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Shake, Rattle and Roll: Santo and Johnny (196?)
Meaning ruins everything.
Take today, for instance. I was in a camera shop and heard the song “Shake, Rattle and Roll” on the radio. I guess I didn’t even notice it until I was back in the car. I had that line, “I’m like a one-eyed cat peeping in a seafood store” endlessly repeating in my head. How absurd, I thought. A one-eyed cat. Peeping in a seafood store. And I’m like that cat. Strange!
I said it aloud and my wife looked at me like I was insane. She, too, had heard the song a million times and never once thought about the weirdness of that sentence. I used it throughout the day. If I was accused of being cranky, I’d say, “Yeah, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m like a one-eyed cat peeping in a seafood store.” If the dog was doing something funny, I’d say, “Look at him; he’s like a one-eyed cat peeping in a seafood store.” If I needed a metaphor for national healthcare, I’d say, “It’s complicated… like a one-eyed cat peeping in a seafood store.”
I vowed to use the sentence whenever possible. I saw myself saying it to the mayor as he handed over a key to the city. Sir, to be bestowed this honor is privilege beyond words. I feel like a one-eyed cat peeping in a seafood store.
But then I Googled it. And I’ll say only this: it’s a double entendre. Yuck!
