I am sorry for being so dumb, but what does the line, "Stemming gold to make ends meet" mean from Don Quixote? I never found a good definition for stemming.

Wes...

Wes,

Somebody asked this question in another thread back aways but I can't remember what the answer was. I have always felt that it was akin to eking out a living thru begging. The dictionary defines it as making progrss against the opposing force.

Rob

Kind of like "stemming the tide", Rob?

I've kind of wondered about that, too. Maybe it has something to do with "panning" for gold. You know, going down to the river to see what you can find to buy something for dinner. Okay, that's probably stupid. Sorry.

It could be a Canadian phrase, though, like they say chocolate bars instead of candy bars.

Stay loose, eh?

LAMS

------------------
"Love and maple syrup
go together like the
sticky winds of winter
when they meet....
If you go into the forest
Gaze up through the trees
The sky is white.
You can understand
What makes the forest
Greet the man
Like a mother's only
child ..."

Hi Wes,

to stem - the translation listed in my English-German dictionary is: 'aufhalten', which means 'to hold back', 'to bring to a stop'.

Here is what the online-dictionaries have to offer:

stem
quote:
1. to stop, check, or restrain.
2. to dam up; stop the flow of (a stream, river, or the like).
3. to tamp, plug, or make tight, as a hole or joint.
4. Skiing.to maneuver (a ski or skis) in executing a stem.
5. to stanch (bleeding).


stem
quote:
1. to make headway against (a tide, current, gale, etc.).
2. to make progress against (any opposition).


stem
quote:
1. (at the bow of a vessel) an upright into which the side timbers or plates are jointed.
2. the forward part of a vessel (often opposed to stern).


stem
quote:
1. to arrange the loading of (a merchant vessel) within a specified time.


In addition to that, I ran the word through the thesaurus, these are suggested alternates: stop, restrict, curtail, reduce, decrease.

The complete phrase is:
'See the drunkard in the tavern
Stemming gold to make ends meet'

So I guess it means that the drunkard has to budget his money carefully.

Then again I could be completly wrong with my interpretation http://www.corfid.com/ubb/wink.gif.

Thanx all of you for the information. Now it makes sense.

Something that has never come up on this site about GL is his education. Looking back at his life, GL's education was high school and one year at Westlake College of Music in L.A.

It simply amazes me of this man's vocabulary. How this man from this little town in Ontario has been so prolific over the years. I really wonder where this vocabulary of his came from?

It is unbelievealbe.......

"When you reach the part where the hearaches come, the hero would be me, but hero's often fail".

Wes......

Wes,
But you know, high school in Canada, I believe goes beyond the 12th grade. Like 13th or 14th. And also, the level of education in countries other than the U.S. far surpasses ours.

Stay loose, eh?

LAMS

------------------
"Love and maple syrup
go together like the
sticky winds of winter
when they meet....
If you go into the forest
Gaze up through the trees
The sky is white.
You can understand
What makes the forest
Greet the man
Like a mother's only
child ..."

Up until this year High School in Ontario went to Grade 13 if a student was going on to University. Thi is the first year that students entering the secondary stream will all graduate in grade 12. my son is in the last of the bunch that will have grade 13 (if he ever gets there!) and will graduate with the kids in grade 9 this year. A double contingent of graduates should make entry into colleges and universities quite difficult. Anyway - English is a major subject during schooling here. High school kids need 5 English credits but only 2 math to graduate! Perhaps Gord excelled in the English portion of his schooling and that's where his knowledge came from.Perhaps having a British influence on our language has something to do with it too.
Char
candy and chocolate are two different things to me!! LOL

WES,

I am also always amazed at the vocabulary. Who uses terms like flotsom and navies and the many others which I never knew existed before hearing them from the lips of Lightfoot. I always thought that he must be an avid reader and also someone who loves history. After all in Apology he claims he read the bible.

Dan

P.S. Chocolate is candy to me but candy is not necessarily chocolate!

Dan, I think we (Canadians) think of CANDY as a sugar product not containing chocolate. Thus the remaining delectable would be the gift from the heavens known as CHOCOLATE!!!
http://www.corfid.com/ubb/smile.gif http://www.corfid.com/ubb/smile.gif
yours in chocolate,
Char
LOL

Do Snow Cones Count?

Only if they're cherry snow cones

Wes,

You and your cherry snow cones, I swear....

Rob

DOCTOR Wells,

I mentioned NOTHING about CHERRY snow cones.

That was Janice.

Just finish that chicken coop....

Wes

Ah, but we Gord fans are an amusing, witty bunch, aren't we? Gotta love us....

------------------
"the mornin' after blues, from my head down to my shoes..."
-------------------------
"Laughing eyes and smiling face..."

Wes and Rob,
How about chocolate covered cherry snow cones? Oh I guess this wouldn't be candy!!!!

Dan

Dan
It's me the "Canadian" again. No that would be chocolate covered candy! LOL
http://www.corfid.com/ubb/smile.gif
Do I get a "soda" or "pop" with that?
How about "chips" or "fries"??
I'm getting hungry guys.....
http://www.corfid.com/ubb/smile.gif http://www.corfid.com/ubb/smile.gif
Char

Too much indulgence in this topic requires stemming calories to make ends of my belt meet.



------------------
"And the laughter came too easy for life to pass me by." - SDYS

To 2much2lose...

That was the funniest line on this whole site. I am still laughing. FANTASTIC!!!! HA!

By the way, on the snowcone website this Sunday, we will feature Florian writing about European snow cones.

Wes

Char,
It's me the American again. Would that be 'soda http://www.corfid.com/ubb/biggrin.gif pop', 'potatoe http://www.corfid.com/ubb/biggrin.gif (Danforth Q. spelling) http://www.corfid.com/ubb/biggrin.gif chips' and 'french http://www.corfid.com/ubb/biggrin.gif fries'... but what does that have to do with Wes' and Janice's cherry snow cones and chocolate? http://www.corfid.com/ubb/confused.gif

I'm on a diet so I can't be hungry. Can I?

Here is something I have never understood: If we all live in North America why are people who live in the U.S. American but people who live in Canada are Canadian??

Dan the United Statian. http://www.corfid.com/ubb/cool.gif

I had to edit this twice just to get the smile faces right!

[This message has been edited by Dan (edited June 02, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Dan (edited June 02, 2000).]

Re: "Stemming gold to make ends meet..."
 

I realize this addition might be 8 years too late, but I believe the line "stemming gold to make ends meet" refers to the process of removing gold from other objects likes rings, watches, silverware, etc in order to get a composite quantity of it.

I base this opinion on Dictionary.com's definition of the verb stem when used with an object:
–verb (used with object) 20.to remove the stem from (a leaf, fruit, etc)
Not an exact fit for gold, but I think it is more plausible than merely budgeting.

Re: "Stemming gold to make ends meet..."
 

A fresh voice.....very nice. I can go either way with the interpretations. Since the line is referring to a drunkard (see recent Massey Hall discussions), it makes sense either way.

I have commented numerous times about my admiration of Lightfoot's choice of words. Maybe someone will ask him about it at a future concert.

Re: "Stemming gold to make ends meet..."
 

and a few times during different songs each night as Gord sang certain words or phrases I thought of you and your admiration and amazement at his use of the English language..one was exactly this line and word..and I also thought I should ask him..but then I get within arms reach of him and all sanity and coherent thoughts (the little I have) seems to leave me..

;)

Re: "Stemming gold to make ends meet..."
 

Re: "Stemming gold to make ends meet..."
 

"Lord abide, let us stem the tide". Would somebody from this forum please just ask him ?!

Re: "Stemming gold to make ends meet..."
 

Some people have the 'GIFT'.

That's why folks like me don't write songs...I did not get the 'GIFT'.

Re: "Stemming gold to make ends meet..."
 

Hi,

I don't often post on the group, but this a question that grabbed me (since I teach English literature!) I checked the Oxford English Dictionary and there is one definition for "stem" as a verb that may apply. It can mean "To beg or panhandle on the streets."

Maybe that's it?

Thanks for many great discussions.

Louise

Re: "Stemming gold to make ends meet..."
 

Yes, I believe that's the meaning in the song.

Re: "Stemming gold to make ends meet..."
 

Great answer Louise although personally I like catmanRon's more picturesque version much more than a simple prosaic dictionary explanation
Oh dear not another corfiddler from the boondocks of Moncton,NS
Beware of Jesse Joe on your local streets. word has it he carries an axe not the stringed variety either!!

Re: "Stemming gold to make ends meet..."
 

Oh drat. You've found me out! But it's Moncton, NB (not NS). We don't like to be confused with the Nova Scotians to the south.

As for "stemming gold," I think ALL the suggested interpretations are a part of its meaning. For years, the line was fuzzy to me too .... but I always had an overall sense of the scene.

Haven't run into Jesse Joe yet. At least not as far as I know!

Louise

Re: "Stemming gold to make ends meet..."
 

Well all I can say is that the worthy burghers who opened up New Brunswick in common with the original settlers of the States must have had extremely limited imaginations, if both NB and NS have a Moncton, a fact that as a British/Canadian/United States citizen I am ashamed to admit I was hitherto unaware of
I checked to see which came first and after some determined googling I found
http://www.moncton.net/articles/307.htm

which says re Moncton NS
"It was named after Lieut-General Robert Monckton. He was born in Yorkshire, England and came to Nova Scotia as a boy"
and
"In 1855 Moncton was incorporated as a city. As the result of a clerical error the "k" was dropped off the city’s name. While it was possible to correct that, both the public and the Mayor Joseph Salter decided to leave it as is."
The Mayor might have been a predecessor of Niagara Tom??
the Moncton NB wiki at:-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moncton

says
"Moncton was founded in 1766 and was initially an agricultural settlement and was first incorporated in 1855. Moncton was named after Lt. Col. Robert Monckton.
So apart from the discrepancy over his rank it would appear to be a chicken and egg situation.
No doubt the worthy man had two families on the same basis as sailors' ports of call??
Any comments Loiuise and/or Omer??
But the name of the province was definitely stolen from the city in New Jersey (if not from Germany)
The province's name comes from the English translation for the city of Braunschweig in north Germany. the ancestral home of the Hanoverian King George III of the United Kingdom.
the colony of New Brunswick was created by Sir Thomas Carleton on
August 16 1784
The New Jersey city of New Brunswick was formed by Royal Charter on December 30,1730
In 1714, the young village was given the name New Brunswick after the city of Braunschweig. in state of Lower Saxony in Germany. Braunschweig was an influential and powerful city in the Hanseatic League, later in the Holy Toman Empire, and was an administrative seat for the Duchy (and later Principality) of Hanover. Shortly after the first settlement of New Brunswick in colonial New Jersey, George, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg, and Elector of Hanover, of the House Of Hanover (also known as the House of Brunswick), became King gGeorge I of Great Britain (1660-1727)
This all reminds me of Cape Cod where there is a city and county mistakenly called Barnstable, whereas the original in Devon UK is Barnstaple (often mispelt in the UK too). interestingly these two cities are twinned
Also Bridgewater in Somerset county New Jersey is possibly named after the original in Somerset county UK and should therefore have been spelt Bridgwater.
Here endeth today's Geography and History lessons , ladles and jellyspoons

Re: "Stemming gold to make ends meet..."
 

And once again we digress... but having fun all the same!

Re: "Stemming gold to make ends meet..."
 

I had not notice this morning that this was the Louise from Moncton. You dont post often is right. I remember your posting after the Lightfoot concert in Moncton, 05/11/2007. And did not hear from you since... :)

Has for you Sir John, I have never heard of Moncton NS. But it is pronounce Monckton here in NB. :)

Re: "Stemming gold to make ends meet..."
 

I bet we dont hear from Louise again for another year ??? :biggrin: :)

Re: "Stemming gold to make ends meet..."
 

Okay, okay .... I'll try to post more often!

I'm kind of new to the discussion group thing. But thanks for making me feel welcome!

Louise

Re: "Stemming gold to make ends meet..."
 

Only kidding Louise post only if you want too. Especially if you have Gordon Lightfoot stories to share. :)

Re: "Stemming gold to make ends meet..."
 

Lot's of good guesses and speculation, but here is the true scoop.

CUTTING CORNERS. In ancient times there was a practice of "stemming gold". In such days, coins were made of precious metals. It was a known practice for people to trim minuscule portions of gold from the edge of gold coins, collecting those pieces, melting them down and thereby increasing their profit. Eventually, coins came to have "edge ridges" so that such practice could be detected.

I hope that sets the record straight.
JagFred

Re: "Stemming gold to make ends meet..."
 

Lots of possible valid answers. None moreso than another in a general context.
In terms of the song I don't think it fits tho..

"See the drunkard in the tavern stemming gold to make ends meet"

I don't see drunks trimming gold off of coins and melting them down..I figure they were panhandling/begging to be able to afford another drink..much like they do nowadays on the streets of many cities and towns around the world..

Re: "Stemming gold to make ends meet..."
 

interesting, thanks...so this is also where the term cutting corners also came from...sounds like this came from a pretty neat website

i have a few of old ridgeless coins (inherited) and i wonder how many of them may have been stemmed....i wonder why they got rid of our multisided coins, i loved playing mini table football with them...much better for finger flicking than the round variety

Re: "Stemming gold to make ends meet..."
 

This line - stemming gold to make ends meet- means that the drunkard is taking gold coins and using a knife to shave arround the edges to remove small amounts of gold from the coin. This is the process known as stemming coins. It is the reason modern coins have a raised edge or rippled edge along them this is to prevent stemming - coins were originally copper gold or silver both silver coins and gold coins were stemmed and the resulting gold or silver shavings were sold to gold or silver smiths - this was an illegal act when coins were made of gold or silver - hence since the drunkard can see no other recourse he is comminging a crime which the penalty was death - it amounts to stealing gold from the king - in order to survive - stemming is still illegal hence the shape and profile of modern coinage. - is saying he is so poor and blows what little money he has on drink, he has to do this in order to - make ends meet - it has nothing to do with loading ships or gold panning. The whole song is about the problems of the society in question - Don Quixote- in the original novel was considered mad - but lightfoot is using his characture to paint the world itself as mad