Musta Got Lost

(Ancient Text by Ovid, translated by Rolfe Humphries) and Musta Got Lost (Contemporary Song by The J. Geils Band)

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This ancient excerpt from Ovid’s The Art of Love reminded me of the introduction to Musta Got Lost because of the brazen pursuit of love. Ovid describes that one should “be a confident soul, and spread your nets with assurance,” and through this the song describes a man who approaches the house of the girl he wants and “starts poundin on her door.” When she opens up the door, he comes in and starts pleading with her not to listen to the rumors of others because “you know her and me was at the party as friends – Do not believe what they say That’s only gossip that they tellin ya – A wise crack of lies!.” Meanwhile, Ovid continues to describe that “sooner would birds in the spring be silent, or locusts in August… than would a woman, well-wooed, refuse to succumb to a lover; She’ll make you think she means No! while she is planner her Yes!” To him, and likewise to The J. Geils Band, she is there for him if he boldly woos her, and pursues her, which he is doing by going over to her house after midnight to see her.

However, what is different is that Ovid was speaking of a new woman, where in the song Must of Got Lost, it implies that he was lost in his ways and likely did something wrong, instead of coming from a position of virtue and new pursuit. I see the main difference between these two is the position of the pursuers, but in both cases they are confidently souls.

Ancient Text Excerpt:

First: be a confident soul, and spread your nets with assurance. Women can always be caught; that’s the first rule of the game.
Sooner would birds in the spring be silent, or locusts in August, Sooner would hounds run away when the fierce rabbits pursue,
Than would a woman, well-wooed, refuse to succumb to a lover; She’ll make you think she means No! while she is planning her Yes!

Love on the sly delights men; it is equally pleasing to women. Men are poor at pretense; women can hide their desire.
It’s a convention, no more, that men play the part of pursuer. Women don’t run after us; mousetraps don’t run after mice.

Key Lyrics:

So you start walking over to her house
And you get over to her house
And you walk over to her door and
You start poundin on her door and you say
“Open up the door b*tch!?
This is wooba gooba with the green teeth, let me in!!”
Well, she opens up the door
And then you just kinda walk up to her and say
“Baby”, (say Baby!) you look up way up at her green mascara
And you say “Oh my darling,
You know her and me was at the party as friends –
Do not believe what they say
That’s only gossip that they tellin ya –
A wise crack of lies!”
You say Darling!!!
Take your big curls and squeeze them down Ratumba –
What’s the name of the chick with the long hair?
(Rapunzel!) Hey Rapunzel!
Heh heh… Hey Reputa the beautah! Reputa the Beautah!
Hey Reputa the Beautah flip me down your hair
And let me climb up to the ladder of your love!!
Because this is the wooba gooba sayin to ya
“Love comes once and when it comes
You better grab it fast ’cause sometimes the love
You grab ain’t gonn’ last and
I believe I musta,
You know I think I musta,
You know baby I think I musta,
You know I think I musta,
I musta got lost!!!!!!!

Click for full lyrics

Hold on this song has a little introduction to it
It’s ain’t supposed to be sad though you might feel it that way
It’s a song about desperation,
Every now and then we do get desperate
This is a song about L-O-V-E,
And if you abuse it you’re gonna lose it
And if you lose it you’re gonna ‘buse and
If you ‘buse it you ain’t gonna be able to choose it
‘Cause you ain’t gonna have it further on down the line
Things ain’t gonna be so fine
You’re gonna to be sitting there on your little machine
Trying to look and keep it clean and
You’re going to be home playing bingo all night all alone
And that’s why your sitting there by the telephone
And you know that she ain’t going to call you!
So you put on the TV and you’re watching Johnny Carson
Segwaying right into the Tomorrow show
But that don’t got the go so you turn it off ya turn on the radio,
The radio don’t seem to get the click so you say
“Hey Man, I can’t lickety split”
You start to open up a little book
And there’s something there you got to overlook
And you say “BABY, you know there’s somethin on my mind!
“You say “Baby there’s somethin on my mind –
I know that you’re home and I know you ain’t all alone! ”
So you start walking over to her house
And you get over to her house
And you walk over to her door and
You start poundin on her door and you say
“Open up the door b*tch!?
This is wooba gooba with the green teeth, let me in!!”
Well, she opens up the door
And then you just kinda walk up to her and say
“Baby”, (say Baby!) you look up way up at her green mascara
And you say “Oh my darling,
You know her and me was at the party as friends –
Do not believe what they say
That’s only gossip that they tellin ya –
A wise crack of lies!”
You say Darling!!!
Take your big curls and squeeze them down Ratumba –
What’s the name of the chick with the long hair?
(Rapunzel!) Hey Rapunzel!
Heh heh… Hey Reputa the beautah! Reputa the Beautah!
Hey Reputa the Beautah flip me down your hair
And let me climb up to the ladder of your love!!
Because this is the wooba gooba sayin to ya
“Love comes once and when it comes
You better grab it fast ’cause sometimes the love
You grab ain’t gonn’ last and
I believe I musta,
You know I think I musta,
You know baby I think I musta,
You know I think I musta,
I musta got lost!!!!!!!
1?2?.3?
Never thought about tomorrow
Seemed like a long time to come
How could I be so blind, baby
Not to see you were the one
I let ya slip on from me baby
I let ya walk on by,
Shoulda loved, you told me
I refused to love, I let it die
Musta got lost, musta got lost, musta got lost
Somewhere down the line
Musta got lost, musta got lost
Give away the day you were mine
Don’t know why I let you leave me
Honey I don?t know
See its hard to see lovin’ comin baby
But I have a way to see it go
Musta got lost, musta got lost, musta got lost
Somewhere down the line
Musta got lost, I got lost
Give away the day you were mine
Love can be a sweet thing
Girl I just don’t understand
Made a game outta lovin’ you
Now I hold a losin’ hand
Musta got lost, musta got lost, musta got lost
Somewhere down the line
Musta got lost, I got lost girl
Give away the day you were mine
I just don’t understand it
I just don’t understand it
I just don’t understand it
And I musta got lost, musta got lost, musta got lost
Somewhere down the line, hey
Musta got lost, baby, I got lost girl
Give away the day you were mine
Musta got lost, I got lost, musta got lost
Somewhere down the line
Musta got lost, I got lost girl
Give away the day you were mine
C?mon
Oh, I got lost, double-crossed
Your lovin, give it to me all night long
I said your love got me higher,
Than I ever been lifted before
I said your love got me higher,
Than I ever been lifted before??
Somewhere???????

Listen to the song:

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