Lawdy Miss Clawdy

**iloveelvis05** · 07-20-2005, 07:09 AM

Okay...this is kinda driving me crazy. Ya'll let me know what you think.

If you've ever read the lyrics to "Lawdy Miss Clawdy", one of the lines is, "Goodbye little darling." Well...if you watch the 68 Comeback Special, listen to what Elvis sings during that part of the song. He is clearly saying, "Goodbye toenail darling". Hehe! It doesn't sound like the word "little" at all!!! Not even close! And the worst part is, he sings it like that MORE THAN ONCE.

Ya'll go watch it and tell me what you're hearing. My aunt and I listened to it on the 68 Special CD and the DVD and she agrees with me. She thinks it sounds like "toenail" too!

**madschad** · 07-20-2005, 08:08 AM

That's what I thought he was saying too

**iloveelvis05** · 07-20-2005, 09:28 AM

Yah...I just don't know how come it sounds like that. Hehe, oh well. I mean...the word "little" and "toenail" don't sound anything alike!

Before I looked up the lyrics, I thought he was saying, "Goodbye til now darling". But that doesn't make sense!!! Hehe...oh gosh, I don't know!

**carolynlm** · 07-20-2005, 05:37 PM

I can remember having this conversation a while ago. I think the lyrics refer to 'tarnell' darling. I think it's Elvis' and Scottys southern accents that make it sound like 'toenail'......BTW, can anyone suggest a better start to this song than during this session. I can't find one, that's for sure. I know Elvis and Scotty refer to this at each show, Scotty asking Elvis to sing it, but this one where Elvis says....'No, I told him forget it'...then goes into the 'well, well, well'......then the start 'wwweeeeelllll...lawdy lawdy lawdy miss clawdy'........great stuff......

**NEA** · 07-20-2005, 05:49 PM

Hi Carolyn,

Is there some kind of in-joke between Elvis & Scotty regarding the word 'Tarnell'...what does it stand for/mean?

I thought Elvis' lyrics were something along the lines of "Clawdy, darling"??

Or, could it be "Charlie, darling"...referring to Charlie Hodge??
NEA.

**carolynlm** · 07-20-2005, 05:54 PM

I wish I could remember what was talked about on the FECC board about this. I might just go back and do a search, but it was probably about the time that the '68 Special' was released last year. The members were saying that 'Tarnell' was the name of a girl, the name was an old fashioned name used years ago.....
I have gone onto the FECC board to try and find the thread, but it's not there any more....but I'm sure the name 'Tarnell' is a girls name.....and that makes sense....'goodbye Tarnell darling....down the road I go'......

**iloveelvis05** · 07-21-2005, 06:47 AM

Um...I don't think they're saying "Tarnell". That's doesn't seem right. If that is a girl's name...that's a STRANGE name! Sorry to say.

I copied the lyrics from an Elvis lyrics site, here they are...

"So now bye, bye bye baby,
Girl, I won't be comin' no more.
Goodbye little darlin', down the road I'll go."

It clearly says the word little.

**Lonniebealestreet** · 07-21-2005, 08:05 AM

'Tarnell' is definitely the lyric, but the pronunciation is softened Southern-style to 'Taw-nell', which obviously ends up sounding a lot like 'toenail'. In fact, it may have been sung as 'toenail' at times as a joke, because Elvis seemed to get a kick out of singing that part of the song.

A lot of those lyics sites are way off at times, but in this case, I think it is correct in that it refers to the original studio version.

**iloveelvis05** · 07-22-2005, 06:23 AM

Originally Posted by Lonniebealestreet

'Tarnell' is definitely the lyric, but the pronunciation is softened Southern-style to 'Taw-nell', which obviously ends up sounding a lot like 'toenail'. In fact, it may have been sung as 'toenail' at times as a joke, because Elvis seemed to get a kick out of singing that part of the song.

A lot of those lyics sites are way off at times, but in this case, I think it is correct in that it refers to the original studio version.

Well...I guess that makes sense. Hehe...Tarnell...how weird.

**Graceland1979** · 07-22-2005, 01:32 PM

great song

**iloveelvis05** · 07-23-2005, 02:18 PM

Here are some photos of Elvis singing "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" in the 1968 Comeback Special. I love these!

Haha! This one cracks me up!

**iloveelvis05** · 07-26-2005, 08:28 AM

What do ya'll think of the pictures above this post??

**Kapu** · 07-26-2005, 01:34 PM

Temper, miss Dodge, temper!

They're great! I haven't seen the '68 special (not much of a fan am I?) but from these pictures he looks like a guy at the top of his game. Well, the first one at least. The second one makes me think maybe Colonel Parker streaked across the stage or something.

**iloveelvis05** · 07-26-2005, 02:02 PM

Originally Posted by Kapu

Temper, miss Dodge, temper!

They're great! I haven't seen the '68 special (not much of a fan am I?) but from these pictures he looks like a guy at the top of his game. Well, the first one at least. The second one makes me think maybe Colonel Parker streaked across the stage or something.

What do you mean "temper"? I wasn't asking rudely, I was just wondering. Gosh...sorry.

But what you said about the 2nd photo...that's hilarious!!!

**Kapu** · 07-26-2005, 02:22 PM

Oh, I didn't think you were being rude at all, I was just messin' with ya, sorry. I can't resist inserting quotes from "Girls! Girls! Girls!" in the oddest of places... as I'm sure you can tell, I really like that movie.

Speaking of song lyrics, I wonder if there's a site out there that has the correct lyrics for all of Elvis' songs. There are dozens if not hundreds of lyrics sites out there but they ALL have incorrect lyrics for most of the G!G!G! songs, for example. I even sent corrections to a few but it's a hopeless task...

**iloveelvis05** · 07-26-2005, 09:17 PM

Originally Posted by Kapu

Oh, I didn't think you were being rude at all, I was just messin' with ya, sorry. I can't resist inserting quotes from "Girls! Girls! Girls!" in the oddest of places... as I'm sure you can tell, I really like that movie.

Speaking of song lyrics, I wonder if there's a site out there that has the correct lyrics for all of Elvis' songs. There are dozens if not hundreds of lyrics sites out there but they ALL have incorrect lyrics for most of the G!G!G! songs, for example. I even sent corrections to a few but it's a hopeless task...

Hehe...sorry about that. Yah, you're right, there are TONS of sites that "think" they have the right lyrics but obviously don't. It sometimes frusterates me. Good luck on finding one!

**carolynlm** · 07-27-2005, 12:18 AM

I think the songs probably started out with the correct lyrics, but Elvis decided to change them.....but who could beat the 'Italian' version of Moody Blue? I doubt whether you would ever find 'those' lyrics anywhere.....

**1100ccRider** · 08-23-2005, 04:48 AM

It's definitely "Tarnell." If I remember right, Elvis also mentioned the name in one or more of the laternate takes to the song back in 1956.

In the 1968 tapings, Elvis freely mixed lyrics from various versions of his songs, such as the original lyrics of "One Night" and Ma Rainey's "snoopin' round the door" lyric for "Hound Dog."

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