I feel a song coming on...
Posted by ESC on January 13, 2003
In Reply to: Hard to lick honey out of a marble stone posted by ESC on January 12, 2003
: : : : What does " you cannot get blood from a stone means"
: : : That you can't force people to do things that they are incapable of doing - you can't MAKE most people run 100 metres in 10 seconds. To try to get blood out of a stone is equally fruitless.
: : It's a proverb most often used to describe the futility of collecting on a debt from someone who has no funds.
: YOU CAN'T GET BLOOD OUT OF A STONE - "The stone here is a metaphor for a person who simply does not have (or would never give up) what is being sought - usually money. Over the centuries, various objects, such as a stone, a turnip, and even a wall, have been used in versions of the saying. The earliest known rendering, which appeared in John Lydgate's 'Minor Poems' (c 1435), mentioned marble - 'Harde to likke hony (honey) out of a marbil stoon.'.Charles Dickens first rendered the saying as 'Blood cannot be obtained from a stone,' in 'David Copperfield' and then recorded the exact wording of the modern version in 'Our Mutual Friend' ." From Wise Words and Wives' Tales: The Origins, Meanings and Time-Honored Wisdom of Proverbs and Folk Sayings Olde and New; by Stuart Flexner and Doris Flexner (Avon Books, New York, 1993).
: That is a great little book, by the way. It always had more complete information than some of the other (more expensive) references.
You Can't Roller Skate In A Buffalo Herd
- Artist: Roger Miller as sung on "The Return Of Roger Miller." Words and Music by Roger Miller
Ya can't roller skate in a buffalo
herd
Ya can't roller skate in a buffalo herd
Ya can't roller skate in a
buffalo herd
But you can be happy if you've a mind to
Ya can't take a shower
in a parakeet cage
Ya can't take a shower in a parakeet cage
Ya can't take
a shower in a parakeet cage
But you can be happy if you've a mind to
All
ya gotta do is put your mind to it
Knuckle down, buckle down, do it, do it,
do it
Well, ya can't go a-swimmin' in a baseball pool
Ya can't go swimmin'
in a baseball pool
Ya can't go swimmin' in a baseball pool
But you can be
happy if you've a mind to
Ya can't change film with a kid on your back
Ya
can't change film with a kid on your back
Ya can't change film with a kid on
your back
But you can be happy if you've a mind to
Ya can't drive around
with a tiger in your car
Ya can't drive around with a tiger in your car
Ya
can't drive around with a tiger in your car
But you can be happy if you've
a mind to
All ya gotta do is put your mind to it
Knuckle down, buckle down
do it, do it, do it
Well, ya can't roller skate in a buffalo herd
Ya can't
roller skate in a buffalo herd
Ya can't roller skate in a buffalo herd
But
you can be happy if you've a mind to
Ya can't go fishin' in a watermelon patch
Ya
can't go fishin' in a watermelon patch
Ya can't go fishin' in a watermelon
patch
But you can be happy if you've a mind to
Ya can't roller skate in a
buffalo herd
SPOKEN: "Ya can't roller skate in a buffalo herd"
FADE
Ya
can't roller skate in a buffalo herd
Transcribed by Robin Hood