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Re: Lover's pillar

Posted by RRC on October 27, 2009 at 15:27

In Reply to: Lover's pillar posted by Adriane Kelly on October 27, 2009 at 14:15:

: Hello. I'm looking for the origin and meaning of the phrase "lover's pillar", used in the lyrics to Yours, Yours, Yours duet sung between John and Abigail Adams in the musical, 1776. I cannot find anything other than references to the song itself on the web. Thank you.

In my opinion, this version of the lyrics is a mondegreen. I just listened to the soundtrack on Napster and the lyric is (sung by the male character John Adams to his wife Abigail):
Do you still smell of vanilla and spring air?
And is my favorite lover's pill-uh still firm and fair?
There's no 'r' sound. The word is more likely "pillow" using the less common pronunciation in order to give a rhyme to "vanilla". It makes sense that he would ask if her "pillow" (breast) was still firm and fair (I'm hoping Abigail doesn't have a "pillar").
Lyrics sites are mostly volunteer transcriptions and they copy material from each other. If you search for "June is Bustin' Out All Over" from "Carousel", you will find several versions talking about "doubtin' tonuses" where it should say "doubtin' Thomases".