Talk:Sister Golden Hair

Living in sin
"living in sin" should not redirect to "cohabitation". Bias much? Whotookthatguy (talk) 03:26, 20 January 2008 (UTC)

"...was criticized in conservative circles as a plea for common law marriage and living in sin. This may also have been why the song was so popular with the younger generation." this is freakin' awesome! :D


 * That's the meaning of the term. It would be biased not to include a notable expression in an encyclopedia. Derogatory terms of all kinds have appropriate redirects.


 * Now, if "Living In Sin" were the main article and cohabitation was the redirect, then that WOULD be biased. 131.96.47.18 (talk) 16:41, 11 April 2018 (UTC)


 * This was removed roughly 8 years ago. - Sum mer PhD v2.0 20:22, 11 April 2018 (UTC)

Song interpretation
EDIT: I went ahead and changed the article. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.200.99.134 (talk) 19:27, 29 November 2009 (UTC)

I think the interpretation given in the first section is just one opinion. I think if you consider Sister Golden Hair to be a nun, the lyrics make more sense. Here's how I would interpret it.

Well I tried to make it Sunday, but I got so damn depressed

That I set my sights on Monday and I got myself undressed

The guy is wishing it is Sunday, when he will go to church and see Sister Golden Hair. However, thinking about it makes him depressed, because he could never actually be with the nun, so he tries to look past it and then goes to bed.

I can't see what these lines would mean if the girl was his girlfriend and not a nun.

I ain't ready for the altar, but I do agree there's times

When a woman sure can be a friend of mine.

The guy admits there are times when a woman can be just a friend, however, he's not willing to become a priest and live without intimacy.

If the girl is his girlfriend, it could be saying that he's not ready for marriage, but he admits a woman could be a lifelong friend.

Well, I keep on thinkin' 'bout you Sister Golden Hair surprise

And I just can't live without you; can't you see it in my eyes?

The guy is in love with the girl; he thinks about her all the time and feels he can't live without her. He calls her Sister Golden Hair surprise because she is a nun, with golden hair. The surprise is because you don't normally see a nun's hair. Some hair must have been showing from underneath her hat.

I can't see why he would call her Sister Golden Hair surprise if she were his girlfriend.

I've been one poor correspondent, and I've been too, too hard to find

But that doesn't mean you ain't been on my mind

He's been avoiding her somewhat because he's in love with her, but can't have a relationship. However, he's still thinking about her.

Will you meet me in the middle, Will you meet me in the air?

Will you love me just a little, just enough to show you care?

Well I tried to fake it, I don't mind sayin', I just can't make it

He would like to marry her. She has to live without intimacy. He asks her to meet him halfway, by just showing enough affection to let him know she cares. He tried to fake not being in love, but he feels he can't continue to do so.

If the girl were his girlfriend who wants to marry him, then he'd essentially be asking her to love him less. He'd be saying he tried to fake being in love. This doesn't seem consistent with earlier verses where he claims he can't stop thinking about her and can't live without her. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.200.99.134 (talk) 21:15, 24 November 2009 (UTC)

Song Interpretation
You can't make a change like that based on your feeling about what the song means. Something that radical would require a sourced confirmation from the lyricist that your meaning is the correct interpretation. Therefore, I have undone your changes. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.132.2.53 (talk) 17:34, 19 December 2009 (UTC)


 * The interpretation in which Sister Golden Hair is the singer's girlfriend doesn't fit with the lyrics. Why did he try to make it Sunday? Why set his sights on Monday? What does "Sister Golden Hair surprise" mean? Why would he describe himself as a correspondent? I provided a logical, line-by-line interpretation of the lyrics. I don't think it has anything to do with my personal feelings about what the song means. Can you provide an equally fitting explanation in which Sister Golden Hair is a girlfriend, or can you provide a reliable source? I think people hear the phrase, "I ain't ready for the altar", and assume it's about commitment issues because that's a common theme and many people can relate to it. However, that only works when the phrase is taken out of context. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.200.99.134 (talk) 03:44, 2 January 2010 (UTC)


 * There doesn't seem to be any basis for either interpretation. I tagged the sentence as needing a citation -- if none is provided soonish it should be removed. -- ArglebargleIV (talk) 04:20, 2 January 2010 (UTC)


 * The ultimate source for an interpretation should be the lyrics themselves. The validity of an interpretation should be based on how well it fits with the lyrics. Sometimes multiple interpretations are reasonable. I think the interpretation with the nun fits well. I explained the meaning of each line, and I don't think I had to make any stretches in logic. However, if people feel none of the proposed interpretations are convincing, perhaps that section should be removed altogether. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.200.99.134 (talk) 22:23, 9 January 2010 (UTC)


 * Actually, for a Wikipedia article, the source for an interpretation of the lyrics needs to be an interpretation presented in a reliable source and not original research by an article editor. It doesn't matter how convincing either of the proposed interpretations are -- if they're not from a reliable secondary source, they shouldn't be here. (Personally, I think that any explanation of these lyrics that doesn't take into account the songwriter's probable consumption of illegal substances is missing something, but unless that is from a good source, I'm not putting my speculation in.) -- ArglebargleIV (talk) 01:27, 10 January 2010 (UTC)

The song is obvious. the man left her at the alter on sunday, and got undressed and looked forward to monday. he has not been answering calls. hence he is a bad correspondent. But he likes the idea of the "lets remain friends" idea. The fact that no one ever wants to address the word "surprise" in the term "sister golden hair".. I will. The 60s and 70s, there was a thing of hair color change. But a woman's Real hair color was found in her pubic hair. she was a blond below, but not above. Hence the name golden hair Surprise. Keep in mind the feel of that period. the overt sexual behaviors that today, everyone would call abuse, harassment, and a host of other legal laws to thwart men and women from interacting. Back then, talking like that was seen in many lyrics. Double meanings. Today, the singer would just show a lack of artistry and openly "get to the point" with no fear of sensors.

those making comments about "conservatives showing outrage" and painting the usa as "left or right" while tying that to church, or sexual behaviors? keep that lie to yourself. The truth is, there are religiously disciplined in all walks of life, not just "conservatives." And being a democrat doesnt imply that youre open to anything and everything sexually either. Only tv makes the claim that we are basing moral values upon political sides. But the truth seen in behaviors never has proven to be true.

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Incomprehensible claim
This addition by a now gone IP last month, made absolutely no sense:


 * "With just 4 weeks in the top 10, the song would tie for the most weeks in the top 10 of all number-one songs since it reached number one, tying with Get Down Tonight and not another number one song until nearly 25 years later, and not one number one song had spent fewer weeks in the top 10 until another 4 years later."

An attempted correction by (changing "most" to "fewest") didn't really help.

While I think I might understand what the first half was trying to say, I cannot be sure and it hardly seems to be worth mentioning. The second half is impenetrable word salad.

Were this to have cited a reliable source for whatever the claim is, I might have A) been convinced it was worth mentioning and B) tried to reword it for clarity. Failing that, it's gone. - Sum mer PhD v2.0 17:17, 14 October 2019 (UTC)