Uniforms

[Nonfatman]

It's high time we return to our Look Into The Song sub-board, and Uniforms is one I would like to discuss.

This is an under-rated Tull song that I really like a lot. Why does everyone seem to hate this song? It's got strong vocals by Ian, complex drumming by Mark Craney and exciting and ominous violin solos from Eddie Jobson. I love the flute/violin duel and the spoken exhortation that Ian calls out to Eddie right before his violin solo kicks in near the end, "Go, Eddie, Go".

But I don't get the lyrics to the last stanza:

White battle dress on green pitch, proud eleven
Beneath the swelling box so neat
the teeming millions of the future fly ---
the spinning cricket ball to cheat
They're all uniform

Can anyone explain what he's talking about here? What does he mean by "proud eleven" and "the swelling box"?

And why do the teeming millions of the future have to fly, just to cheat the spinning cricket ball?

Jeff

[TM]

"White battle dress on green pitch, proud eleven" -

I'm assuming this relates to the 11 members on a cricket team?

That's about all I got.

[Deleted]

White battle dress on green pitch, proud eleven
The fielding cricket team go out with eleven, the batting team go out with two, while the rest stay in the pavillion eating sandwiches and drinking tea until it's their turn to bat.
Beneath the swelling box so neat
The 'box' is a protective shield that covers one's principle purpose, and slots inside a 'jock strap'. The 'box' part is now made of hard plastic and covers the 'tender parts', it is essentially a protective cod-piece worn under the trousers. The jock strap is basically a male garment capable of holding the 'box' securely in place around one's goolies, it does have the look of a piece of bondage equipment to the uninitiated
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jock_strap
the teeming millions of the future fly ---
Another of Ian's sperm references, the box, protects the little sweatshops producing those teeming millions of the future
the spinning cricket ball to cheat
If you've ever been hit in the goolies by a cricket ball or any other speedily propelled object, such as a football or hockey ball, and you weren't wearing a box, you know why it needs to be cheated.
They're all uniform
Goes without saying - One size fits all ;D!

[TM]

Jul 27, 2010 4:18:59 GMT -5 @quizzkid said:

White battle dress on green pitch, proud eleven
The fielding cricket team go out with eleven, the batting team go out with two, while the rest stay in the pavillion eating sandwiches and drinking tea until it's their turn to bat.
Beneath the swelling box so neat
The 'box' is a protective shield that covers one's principle purpose, and slots inside a 'jock strap'. The 'box' part is now made of hard plastic and covers the 'tender parts', it is essentially a protective cod-piece worn under the trousers. The jock strap is basically a male garment capable of holding the 'box' securely in place around one's goolies, it does have the look of a piece of bondage equipment to the uninitiated
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jock_strap
the teeming millions of the future fly ---
Another of Ian's sperm references, the box, protects the little sweatshops producing those teeming millions of the future
the spinning cricket ball to cheat
If you've ever been hit in the goolies by a cricket ball or any other speedily propelled object, such as a football or hockey ball, and you weren't wearing a box, you know why it needs to be cheated.
They're all uniform
Goes without saying - One size fits all ;D!

That is simply amazing Quizz. Would have never guessed that.

Here in the states we call it a cup.

[Nonfatman]

Jul 27, 2010 4:18:59 GMT -5 @quizzkid said:

White battle dress on green pitch, proud eleven
The fielding cricket team go out with eleven, the batting team go out with two, while the rest stay in the pavillion eating sandwiches and drinking tea until it's their turn to bat.
Beneath the swelling box so neat
The 'box' is a protective shield that covers one's principle purpose, and slots inside a 'jock strap'. The 'box' part is now made of hard plastic and covers the 'tender parts', it is essentially a protective cod-piece worn under the trousers. The jock strap is basically a male garment capable of holding the 'box' securely in place around one's goolies, it does have the look of a piece of bondage equipment to the uninitiated
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jock_strap
the teeming millions of the future fly ---
Another of Ian's sperm references, the box, protects the little sweatshops producing those teeming millions of the future
the spinning cricket ball to cheat
If you've ever been hit in the goolies by a cricket ball or any other speedily propelled object, such as a football or hockey ball, and you weren't wearing a box, you know why it needs to be cheated.
They're all uniform
Goes without saying - One size fits all ;D!

Thanks, that was great, Pat! I knew there was something more going on there than meets the eye, but I never imagined all these years that it had anything to do with athletic supporters, testicles and sperm!

You've really got to submit that to Jan, because he doesn't have an annotation for that, and it has got to be one of the most baffling stanzas in all of Tull.

Jeff

[Nonfatman]

Jul 27, 2010 4:18:59 GMT -5 @quizzkid said:

White battle dress on green pitch, proud eleven
The fielding cricket team go out with eleven, the batting team go out with two, while the rest stay in the pavillion eating sandwiches and drinking tea until it's their turn to bat.
Beneath the swelling box so neat
The 'box' is a protective shield that covers one's principle purpose, and slots inside a 'jock strap'. The 'box' part is now made of hard plastic and covers the 'tender parts', it is essentially a protective cod-piece worn under the trousers. The jock strap is basically a male garment capable of holding the 'box' securely in place around one's goolies, it does have the look of a piece of bondage equipment to the uninitiated
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jock_strap
the teeming millions of the future fly ---
Another of Ian's sperm references, the box, protects the little sweatshops producing those teeming millions of the future
the spinning cricket ball to cheat
If you've ever been hit in the goolies by a cricket ball or any other speedily propelled object, such as a football or hockey ball, and you weren't wearing a box, you know why it needs to be cheated.
They're all uniform
Goes without saying - One size fits all ;D!

You are unquestionably correct, Pat, but I was still troubled by the term "swelling box" because I had never heard of that term before, and certainly have never heard of a jock strap or athletic supporter being called a "swelling box."

So I did a little research, and as is so often the case with Tull lyrics, there is more going on than meets the eye. The use of the phrase is undoubtedly intended to mean athletic supporter or cup, as you say, however Ian is making a subtle and very funny pun!

You see, in music, a "swell box" is a set of pipes on an organ housed in a box (swell box) fitted with a shutter operated by a pedal, which can be opened or closed to control the volume. It is called a swell box because it permits the crescendo, or a swelling of sound, just as an athletic cup would permit swelling of another kind.

So the swelling box on an organ is a pipe or set of pipes housed in a box, just as the swelling box (i.e., athletic cup) underneath a male cricket player's uniform also houses a "pipe" or "organ"!

Only Ian could be clever enough to make that sort of pun.

We've got to send this off to Jan! (Update: I just did.)

Jeff

encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861717508/swell_box.html