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Huffamoose — James
Album: We've Been Had Again
Avg rating:
5.1

Your rating:
Total ratings: 166









Released: 1997
Length: 4:52
Plays (last 30 days): 0
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We're headed for the great smokey mountains
To see the wild flowers bloom in spring
'Cause we've decided that there's no better place to be
For two young people who just wanna do their thing in the spring

I know we're gonna be happy

'Cause James is a freedom fighter and he lives for the moment
His parents are hippies and he sees everything through a rainbow
He's never unhappy because he never wears a watch
He lives on his mountain bike and he sees beauty in everyone

James says he's gonna change the world
James says that I am his flower girl
And James and I, we're gonna make a difference
Just wait and see, we're gonna set the world free

It's two years later now and we're both out of college
and we've decided to love one another for eternity
I've got a good job but James says no one understands him
He's an artist; he needs time to find out what that means

James says he's gonna change the world
James says that I am his flower girl
And James and I, we're gonna make a difference
Just wait and see, we're gonna set the world free
We're gonna set the world free
We're gonna set the world free

He answers to a higher calling
The moon and the sun and the stars are falling
Through his time and his space
And I'm lucky to be part of it all
He is bigger than life
He sees things, he knows things
He is not like you and me

James says he's gonna change the world
James says that I am his flower girl
And James and I, we're gonna make a difference
Just wait and see, we're gonna set the world free

James finally found a steady job and now we're gonna settle down
He still loves his music, but he knows where his priorities lie
He stepped on his dreams so many times and wore out the path
He needed to take to find the life he thought would just happen to him
Like the changing of a season
Comments (67)add comment
 I still love the song some 15 years later every time I run across it on my iPod.  I think it is sung from a woman's perspective the same way "Bobby McGee" was covered by the Grateful Dead even though it was originally done by Janis Joplin. I don't know who wrote the song. It is a great tune about the loss of innocence of two young hippie-ish kids.   It reminds me of Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car" although not quite as darkly tragic. "Wait" was the big hit off this album but "James" I think kills it with its sentimentality. 
Posted 8 years ago by Umgaladefka    [ Reply ]
 Wasted wrote:
Whether the lyrics were originally written from a woman's perspective or not, it still comes off as a story about a guy and his boyfriend...  and I like it that way.
 
If it is good music it's good.  If it grating with a poor voice, then it is not good music.
This track stinks.


Posted 14 years ago by Misterfixit    [ Reply ]
the vocals are so over-wrought ...err over-rot
Posted 14 years ago by pugifat    [ Reply ]
If the song was as good as the band name this would be worth a 7, but sadly the voice not only grates but is irritatingly twee, as are the lyrics. Indeed, it sounds as tedious as James Blunt. 2 from the Nottingham jury.
Posted 14 years ago by fredriley    [ Reply ]
not their best. and not a cover. no idea where people are getting that. but, the rest of the cd is awesome. huffamoose is so much fun live, too. give them a chance even if you don't dig this tune specifically.
Posted 14 years ago by lily34    [ Reply ]
7 ==> 6
Posted 14 years ago by Pyro    [ Reply ]
 manbirdexperiment wrote:

Just had to give this a bump. I'm reeling with nausea. 
 
Thank you for nothing.  Didn't Bill delete that damn thing yet?  You've posted it to at least 150 threads. {#Rolleyes}
Posted 15 years ago by RadioDoc    [ Reply ]
Ick.
When it started I thought it might be bad enough to be Jack Johnson.
But it's not quite that bad.  But close.
 
Posted 15 years ago by ragshagbill    [ Reply ]
 trekhead wrote:
Anyone getting

"JANE'S GETTING SERIOUS"
by John Astley?
 

I love that song.  Whatever happened to John Astley?
OMG - I just had a quick (and thankfully fleeting) memory - Rick Astley.  Whatever happened to him?
Posted 15 years ago by Robinperusse    [ Reply ]
 scruzer wrote:

For you it's silly — for me it's refreshing to hear a man sing of his relationship with another man.

Have some respect for the rest of us.

 
I do.  And I would also find it interesting and refreshing to hear good, credible lyrics about two men or two women in love.  I was just echoing the observation, made by several others, that if you listen carefully to the lyrics, it's extremely unlikely that they were written to mean that.

Don't be so quick to feel disrespected.

Posted 15 years ago by CanyonMan    [ Reply ]
Anyone getting

"JANE'S GETTING SERIOUS"
by John Astley?


Posted 15 years ago by trekhead    [ Reply ]
 mandolin wrote:
...i don't have any problem at all with performers covering songs from the opposing gender's perspective, but i think it's a bit silly to interpret this as a gay man's perspective - the 'flower girl' references just comes across flamingly comical that way...

 
I couldn't agree more.  So... who wrote it?  I gave it a few tries via google, but no luck.  The funny thing is that I am fairly sure that I have heard the original song.  Even before getting to the flower girl part (sorry all, it is a little silly) I thought it was a cover of a song that I was familiar with.  I would love to find the original now.

Edit:  AllMusic has the composer as Craig Elkins of Huffamoose.  ??

Posted 15 years ago by ch83575    [ Reply ]
...i don't have any problem at all with performers covering songs from the opposing gender's perspective, but i think it's a bit silly to interpret this as a gay man's perspective - the 'flower girl' references just comes across flamingly comical that way...

Posted 15 years ago by mandolin    [ Reply ]

Meh; sounds like these guys were huffing moose fumes. . .

Posted 15 years ago by vandal    [ Reply ]
I have to somewhat agree with the poster below me.

Totally forgettable song.  I wish it would go off now, so I could forget it.

*Edit.*  I do love the band name tho.

Posted 15 years ago by Kittee    [ Reply ]
 CanyonMan wrote:
And I don't think it has anything to do with gay lovers, that's silly...
 
For you it's silly — for me it's refreshing to hear a man sing of his relationship with another man.

Have some respect for the rest of us.

Posted 15 years ago by scruzer    [ Reply ]
Whether the lyrics were originally written from a woman's perspective or not, it still comes off as a story about a guy and his boyfriend...  and I like it that way.
Posted 15 years ago by Wasted    [ Reply ]
His voice sounds a lot like Bob Schneider, even the vocal styling.  Right?
Posted 15 years ago by springsmermaid    [ Reply ]
I'm lukewarm about it musically, but it's got some profound lyrics. Especially the parts toward the end about youthful idealism and disillusionment: "He stepped on his dreams so many times and wore out the path he needed to take to find the life he thought would just happen to him like the changing of a season." And I don't think it has anything to do with gay lovers, that's silly...it's just a man singing lyrics written for a woman singer.
Posted 15 years ago by CanyonMan    [ Reply ]
ch83575 wrote:
Boyfriend songs are fairly common, but not ones sung by dudes. Those are indeed a pretty rare breed in popular music. I have nothing at all against a gay love-song, but this doesn't feel like that to me. It feels like a cover that they didn't even think about the words before singing... when he says he is a "flowergirl" I snicker every time. Perhaps I am wrong, but I still didn't much care for it.
I don't think you can automatically assume this song is written from a gay man's perspective simply because the vocalist is a man. Perhaps the man who penned the lyrics simply wanted to write from a female perspective (see Son of a Preacher Man, e.g.) Maybe it was originally written with a female singer in mind but she turned it down. Although the tendency these days is to regender song lyrics as necessary (see Please Mister Postman, for example), it was not unheard of (particularly in Bluegrass music, I believe) for male or female singers to sing the lyrics of songs as written even if they were singing a song written from an opposite gender point of view. I don't think of this song as primarily a love song, anyway; more of a lament on the inevitable loss of youthful idealism and optimism.
Posted 15 years ago by aflanigan    [ Reply ]
Wow. That was really horrible.
Posted 15 years ago by Photo-John    [ Reply ]
Puke.
Posted 15 years ago by old_shep    [ Reply ]
I don't get it. Why does everyone assume this is a personal (gay) story? If Ian Anderson can sing from the perspective of a horse and Imogen Heap can sing from the perspective of a locust, why can't Huffamoose sing from the perspective of a (flower)girl?
Posted 15 years ago by sirrus    [ Reply ]
What .?
Posted 15 years ago by esweazey73    [ Reply ]
scruzer wrote:
"boyfriends" songs are rare! Thanks Bill!!!
Boyfriend songs are fairly common, but not ones sung by dudes. Those are indeed a pretty rare breed in popular music. I have nothing at all against a gay love-song, but this doesn't feel like that to me. It feels like a cover that they didn't even think about the words before singing... when he says he is a "flowergirl" I snicker every time. Perhaps I am wrong, but I still didn't much care for it.
Posted 15 years ago by ch83575    [ Reply ]
So much for subtlety.... I don't like it when a male singer waxes obsequiously over a woman.... doing it over another man is just as bad.
Posted 15 years ago by Ipse_Dixit    [ Reply ]
d00kie wrote:
meh
Double meh
Posted 15 years ago by rockasaurus    [ Reply ]
wow this song rocks so little I can't believe it's actually music.
Posted 15 years ago by vit    [ Reply ]
meh
Posted 15 years ago by d00kie    [ Reply ]
scruzer wrote:
"boyfriends" songs are rare! Thanks Bill!!!
I know, and thats a BIG part of why I am loving this!!!!
Posted 15 years ago by anniebear    [ Reply ]
Posted 15 years ago by Manbird    [ Reply ]
I'm not actually listening right now, but... Best... band name... ever.
Posted 15 years ago by auburntigerrich    [ Reply ]
This is a cover, but I can't remember who did the original. Anyone?
Posted 15 years ago by Marr    [ Reply ]
Posted 15 years ago by Excelsior    [ Reply ]
I LIKE this!
Posted 15 years ago by anniebear    [ Reply ]
Particularly nice segue (probably) coming up to "Anna Ternheim - Today Is Such A Good Day"...
Posted 16 years ago by kaz    [ Reply ]
mefrombrazil wrote:
WHY DO YOU MAKE THIS QUESTION?
..... man i can't hear yooooou, you're screammmmmming!
Posted 16 years ago by oscar_driver    [ Reply ]
"boyfriends" songs are rare! Thanks Bill!!!
Posted 16 years ago by scruzer    [ Reply ]
oscar_driver wrote:
hummm are they boyfriends?
WHY DO YOU MAKE THIS QUESTION?
Posted 16 years ago by mefrombrazil    [ Reply ]
hummm are they boyfriends?
Posted 16 years ago by oscar_driver    [ Reply ]
I like it. Thanks, Rirry.
Posted 16 years ago by Pyro    [ Reply ]
i prefer the band JAMES, not just the song JAMES.
Posted 16 years ago by mefrombrazil    [ Reply ]
Posted 16 years ago by xc_para_puravida    [ Reply ]
Monotone
Posted 16 years ago by joeheyming    [ Reply ]
Made me take off my headphones. I don't like taking off my headphones. princeofpeoria wrote:
i second that...once again
Posted 16 years ago by thejake    [ Reply ]
A great anthem about the disillusionment of having to grow up. Thanks for reviving this one.
Posted 16 years ago by aflanigan    [ Reply ]
woooohoo!! this hasn't been played in years (before october of this year. thanks bill! love this band, love this cd.
Posted 16 years ago by lily34    [ Reply ]
sounds like a drunken Counting Crows. Yick.
Posted 16 years ago by Bocephus    [ Reply ]
Originally Posted by jplov: not a fan...makes me want to change the station..........for 3 or 4 minutes
i second that...once again
Posted 20 years ago by princeofpeoria    [ Reply ]
Love Huffamoose, love this song. Also check out their new album, \"I wanna be your pants.\"
Posted 20 years ago by jopiquant    [ Reply ]
Originally Posted by great_one: I'd never heard of Huffamoose, but now am defenitely a fan. Do you have more? :D
Tha album "We've benn Had" is great... some songs have a hard edge, others are a bit Phishy...
Posted 21 years ago by audiozeb    [ Reply ]
I decided it's better to not be negative so...
Posted 21 years ago by phorp    [ Reply ]
not a fan...makes me want to change the station..........for 3 or 4 minutes
Posted 21 years ago by princeofpeoria    [ Reply ]
very nice song and even better commentary from fellow RP\'ers. excellent dialogue. thank you.
Posted 21 years ago by mperry    [ Reply ]
I like this song. I also appreciate Mr. Face's comments (be they in an appropriate forum or not). But, forgive me, I can't resist an alternate argument to the optimism in his message...after all we live in the dream of George W. Bush. From Soren Kierkegaard.... "In the last analysis, what is the significance of life? If we divide mankind into two great classes, we may say that one works for a living, the other does not need to. But working for a living cannot be the meaning of life, since it would be a contradiction to say that the perpetual production of the conditions for subsistence is an answer to the question about its significance which, by the help of this, must be conditioned. The lives of the other class have in general no other significance than that they consume the conditions of subsistence. And to say that the significance of life is death, seems again a contradiction."
Posted 21 years ago by BC_Night_Heron    [ Reply ]
Good, or bad, this sounds like Train to me... I happen to like train, so I think I like this too.
Posted 21 years ago by nate_pitzer    [ Reply ]
Originally Posted by jyoull: Oh cool! Just when I thought all music sucked, there's RP handing out one great song after another.
I don't know. This tune pretty much sucks.
Posted 21 years ago by ndanger666    [ Reply ]
Oh cool! Just when I thought all music sucked, there\'s RP handing out one great song after another.
Posted 21 years ago by jyoull    [ Reply ]
thanks SO much for uploading this one, Lily! :) :) :) this is easily my favorite track on this great album. all of them are excellent, though. such emotional lyrics here too.
Posted 21 years ago by Platypus    [ Reply ]
Nice song about the optimism of youth :)
Posted 22 years ago by Leslie    [ Reply ]