Men, Score the Joel Lyrics

A poll: Score your current [or last] significant other/wife. Think of it as a check mark for each that fits, obviously that can be more than one

Note I had to pick a limit of 10 from the song.

This is pretty cute, for a thread topic. I'll abstain but be interested to see results.

The thing that irritates me most about
women is that they're schemers. They
can't just ask you something, like men
do. They have to plan and plot and
scheme about it first.

I was first aware of it when my sister
was a kid. If she wanted something
she would never just ask. She would
dance around it and drive us nuts. To
this day I avoid her because she's like
that, haven't seen her since Elvis died.

Just last month a woman I used to be
interested in 30 years ago found me on
FB and started being real nice. My
first thought was, what does she want
from me. Sure enough, after 10 days of
buttering me up, she knows I have cats
and she wanted me to take some stray
cat that was feral off her hands. When
I said no she got mean and snarky.
Oh, I said, there's the real you.. Haven't
heard from her since.

Quote: Billy Joel

She's frequently kind and she's suddenly cruel
She can do as she pleases, she's nobody's fool
And she can't be convicted, she's earned her degree
And the most she will do is throw shadows at you
But she's always a woman to me

What do you think is meant by that third line? I personally don't think it means a literal degree, like the kind you get in college. I think it more like a degree in street smarts, that she can talk her way out of anything and always has an alibi or excuse for the damage she does. But then why the word "degree." I've never seen it used in a slang/poetic context like this. Any other thoughts?

Quote: Wizard

What do you think is meant by that third line? I personally don't think it means a literal degree, like the kind you get in college. I think it more like a degree in street smarts, that she can talk her way out of anything and always has an alibi or excuse for the damage she does. But then why the word "degree." I've never seen it used in a slang/poetic context like this. Any other thoughts?

You are probably right, although for the quiz I think we all are taking it literally. He could have meant it literally too.

I know the line "all she will do ... throw shadows at you" has been discussed on the internet [haven't looked "degree" up as discussion]. I go for the idea it means she will try to 'show off her silhouette', be sexy, but has no intention of doing more.

Quote: odiousgambit

I know the line "all she will do ... throw shadows at you"

It means she'll never be real with
you, never give you what you want to
hear, never tell you what she's really
thinking. What happened with me is,
somewhere along the line I quit trying
to figure out what women are saying
or what they want, I have better things
to do.

Some men are smart and do this at an
early age and it drives women nuts. Those
men are often very appealing to them
because they truly don't care what she
wants and the women can't make them
care, and they waste a lot of time trying
to change the guy.

Since he has me blocked I feel like it won't do any harm to say that I really feel sad for Evenbob.

Quote: FrGamble

Since he has me blocked I feel like it won't do any harm to say that I really feel sad for Evenbob.

Perhaps you should lead us in a prayer for him.

These two lines go together:

"She can do as she pleases, she's nobody's fool
And she can't be convicted, she's earned her degree"

Smart women learn as they go how
far they can push it with men, what
they can get away with and not be
blamed outright. A good friend of
mine used to say his wife would give
him a little something, and then take
it away tenfold by gutting him with
what felt like a rusty screwdriver. And
somehow make it all look like it was
his fault.

He died at 40 of cancer, a great loss.
I think the stress he was under in his
marriage had a lot to do with it. He
was Catholic and didn't believe in
divorce, so he just stayed and took
the abuse. Organized religion lets
somebody down again, typical.

Quote: Evenbob

...He died at 40 of cancer, a great loss.
I think the stress he was under in his
marriage had a lot to do with it.

I've mentioned my I.V. partner, who was a psychologist for 50 years. He worked at a teaching hospital, and 15 years at a burn ward, and at a prison. He was convinced that everyone he met that had come down with cancer, had recently been through a major stress event in their life. He had researched his theory quite a bit.