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The Who Mailing List Digest V5 #173 -Reply



>Since there are  any number of words that rhyme with "take", and
several that rhyme  with "rape", I can only assume that Pete was being
lazy when he wrote  this line.  It is certainly not his best work.

I had to write in response. I consider the line in question one of Pete's
best: it still horrifies me to this day, and (I may be reading too much into
this) the way the vocal melody drops at the end of the couplet goes a
long way towards illustrating the feelings of rejection and emotional
desolation in "Jimmy" leading to this declaration. As for rhyming, yes, any
number of rhymes COULD be found, but they wouldn't communicate
Pete's point. "Who is she, I'll fake it," doesn't make much sense ("SHE'll
fake it" might make sense :) , but wouldn't have the same impact), nor,
conversely, does "What is it, I'll tape it/ Who is she, I'll rape it." What I've
always loved about Pete is his eagerness to discuss the worst in us, or
at least himself, and I really think that's gone a long way in helping me
address my worst instincts (and I'm not saying I'm a particularly bad guy)
and hopefully defuse them. After all, knowledge is power.