Morse Code in the "Western Union" Song Kirt's
Cogitations™ #319
"Factoids," "Kirt's Cogitations," and
"Tech Topics Smorgasbord"
are all manifestations of my ranting on various subjects relevant (usually) to the
overall RF Cafe theme. All may be accessed on these pages:
The other day a song entitled "Western Union"
played on my local over-the-air oldies radio station. It was released by the group
The Five
Americans in 1967. I've heard it many times before, but it finally occurred
to me that the use of Morse code-like symbols in the refrain made it a perfect candidate
for a spot here on RF Cafe.
The full lyrics of "Western Union" can be found at the bottom of the page, but
notice the "Dah-Dit-Dah-Dit-Dah" repeats in the refrain. Even though I'm a licensed
(as of 2010) Ham, my shameful (according to some veterans) status as a post-Morse-code
era did not require demonstration of code proficiency. As such, my lack of a Morse
code deciphering ability required that I rely on an online
translator
for considering what the code might be. Depending on how you separate the dits and
dahs, the string of characters can be interpreted as TETET (- . - . -), TAA (- .-
.-), KA (-.- .-), NK (-. -.-), CT (-.-. -) or other combinations, none of which
seem to mean anything in particular - to me, anyway. Maybe the girl addressed in
the song has initials represented therein; the world may never know.
Telegram service, in case you don't know, was the world's first
commercial long distance, real-time messaging service. It was a combination of wired
and wireless services, and had the advantage of reaching across continents and oceans
before subsea and intercontinental cables enabled otherwise.
Western Union was the prime provider of telegram services, which
delivered its final message in 2006. Telegrams, like text messages and e-mail today,
were admissible as evidence in court since they were transmitted by independent,
third-party entities.
A video of The Five Americans appearing on
The Sump'n Else Show in 1967, hosted by Bud
Buschardt, is embedded below. From a distance, at least IMHO, the lead singer (on
the guitar) looks a bit like a younger Tom Cruise, and the keyboard player reminds
me of Peter Brady from
The Brady Bunch (before he got his whiteboy-fro).
There are of course other examples of Morse code being included in pop songs, but
none as central tot eh theme as this.
"Western Union" song by The Five Americans
Here Are the "Western Union" Lyrics:
If you do an Internet search for the lyrics, you will find that most have the
dits and dahs reversed, when they are clearly discernable when listing to the audio
- more prima facie
evidence of how often false information is repeated and perpetuated on line.
Things went wrong today, Bad news came my way, I woke up to find, A wire had
blew my mind
Western Union man, Bad news in his hand, Knocking at my door, Selling me the
score
Fifteen cents a word to read, A telegram I didn't need, Says she doesn't care
no more, Think I'll throw it on the floor
Got your cable just to day, Killed my groove, I've got to say - ay
Western Union
dah-dit-dah-dit-dah, dah-dit-dah-dit-dah
dah-dit-dah-dit-dah, dah-dit-dah-dit-dah
dah-dit-dah-dit-dah, dah-dit-dah-dit-dah
dah-dit-dah-dit-dah, dah-dit-dah-dit-dah
Now you've gone away, and, How it's sad to say you've gone
dah-dit-dah-dit-dah, dah-dit-dah-dit-dah
dah-dit-dah-dit-dah, dah-dit-dah-dit-dah
I remember what they said Now, I'm going out of my head
dah-dit-dah-dit-dah, dah-dit-dah-dit-dah
dah-dit-dah-dit-dah, dah-dit-dah-dit-dah
Telegram just had to say, You've learned your lesson all the way - ay
[short pause]
Telegram just had to say, You've learned your lesson all the way - ay
Western Union
dah-dit-dah-dit-dah, dah-dit-dah-dit-dah
dah-dit-dah-dit-dah, dah-dit-dah-dit-dah
dah-dit-dah-dit-dah, dah-dit-dah-dit-dah
dah-dit-dah-dit-dah, dah-dit-dah-dit-dah
I'll be on my way, 'cause, There's another girl for me
dah-dit-dah-dit-dah, dah-dit-dah-dit-dah
dah-dit-dah-dit-dah, dah-dit-dah-dit-dah
I'll be sure of her, and, Things will be as they were
"
A video of The Five Americans appearing on