Pulp: Common People

As you know, there are a lot of versions of this song and they're all good, including a very good version spoken dramatically by William Shatner, but the original is still the best. It's a cute video.

There are videos that explain this song. (?) It explains itself. It's all very clear. Its origin is explained by a matured Jarvis Cocker, basically the precise lyrics of the song. 

But sadly, there is no ASL version. 

It predates the music familiar to the internet kids who upload ASL practice videos.

There is one video in British sign language, but it's within a crowd and at a distance and only a brief portion. It's crap. At Glastonbury, Britain's recurring Woodstock.

It's a fun song to sign because the attitude invites quite a lot of additional pantomime to buff the signs. You act this song as much as sign it.

However its specificity also requires a bit of fingerspelling. "Saint Martins" for example will be "st (pause) martins" spelled with typewriter-clarity in a flash and attached to "college" which is based on the sign for  "school" that depicts a teacher  clapping her hands going, "class, class," for the sign "college" the upper clapping hand forms an upward spiraling  "C." Is that cool, or what? 

Incidentally, the sign for "class" is among the system of signs in which a grouping is formed by the initial letter of the word. Two "C" hand configurations encircle an imaginary group. "F" for "family," "G" for "group," etc.

Although this is not a textbook sign, if you saw somebody use two "T" configurations to form a group then you could infer the word "tribe." 

"Common" is the two-handed "Y" hand configuration that is used for one-handed sign for "same" except making a broad circle, for "all across the land." 

One-handed "Y" back and forth means "same-o same-o" 

Two-handed "Y" all around the land means "common." 

So you can get away with a one-handed "Y" all around the land for the same effect. 

We signing types are lazy sometimes. You can expect to see this sort of slipshod signing all the time. Especially if your interlocutor is holding a drink or smoking a cigarette or holding their dog on a leash or just lazy. 

"Thirst" is an index finger tracing down the throat.

"Knowledge" is "know" repeated, sometimes with two hands. 

"Caught her eye" is not like it's shown in the music video, rather, it's "look" with the other hand doing the same thing backwards toward the original "look." So then, two "looks" looking at each other. It's a very cool improvisational but still genuine sign. The thing done in the music video is stupid by comparison, he points to his own eye then forms an "O" around his eye. Cute, but stupid. 

"Rum and Coca-Cola, "rum coke" is spelled.

Cuba libre is my drink. My friends know that. So I can say "RC" when asked what I want. If they care they might ask "twist?" By pantomiming twisting a sliver of lime. 

But interpreting this song for others then to be clear it must be spelled.

If exact clarity isn't important then "liquor" + "soda pop" are both excellent signs that are never conflated with anything else. "Liquor" is showing a measure, a shot of a drink. "Soda pop" is a stopper being put into a bottle then popped firmly on with slap. They're both very cool signs that go well with this song. 

But the song is specific. 

"Liquor" is extended pinkie finger and index finger showing the size of a shot glass. One slapping on top of another, for two shots. It's also shown as one of those configurations slapped on the palm of the hand. Or if a whole series of shots, then that measurement-configuration slapped sequentially up the opposite arm as in Sia's Chandelier, for example. Or you can also toss one back as drinking it in one slam. For Chandelier, then, a series of tossing them back two handed one after another, two very cool exceedingly graphic signs for the same thing.

"Liquor is also shown as drinking a shot as a curved "3" hand configuration.

"Liquor is also shown as drinking a shot with a "Y" hand configuration.

So then, what is best for showing this song? Fingerspelling "rum coke," or showing the two very cool exceedingly clear signs for "liquor," and "soda pop?" The signs are too good to give up and fingerspelling is such a flat dud. 

"Supermarket" is shown the two signs "eat" and "store." 

But I'd change that to "push a shopping cart" and "store" because the two signs blend better so well.

"Pretend" is like a cross between "false" and "cute" and with a cute facial expression. You can also use "act." 

"Smoke some fags" is pantomimed smoking a cigarette, a "V" configuration pulled away from the mouth, the head turned to blow invisible smoke.

"Cockroach" or "bug." 

"Poor" is one hand pulling at the threads of tattered shirt elbow. 

"Tear your insides out" is pantomimed ripping your guts out.

"Hate" is an excellent and distinct sign, the middle fingers flicked at the despised thing. 

There was only one time I used the sign "hate" and the hard of hearing person said, "what?" I spelled "h-a-t-e" and she went, "oh yeah, that." 

"Tourist" is "lookie Lou circling around", it's a bent "V" representing a person looking around in a broad circle.

"Hate" and "tourist" together is clear as a ringing bell. They're both extremely graphic.

"Especially" or "special" is one hand picking up a finger from the other hand. Another very clear sign.

"Chip" refers to French fries, that's signed as "F F." 

"Stain" is "dirty" + "spot (on the arm). 

"Grease" is shown as drips from the opposite karate chop hand. 

"Come out in the bath" is shown "scrub" a pantomime sign + "clean" wipe the slate. Two signs that go together naturally as one sign. 

So then, "F F dirty spot grease scrub clean." 

"Meaning" or "mean" is "V" touched to the opposite palm like a person standing on a wall, then flicked as if turning around. 

"Control" is holding the reins of a carriage horse 

"Exist" is "live" or "here" or "happen."

This is a straight up wonderful song to sign so filled with excellent phrases and keen psychological and economic social insight and amazingly graphic signs. Such acute perception and sharp resentment and ridicule that is rare in popular music. It allows the opportunity for your body to express tonality of the textbook signs. It can be acted out very nicely without being silly or melodramatic. It's loaded with layered subtleties that expose a very great deal of depth. And above all that it is fun.