Section of English Grammar

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Dancing at Jack Rabbit Slim's - Pulp Fiction (Chuck Berry)
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The dancing scene of Tarantino's film Pulp Fiction. The song is You Never Can Tell, sung by Chuck Berry. It`s a song from the sixties, after Chuck Berry was released from prison but songs from this period didn't have the same success than the fifties ones. In the original song there's one more verse that doesn't appears in the scene.

You can watch and listen the full song performed by Chuck Berry here:

 

It was a teenage wedding
And the old folks wished them well
You could see that Pierre
Did truly love the mademoiselle
And now the young monsieur and madam
Have rung the chapel bell

C'est la vie, say the old folks,
It goes to show you never can tell

They furnished off an apartment
With a two-room Roebuck sale
The coolerator was crammed
With tv dinners and ginger ale
And when Pierre found work,
The little money comin` worked out well
C'est la vie say the old folks
It goes to show you never can tell

They had a hi-fi phono,
Boy, did they let it blast
Seven hundred little records,
All blues, rock, rhythm, and jazz
But when the sun went down,
The rapid tempo of the music fell
C'est la vie, say the old folks,
It goes to show you never can tell

(Next verse is missing on the scene)

They bought a souped-up jitney,
It was a cherry red 53
And drove it down to New Orleans
To celebrate their anniversary
It was there where Pierre was wedded
To the lovely mademoiselle
C'est la vie say the old folks,
It goes to show you never can tell

(This one is the last verse on the scene)

They had a teenage wedding
And the old folks wished them well
You could see that Pierre
Did truly love the mademoiselle

(Here, the scene is finished)

And now the young monsieur and madam
Have rung the chapel bell
C'est la vie say the old folks,
It goes to show you never can tell

OLD FOLKS= Old people. Expression used when talking about old people in a kind way. (See pictures)

TRULY= Said to emphasize that you really mean what you are saying.  

Examples: I'm truly sorry. Please forgive me.
                Truly, I don't mind helping.

RUNG THE CHAPEL BELL= To ring a chapel bell is the action made by a girlfriend and a boyfriend when they are just married.

C'EST LA VIE= Very popular French expression: That's life.

ROEBUCK SALE= Roebuck was a catalogue sales company which was taking off betwen 1950s-60s.

COOLERATOR= Refrigerator  (See picture)

TV DINNERS= Fast food.

GINGER ALE= A carbonated soft drink.

HI FI PHONO= Vinyl disc player. Also called "turntable" (See pictures)

LITTLE RECORDS= Vinyl single records.

SOUPED UP= Enhanced or increased in appeal, power, performance or intensity. Tunning.

JITNEY= Small bus or unlicensed taxicab.

CHERRY RED=Cherry red is the colour of the car (red as a cherry) (See pictures)

Chuck Berry wrote this song while serving time in prison for driving a teenage bartender across state lines and having "immoral purposes". After Berry’s arrest, the girl was soon arrested for suspicion of prostitution. In this song, Berry plays with the ideas of teenage love and commitent, and moreover, how teenagers pretend to be adults. Pierre and his bride, despite their age, set up a very cozy, adult life for themselves. Like the teenage bartender, Pierre and his bride are desperate to grow up.

2:26            
 
 

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