, doin’ what [Nose(?)] better than me. Nose [sleep/sweep/sweet sign], now the funk will and must dispose, as funk runs through him. From his head down to his toes, Nose fear him, Nose fear him [slip(?)] all others [?]; all others dumb, all others die[d(?)], [ eyes close(?)].

Again, again, again and again. [On plan(?)] he goes to select that [mover(?)] while [our(?)], funk slowly grooves into the mix, some [on(?)] it. He throws motor, motor-boppin’ motor-booty, the butt-bomb, blows, and then,

Deep Voice:
at that moment, [that waste of dime/time(?)], funk, funk forever, forever froze.

Nosey? (GC):
Nosey knows, Nosey knows, he knows not.

Chorus:
Nosey knows not[.The Nose(?)], he knows not, know(s).

(Nose, he knows, he knows, he knows, he knows not.)

Nosey knows not; I knows he knows not, not.

Nosey, he knows, he knows, he knows, he knows not.

Nosey knows not, Nosey knows not, knows.

Nosey, he knows, he knows, he knows, he knows not.

[simultaneously]
Deep Voice: It’s all like roses. It’s all like thorns. [Then(?)] [(?)]
Chorus: Nosey knows not, Nosey knows not, knows.

Deep Voice: [it’s just gonna grow yet (?)], [__ there on the one (?)], [all like blows, all like hoes, heh (?)]
Chorus: Nosey, he knows, he knows, he knows, he knows not. (Hey)

Deep Voice: [Nosey knows(?)], so if he knows, he knows
Chorus: Those who know [not(?)], those who not, knows

[FADE]

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I hear “no moanin’ or otherwise”

I can hear that (but it feels more awkward to me as a lyric). It would be edgier, again, fitting the original album cover. Fixes my “an’ or” thing too.

Update 1:

Okay, I put it through a separator, and especially at 1:35, it sounds like “no moanin’ or otherwise”. The “in’” has a ~bounce~ to it, rather than that hard “-al” sound.

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for lunchmeat I get:

[2:05] A hit from the thought police, look out-uhh. They said I had an illegal expression on my face…

[2:23] Plus I lived to learn their names so how could I be wrong?

[2:39] Think! It ain’t illegal yet.

[2:47] 1984 is only 6 years away…

[2:54] But we gon’ give up glory? (I honestly have no idea on this one)

[3:05] Think!

[3:18] Think! It ain’t illegal yet! Think! Think… it ain’t illegal yet. Think! Think… it ain’t illegal yet.

[3:47] But play on brotha, play on sistah, it’s nothin’ but a party, baby, we are one nation under a groove. It’s cheaper for the funk than it is to pay attention…

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