Rather, both band and album alike seem genuinely interested in keeping the sonic see-saw teetering, never fully touching ground at either end, preferring to straddle the constantly unsteady fulcrum in between. Yet one of the strengths of the disc is that its many eccentricities don't come off as cloying, look-at-me affectations. Witness "In the Mirror", which begins mournful but slowly evolves into something uneasier, or "Out Dragging the River", a simple slow-jam that gradually but only very subtly ups the energy of the skeletal arrangement, like clouds gently parting to reveal the sun peeking out.Ĭompared to songs such as these, the propulsive "Shiny" and the angular "Only a Moment" at first seem conspicuously conventional, but even these tracks go some strange places that save them from a more mundane fate. Of course, the Ypsilanti, Mich., group isn't a match for those aforementioned acts, at least not yet, but they do demonstrate a similar ability to make weirdness seem normal, and normal seem weird. Certainly a track like "Alone" makes the band sound like it's dined a few times at the Cookie Mountain Buffet. Surely the all-encompassing shadow of Radiohead falls on this record, but it's equally reminiscent of the hazy art-rock of TV on the Radio (with whom "Olly Oxen Free" shares producer/engineer Chris Coady). Olly Olly Oxen Free (or Ally Ally in Free): Playing Hide and Seek in Allocating Resources for Child and Youth Health. One moment it plays it safe with the relatively straight indie rock of "Point A to Point B" or the fitfully funky "Only a Moment", and then it becomes loose and abstract on "In the Mirror" or the consciously unbalanced "Downpour" (sort of indie-rock screwed and chopped). Check some of my other etymology-related blog posts here.Īlso, if you have any questions, let me know in the comments below.These tracks are striking and spooky bookends to a disc that swings both ways. Rather than research it and move on, I like to write blog posts to help people with the same curiosity. I often question the origin of words and phrases. Do you agree? Let me know in the comments below. It signals the game is over and everyone should. Could this phrase perhaps have been a German saying that English children started using? To me, this is the most likely explanation. Olly olly oxen free (and its many variants) is a catchphrase in hide and seek and other childrens games. This last one here- alle, alle, auch sind frei-is actually a German phrase that translates to English as “all, all also are free”. Some different variations of olly olly oxen free are: That’s part of the reason there are so many different ways to say and spell the phrase. The phrase was most likely passed orally from one child to another without an adult writing the phrase down. Since olly olly oxen free is a children’s saying, there really isn’t a correct spelling of the phrase. Olly Olly Oxen Free The Great Balloon Adventure 1978Junkyard owner Hepburn helps two boys fix up and fly a hot-air balloon, once piloted by McKenzies. In plain English, this would mean “all who are out can come in free”. So putting it all together, olly olly oxen free translates from childish gibberish to “all of you, all of you, out are free”. Oxen free would then mean something along the lines of “outs are free”. All ye means “all of you”.īut what does “oxen free” mean? Most likely “oxen” is a youngster’s mispronouncing of “outs in” or better yet “out are”. Think along the lines of the popular Christmas carol O Come, All Ye Faithful. Where did the phrase olly olly oxen free come from anyway? Let’s dig into this a little bit deeper and finally figure out what it really means.Īccording to some language experts, “olly” is a variation of the phonetic spelling “all ye”. But intuitively, this phrase makes little sense. Children’s sayings were hardly recorded until the 1950s, and they are very variable. Ole Ole Olsen free (more common in areas settled by Scandinavians) Ole Ole Olsen free-o. Since olly olly oxen free is a children’s saying, there really isn’t a correct spelling of the phrase. Olly olly oxen free is a phrase most commonly used in children’s games, especially when playing hide and seek, to signal that other players are safe to come out of hiding. Oly Oly oxen free, Oly Oly ocean free, Alley Alley oats in free, All-ye All-ye outs in free.
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