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"When they rose, so many of the magnates had something to say to Mr
Merdle individually that he held little levees by the sideboard,
and checked them off as they went out at the door.
My recollection of the etymology of the word as it is used here, goes back to the French kings who use to have meetings
with petitioners soon after he got out of bed."Se lever" means to arise. I welcome correction.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Here's MW, Bill:
"Etymology: French lever, from Middle French, act of arising, from (se) lever to rise
Date: 1672
1 : a reception held by a person of distinction on rising from bed"
I wonder whether there's any connection between this levee and the one by the river? You could always have a levee by the levee.
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What IS that song that has this word; with the embankment meaning, i.e. I first learnt the word in that song.....aarrrggghhhh...what is it...someone help;it will gnaw on my brain me all day otherwise.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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American Pie by Don McLean
"drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry..."
formerly known as etaoin...
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Carpal Tunnel
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here's the whole thing... A long long time ago
I can still remember how that music used
to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And maybe they'd be happy for a while.
But February made me shiver
With every paper I'd deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn't take one more step
I can't remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died
Refrain:
***So bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my chevy to the levee
But the levee was dry
And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singin' this'll be the day that I die
This'll be the day that I die
Did you write the Book of Love
And do you have faith in God above
If the Bible tells you so
Do you believe in rock 'n roll
Can music save your mortal soul
And can you teach me how to dance real slow
Well, I know that you're in love with him
'Cause I saw you dancin' in the gym
You both kicked off your shoes
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues
I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died
I started singin'***
Now for ten years we've been on our own
And moss grows fat on a rollin' stone
But that's not how it used to be
When the jester sang for the King and Queen
In a coat he borrowed from James Dean
And a voice that came from you and me
Oh, and while the King was looking down
The jester stole his thorny crown
The courtroom was adjourned
No verdict was returned
And while Lenin read a book of Marx
The quartet practised in the park
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died
We were singing***
Helter Skelter in a summer swelter
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter
Eight miles high and falling fast
It landed foul out on the grass
The players tried for a forward pass
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast
Now the half-time air was sweet perfume
While the Sergeants played a marching tune
We all got up to dance
Oh, but we never got the chance
'Cause the players tried to take the field
The marching band refused to yield
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died
We started singing***
Oh, and there we were all in one place
A generation Lost in Space
With no time left to start again
So come on, Jack be nimble, Jack be quick
Jack Flash sat on a candlestick
'Cause fire is the Devil's only friend
Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage
No angel born in hell
Could break that Satan's spell
And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite
I saw Satan laughing with delight
The day the music died
He was singing***
I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news
But she just smiled and turned away
I went down to the sacred store
Where I'd heard the music years before
But the man there said the music wouldn't play
And in the streets the children screamed
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed
But not a word was spoken
The church bells all were broken
And the three men I admire most
The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died
And they were singing***
They were singing bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my chevy to the levee
But the levee was dry
Them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singin' this'll be the day that I die
formerly known as etaoin...
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Carpal Tunnel
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Yes, but isn't there also one about "Waitin' by the levee for the Robert E Lee" ? I'll go look it up. Sure there is: Way down on the levee in old Alabamy,
There's daddy and mammy, there's Ephr'am and Sammy,
On a moonlight night you can find them all,
While they are waitin' the banjos are syncopa-tin'
What's that they're sayin?, what's that they're sayin;?
While they keep playin' hummin' and swayin',
It's the good ship Robert E. Lee,
That come to carry the cotton away.
Watch them shufflin' along, see them shufflin' along,
Go take your best gal, real pal; go down to the levee,
I said to the levee, and you'll join that shufflin' throng,
Hear that music and song,
It's simply great, mate, waitin' on the levee,
Waitin' for the Robert E. Lee.
The whistles are blowin', the smokestacks are showin',
The ropes they are throwin', excuse me, I'm goin',
To the place where all is harmonious,
Even the preacher, he is the dancing teacher.
Have you been down there? Were you around there?
If you ever go there, you'll always be found there,
Why do-gone, here comes my baby,
On the good old Robert E. Lee.
Watch them shufflin' along, see them shufflin' along,
Go take your best gal, real pal; go down to the levee,
I said to the levee, and you'll join that shufflin' throng,
Hear that music and song,
It's simply great, mate, waitin' on the levee,
Waitin' for the Robert E. Lee.-- http://www.rmstitanichistory.com/titanic/music/relee.html and many others waitin' by, waitin' on, whatever.
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YES!! eta, much thanks!  Coudn't post earlier due to a comp glitch. Thank You! wofa, I haven't heard this song before; who sang it? The site doesn't say..
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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who sang it? The site doesn't say..
Maybe they didn't have enough disk space.
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