Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[Iwana]

Dear teachers,

What is the meaning of "an eight by twelve four-bit room" ?
which appears in the song "King of the Road" sung by Miller Roger.


The whole lyrics are :
Trailer for sale or rent
Rooms to let... fifty cents.
No phone, no pool, no pets
I ain't got no cigarettes
Ah, but...two hours of pushin' broom
Buys an eight by twelve four-bit room
I'm a man of means by no means
King of the road.

I need your help.
Thanks in advance.

Iwana

[beancurdturtle]

"eight by twelve" is the room measurement
eight feet by twelve feet floor space

"four-bit" is the cost - meaning half a dollar.
Old Spanish gold coins could be broken into eight pieces (like a pizza), each called a "bit." So a quarter dollar is 2-bits, a half dollar is 4-bits, etc.

So he got 50 cents for sweeping a floor for 2 hours, and bought a small room to sleep in for the night.
_________________
Daniel

�Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.�
--Dr. Seuss

[Iwana]

Thank you very much, Daniel.
You are a great help.

Iwana

[CP]

Remember that the song starts out telling you that the rooms cost $.50:

Trailers for sale or rent.
Rooms to let, fifty cents.
No phone, no pool, no pets.
I ain't got no cigarettes.

I smoke old stogies I have found.
Short, but not too big around.
I'm a man of means by no means:
King of the Road!
_________________
You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb