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Story behind the song
A normal school is a teachers' college, from the French ecole normale. I went to two normal schools, though not to learn to teach. The phrase has been in my head for a long time, so it just popped up when I was ad libbing on lyrics for this. As for the swimming pool, my friend Richard reminded me that he and I wrote a song in 1984 that featured a swimming pool. That, too, must have been "floating" around in my head for the last 25 years. I think the swimming pool is the one on North 10th Street (a couple blocks north of Collette Park) that I never saw (behind the ten-foot wall) but that I knew was there.
Lyrics
Mary went down to Dallas
Arriving on the fifth of June.
Mary went down to Memphis
Living in a swimming pool.
Don't wait, baby, got to living in a swimming pool.
You'd never done it when you were back at the normal school.
I don't want no lonely sidewalk
Staring at me night and day.
It's too late, baby, look away now
Damage was severe today.
Don't wait, baby, got to living in a swimming pool.
You'd never done it when you were back at the normal school.
I don't need no English sideboard
Calling 'bout me night and day.
I don't need no permanent record
Following me on my way.
Don't wait, baby, got to living in a swimming pool.
You'd never done it when you were back at the normal school.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, yeah.
Don't wait, baby, got to living in a swimming pool.
You'd never done it when you were back at the normal school.