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Tomáš Molčan Posted 12 years ago
Grammar
R.E.M. lyrics
The line "i think i thought i saw you try" in Losing My Religion by R.E.M. always struck me as very interesting. Is it grammatically correct? I don't think I understand completely what it means since "I think I thought... " isn't something I would ever expect anyone to utter, it does not make much sense to me. Can anyone shed any light into this? Thanks!
Top answer
I think I thought I saw you try Yes, it is grammatical but somewhat cryptic. Here's my interpretation: At the moment of speaking (now), the speaker is not sure whether he thought that (in the past). Song lyrics are like poetry.
- I think I thought I saw you try Yes, it is grammatical but somewhat cryptic.
- Here's my interpretation: At the moment of speaking (now), the speaker is not sure whether he thought that (in the past).
- Song lyrics are like poetry.
- One shouldn't always expect them to make perfect sense.
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3 Answers
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I think I thought I saw you try
Yes, it is grammatical but somewhat cryptic. Here's my interpretation:
At the moment of speaking (now), the speaker is not sure whether he thought that (in the past).
Song lyrics are like poetry. One shouldn't always expect them to make perfect sense.
Yes, it is grammatical but somewhat cryptic. Here's my interpretation:
At the moment of speaking (now), the speaker is not sure whether he thought that (in the past).
Song lyrics are like poetry. One shouldn't always expect them to make perfect sense.
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Ye the whole line is kind of weird because even "I think I saw you try" isn't a phrase that used a lot, is it?
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Tomáš MolcanYe the whole line is kind of weird because even "I think I saw you try" isn't a phrase that used a lot, is it?Probably not used "a lot", no, but there is nothing wrong with it.
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