Wednesday 25 September 2013

Song: Hey Mario -- Patent Pending


Image from YouTube

A hard-working student of mine named Rita nicely completed her song recommendation assignment and emailed it to me together with a couple of questions about the song. Since the song is really cool and the questions are pretty decent, I'm turning it into a blog entry to share with everyone.





I know you think you love her but dude it's such a bummer how you chase that girl around
You've been fighting all her battles if she's really worth the hassle you'd be living in the castle by now
And it makes me sick how you break these bricks for a girl that barely knows you exist
Now you're tripping on mushrooms just for fun 
Dude I think you've got a problem

Mario get your ($$$$) together bro
You've got to know this princess isn't worth these extra lives
Just let her 
go Mario you're a next level bro 
and she's a jump too short when the clock is running low
Hey Mario 

get your ($$$$) together
Hey Mario 
or you'll chase this ($$$$) forever

Warp zone friend zone high score no more stalking this chick in a Koopa-Troopa town
Live life easy like Luigi ain't never let a HO get him down
Let Koopa keep her bro grab a flower and go we'll jump the flag pole and light up the night
Hit rainbow road with toad we spinning them tires and spitting hot fire

Mario get your ($$$$) together bro
You've got to know this princess isn't worth these extra lives
Just let her 
go Mario you're a next level bro 
But the Peach been cheating and you know I ain't talking code

You're a plumber, a doctor, a race car driver, 
an athlete, a spaceman, a super smash survivor, 
you've got coins like mad get a bachelor pad 
Down in cocoa beach where the hunnies at
Yeah get up get up get off the floor she's not the one worth dying for

Mario get your ($$$$) together bro
You've got to know this princess isn't worth these extra lives
Just let her 
go Mario you're a next level bro 
and she's a jump too short when the clock is running low
Hey Mario 

get your ($$$$) together bro
You've got to know this princess isn't worth these extra lives
Just let her 
go Mario you're a next level bro 
But the Peach been cheating and you know I ain't talking code
get your ($$$$) together
Hey Mario 
or you'll chase this ($$$$) forever



What is the meaning of... you're a next level bro ?
Image from YouTube
As we all know, the Super Mario games have many different levels. If you are at a next level, you are better, more superior. In this case, the line means Mario is more superior than the Princess.


What is the meaning of... she's a jump too short when the clock is running low
Image from YouTube
When Mario jumps too short, he falls into red hot lava or down the sky and he dies.
Since the Mario game has time limit, when the clock is running low, he has little time left. When the time is up, Mario dies.

"She is a jump-too-short-when-the-clock-is-running-low" means that she is a girl who will get you kill either way, so she's not worth it, as the lyrics go "You've got to know this princess isn't worth these extra lives" and "she's not the one worth dying for".


What is the meaning of... the Peach been cheating and you know I ain't talking code?
Image from YouTube
Here actually, "Peach" is actually not "Peach", actually the singer makes a malapropism --a word play trick of the word "Bitch", meaning, the bitch has been cheating on Mario, having relationships with other men, and my guess is, King Koopa. How can I be so sure that "Peach" isn't referring to Princess Peach? Well, we don't normally add "the" in front of people's names, do we?
King Koopa
Image media.screened.com
"I ain't talking code" directly means "I'm not talking about computer programming code", since Super Mario games are programmed using computer languages, which most likely means "I'm not joking or talking rubbish".

Then again, since the songs has many BEEP sounds to cover the actual foul language, so I won't be surprised if the word "code" actually refers to "code brown", meaning poop, droppings, faeces or shit in hospital English.


Good job Rita! Keep up with the good work!


Vocabulary:
bummer -- (n)[S] offensive  something that is very annoying or not convenient:
hassle -- (n) [C or U] informal (a situation causing) difficulty or trouble:
HO -- (n)[C] another spelling for whore -- (n)[C] offensive  woman whose behaviour in her sexual relationships is considered immoral; old-fashioned a female prostitute
malapropism  -- (n)[U] the use of an incorrect word in place of a word with a similar sound, resulting in a nonsensical, often humorous utterance.
code brown -- (n)[S] Patient has defecated in the bed. Used as a "tongue-in-cheek" among hospital staff.


Resources:
Patent Pending - Hey Mario (BRAND NEW SONG!!!) @ YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZeR-vxREvw

Malapropism @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malapropism

Hospital_emergency_codes @ Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hospital_emergency_codes#Other_Codes

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/bummer?q=bummer
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ho
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/whore?q=whore