I am not a Bruce Springsteen fan, so I have no emotional investment in this. And maybe you'll throw out my opinion for that reason anyway, rather than adding merit to it.
But the lyrics to me paint a much different picture than the forceful, powerful, action-filled one you describe. The screen door slams, but Mary doesn't necessarily slam it. I picture her letting go of it so that it slams shut on its own, as if she doesn't care what it does. And then she dances like a vision - visions to me are not powerfully defined things, they're soft-focused and surreal, gentle pictures floating in your mind. A dress would definitely sway in a vision, undulating as if in a breeze.
So while I think "waves" would not be totally out of place in this lyric, "sways" makes more sense to me.
"Sways" is the more predictable, obvious, benign word, which I think says something about those who think it's the "right" word there. "Waves" is far more interesting. It's more surprising, yet still has a nice slant-rhyme (more fun than a regular rhyme, I think). "Waves" is literally inviting--it waves to you (or it can say goodbye). It can evoke the ocean, fields of wheat (amber waves), or wanting to make a disturbance. It's just a better word. It has action, like Joe said. Waves is the artist's word, and sways is the accountant's.
Many thoughts: the screen door slams. Not the front door. If you let a screen door go, and it’s on a spring, like it most assuredly was on his front porch, it slams. Also, she’s dancing to Roy Orbison singing for the lonely “Only the Lonely”. That’s a slow song. She’s a vision. She’s a gentle creature. She deserves to get out if this town full of losers. She deserves to pull out of here to win. Her dress is swaying.
I think I read Joe's thoughts on this before I ever carefully listened to the song (which I love), so it's always sounded like "waves" to me. However, I don't find Joe's argument about Mary being a tornado very compelling. I think the gentleness of "sways" fits the mood and lyrics of that part of the song better. What I find more compelling is the argument that Joe made previously (I think) about the double meaning of "waves", which is something fabric can do in the breeze, but also a playful/inviting motion (as in waving a hand).
When I saw you mention taking issue with a lyric from The Wrestler, I thought for sure it was the one-legged dog lines:
“Have you ever seen a one-legged dog making its way down the street?
If you've ever seen a one-legged dog then you've seen me”
I strongly believe he meant three-legged dog, because while a three-legged dog likely can hobble down the street much as the titular wrestler is hobbling through life, I don’t even want to imagine what it would look like with a one-legged dog trying the same.
EVERY screen door slams. Any country kid knows that taut spring yanks it back, unless you deliberately ease it shut. Which your parents ALWAYS insist you do. Which you always realize you've forgotten to do- when you hear the SLAM! -when you're trying to bust out of town with some hoodlum musician begging for your company, so you turn back, your dress SWAYS and you hesitate
"don't run back inside, Darling, you know just what I'm here for-
Back before you were able to search for lyrics on Google, you carefully read the lyric sheet while listening and the lyrics say “wave.” I know, Landau says it was a misprint but cmon.
I just listened to Thunder Road and I heard, clearly, cleanly, “Mary’s dress waves”
Or did I hear “sways”?
This is turning into “is the dress blue or brown?”
Aw, heck, I’m ALWAYS gonna hear “waves,” as will any other old codgers that grew up on, and with, Bruce.
Great case for "waves," if the choice is between literal meanings. But if we move to metaphorical meanings and semantic associations (it's poetry after all), then the case for "Mary's dress sways" becomes stronger. Metaphorical meaning: when the dress sways it is dancing (in response to the door and/or the music); it has agency. Combine that metaphorical meaning with the semantic link between "sways" and "dances" and the dress's movement becomes part of Mary's dancing rather than a result of it. (It may be overreading to suggest that the dress sways and then Mary dances and thus its swaying is actually the first step (!) in Mary's dancing. But then again maybe that's not overreading.) Anyway, add in the strong rhyme of "sways" and "plays," and the case for "sways" is pretty good. Over to the jury.
"Sways" is the PEEFECT word, and I can't believe I heard it wrong until this latest debate started a couple weeks ago.
She is SWAYING to the music, absorbed in it, completely. It's a vision, and it ties the scene together perfectly. It is a whole. It's not the wind, her suitors are gone on the wind before she reaches the porch. No, it's just her in the quiet cool before dawn, swaying to the music, likely not even noticing that screen door slamming or the yearning young man observing her. It's perfect.
Mary's hips sway, her dress sways. Everything about the mood Bruce is setting with the tempo and tone at this part of the song says she is swaying. You know how else I know she is swaying? Because the next line tells us she is dancing to "Only the Lonely" by Roy Orbison (a favorite of the Boss), a song you definitely sway to.
Dance to the beginning of this song, you are swaying, dance later on and you can wave all you want
I am not a Bruce Springsteen fan, so I have no emotional investment in this. And maybe you'll throw out my opinion for that reason anyway, rather than adding merit to it.
But the lyrics to me paint a much different picture than the forceful, powerful, action-filled one you describe. The screen door slams, but Mary doesn't necessarily slam it. I picture her letting go of it so that it slams shut on its own, as if she doesn't care what it does. And then she dances like a vision - visions to me are not powerfully defined things, they're soft-focused and surreal, gentle pictures floating in your mind. A dress would definitely sway in a vision, undulating as if in a breeze.
So while I think "waves" would not be totally out of place in this lyric, "sways" makes more sense to me.
Ok. Wow. I step away for a few moments and you go full Rooney on us.
It’s sway, Joe. Sway.
"Sways" is the more predictable, obvious, benign word, which I think says something about those who think it's the "right" word there. "Waves" is far more interesting. It's more surprising, yet still has a nice slant-rhyme (more fun than a regular rhyme, I think). "Waves" is literally inviting--it waves to you (or it can say goodbye). It can evoke the ocean, fields of wheat (amber waves), or wanting to make a disturbance. It's just a better word. It has action, like Joe said. Waves is the artist's word, and sways is the accountant's.
Many thoughts: the screen door slams. Not the front door. If you let a screen door go, and it’s on a spring, like it most assuredly was on his front porch, it slams. Also, she’s dancing to Roy Orbison singing for the lonely “Only the Lonely”. That’s a slow song. She’s a vision. She’s a gentle creature. She deserves to get out if this town full of losers. She deserves to pull out of here to win. Her dress is swaying.
I think I read Joe's thoughts on this before I ever carefully listened to the song (which I love), so it's always sounded like "waves" to me. However, I don't find Joe's argument about Mary being a tornado very compelling. I think the gentleness of "sways" fits the mood and lyrics of that part of the song better. What I find more compelling is the argument that Joe made previously (I think) about the double meaning of "waves", which is something fabric can do in the breeze, but also a playful/inviting motion (as in waving a hand).
It's "sways". Not only for the rhyme, but because a woman swaying is so much sexier than a woman waving.
When I saw you mention taking issue with a lyric from The Wrestler, I thought for sure it was the one-legged dog lines:
“Have you ever seen a one-legged dog making its way down the street?
If you've ever seen a one-legged dog then you've seen me”
I strongly believe he meant three-legged dog, because while a three-legged dog likely can hobble down the street much as the titular wrestler is hobbling through life, I don’t even want to imagine what it would look like with a one-legged dog trying the same.
EVERY screen door slams. Any country kid knows that taut spring yanks it back, unless you deliberately ease it shut. Which your parents ALWAYS insist you do. Which you always realize you've forgotten to do- when you hear the SLAM! -when you're trying to bust out of town with some hoodlum musician begging for your company, so you turn back, your dress SWAYS and you hesitate
"don't run back inside, Darling, you know just what I'm here for-
So you're scared...."
and the pleading begins.
The vision is his, Roy Orbison is on his radio.
I've never heard it any other way.
Back before you were able to search for lyrics on Google, you carefully read the lyric sheet while listening and the lyrics say “wave.” I know, Landau says it was a misprint but cmon.
I just listened to Thunder Road and I heard, clearly, cleanly, “Mary’s dress waves”
Or did I hear “sways”?
This is turning into “is the dress blue or brown?”
Aw, heck, I’m ALWAYS gonna hear “waves,” as will any other old codgers that grew up on, and with, Bruce.
If Mary was twerking then its waves. But I don't think she was twerking. It sways.
Great case for "waves," if the choice is between literal meanings. But if we move to metaphorical meanings and semantic associations (it's poetry after all), then the case for "Mary's dress sways" becomes stronger. Metaphorical meaning: when the dress sways it is dancing (in response to the door and/or the music); it has agency. Combine that metaphorical meaning with the semantic link between "sways" and "dances" and the dress's movement becomes part of Mary's dancing rather than a result of it. (It may be overreading to suggest that the dress sways and then Mary dances and thus its swaying is actually the first step (!) in Mary's dancing. But then again maybe that's not overreading.) Anyway, add in the strong rhyme of "sways" and "plays," and the case for "sways" is pretty good. Over to the jury.
"Sways" is the PEEFECT word, and I can't believe I heard it wrong until this latest debate started a couple weeks ago.
She is SWAYING to the music, absorbed in it, completely. It's a vision, and it ties the scene together perfectly. It is a whole. It's not the wind, her suitors are gone on the wind before she reaches the porch. No, it's just her in the quiet cool before dawn, swaying to the music, likely not even noticing that screen door slamming or the yearning young man observing her. It's perfect.
As *waves," it's ok. As "sways," off the charts.
Sway me.
Um... y'all know Landau was THERE, right?
Mary's hips sway, her dress sways. Everything about the mood Bruce is setting with the tempo and tone at this part of the song says she is swaying. You know how else I know she is swaying? Because the next line tells us she is dancing to "Only the Lonely" by Roy Orbison (a favorite of the Boss), a song you definitely sway to.
Dance to the beginning of this song, you are swaying, dance later on and you can wave all you want
I have to say, I was always Team Sway, but your passionate prose (and Caryn's) make me will it to Wave...
Would love to agree with you, but in NJ you can be charged with a felony for questioning The Boss.