Can someone give me an explanation of this expression ?

Was playing D. Berry's great and underrated Cotillion 45 today (and yes I wish I had it on Gator) but for the heck of me I cant understand the lyrics -please recognise that I'm not a virgin and have been around the block more than once - used to live in and am still married to a girl from the carribean coast of Colombia.

Nose wide open ?

Can someone give me a clue to what's this all about.

Can someone give me an explanation of this expression ?

Was playing D. Berry's great and underrated Cotillion 45 today (and yes I wish I had it on Gator) but for the heck of me I cant understand the lyrics -please recognise that I'm not a virgin and have been around the block more than once - used to live in and am still married to a girl from the carribean coast of Colombia.

Nose wide open ?

Can someone give me a clue to what's this all about.

It means being in a state of high alert or being suspicious of something. Hypervenitlating, flared nostrils, smelling trouble, that sort of thing. Only ever heard it used on records though. Including the RnB track You Got My Nose Wide Open, forget who it is by.

It means being in a state of high alert or being suspicious of something. Hypervenitlating, flared nostrils, smelling trouble, that sort of thing. Only ever heard it used on records though. Including the RnB track You Got My Nose Wide Open, forget who it is by.

yep thats right the record you are talking about is on crackerjack

steve T

It means being in a state of high alert or being suspicious of something. Hypervenitlating, flared nostrils, smelling trouble, that sort of thing. Only ever heard it used on records though. Including the RnB track You Got My Nose Wide Open, forget who it is by.

This is what I always thought too. I think this is mainly a black thing. It is a very common expression on many soul and R&B records but I have never encountered it elsewhere. I have been wondering about it for years, but never got round to asking anyone about it.

I can't remember hearing, or even reading about, a white person speak about his nose being wide open.

Here's one from 1978:

MELVIN, HAROLD & BLUE NOTES ABC 12327 BABY, YOU GOT MY NOSE WIDE OPEN / TRY TO LIVE A DAY

and one form 1968 (?)

TAYLOR, GENE MINIT 32073 YOU GOT MY NOSE WIDE OPEN / DON'T GO AWAY

Here's one from 1978:

MELVIN, HAROLD & BLUE NOTES ABC 12327 BABY, YOU GOT MY NOSE WIDE OPEN / TRY TO LIVE A DAY

and one form 1968 (?)

TAYLOR, GENE MINIT 32073 YOU GOT MY NOSE WIDE OPEN / DON'T GO AWAY

Most famous 'Nose Open' lyric was when the stones covered Bobby Womack / Valentinos' 'It's All Over Now' and changed Bobby's lyrics from the gritty 'she hurt my nose open, that's no lie' to the weak and watery 'She Hurt my eyes open, That's no Lie.' Always brings a smile to my face when my two sons sing along to the valentinos version in the back of the car and sing the correct 'nose open' lyric. Makes me feel I'm bringing them up right....

BTW the flip of Gene Taylor's 45 above = 'Don't Go Away' is a terrific deep track. A little gem.

You Got My Nose Wide Open?

I wondered about this for years, as it's a line in the lyrics of litterally 100s of soul records including many Northern classics..

Don't ask me which, cause I got work to do.

But now it's been mentioned, you'll notice it a lot more. Bit like when you buy a car, you find every other bugger has one the same as you.

meaning is something like "You got me excited, interested..as mentioned earlier "state Of alert" .......sexual alert in most of the songs I've heard.

You Got My Nose Wide Open?

meaning is something like "You got me excited, interested..

Exactly

Poets "wrapped around your finger" J2 "Girl you got my nose wide open, girl you got me dangling on a string" Strange expression, to say the least.

Its a sexual thing - when Horses are aroused they flare their nostrils...

A way of putting across what they meant without the censors picking them up.

yep thats right the record you are talking about is on crackerjack

steve T

CRACKERJACK!

veepman said:

Can someone give me an explanation of this expression ?

Was playing D. Berry's great and underrated Cotillion 45 today (and yes I wish I had it on Gator) but for the heck of me I cant understand the lyrics -please recognise that I'm not a virgin and have been around the block more than once - used to live in and am still married to a girl from the carribean coast of Colombia.

Nose wide open ?

Can someone give me a clue to what's this all about.

Here's an old R&B tune

Tye Tongue Hanley - You Got My Nose Wide Open

Flipside of We The People's Lion 45, Making My Daydream Real, "What You Done For Me" (The better side IMO) uses the phrase... beautifully!

Certainly not a phrase we use over here.

Anyone else think we could get it going in the UK?

As in...

"Look at that fit bird. She's got my nose wide open"

Second thoughts... Maybe not.

"Look at that fit bird. She's got my nose wide open"

Second thoughts... Maybe not.

Actually Sean I have tried that line and just got funny looks.....

Most famous 'Nose Open' lyric was when the stones covered Bobby Womack / Valentinos' 'It's All Over Now' and changed Bobby's lyrics from the gritty 'she hurt my nose open, that's no lie' to the weak and watery 'She Hurt my eyes open, That's no Lie.' Always brings a smile to my face when my two sons sing along to the valentinos version in the back of the car and sing the correct 'nose open' lyric. Makes me feel I'm bringing them up right....

BTW the flip of Gene Taylor's 45 above = 'Don't Go Away' is a terrific deep track. A little gem.

And the phrase was very famously used in the Coasters northern classic " Crazy Baby " on Atco.

Actually Sean I have tried that line and just got funny looks.....

Yeh, but didn't you say "Flies wide open" Steve?

On 17/08/2022 at 09:39, Chalky said:

A tribute to Lamont Dozier, compiled by Eddie Hubbard, I just did the mix.  The first 15 are from Eddie's set at the V Lounge, Ease Your Mind last Sunday, the rest are the ones he didn't have time to play plus the odd suggestion from Eddie that I had.

 

Lamont Dozier - Something To Fall Back On - Expansion CD (previously unissued)

Dionne Warwick - ( I’m ) Just Being Myself - UK Warner Bros (Part penned/produced by Lamont Dozier)

Zingara - Loves Calling - Wheel (Penned and Produced by Lamont Dozier)

Popcorn Wylie - How Did I Lose You - ABC LP (Part penned by Lamont Dozier)

Margie Joseph - Don’t Turn The Lights Off - Atlantic LP (Penned and Produced by Lamont Dozier on the Hear The Words, Feel The Feeling LP)

The Originals - Why’d You Lie - Motown LP (Penned and Produced by Lamont Dozier)

Aretha Franklin - No One Could Ever Love You More - Atlantic LP (Penned and Produced by Lamont Dozier )

Holland / Dozier - New Breed Kinda Woman - Invictus LP (Vocals, part Penned and Produced by Lamont Dozier )

Freda Payne - I Shall Not Be Moved - Invictus LP Contact (Part Penned / Produced by Lamont Dozier )

ZZ Hill - Two Sides To Every Story - Stateside LP (Produced by Lamont Dozier)

Lamont Dozier - All Cried Out - ABC LP (Black Bach)

Lamont Dozier - Fish Ain’t Bitin ‘ - ABC LP (Out Here On My Own)

Lamont Dozier - Can’t Get Off Until The Feeling Stops - Warner Bros.

Lamont Dozier - Going Back To My Roots - Warner Bros LP ( Long Version)

Holland / Dozier - Why Can’t We Be Lovers - Invictus LP (Lamont Dozier lead vocals)

Lamont Dozier - Take Off Your male Up - ABC (Out Here On My Own “ LP)

Lawrence Hilton Jacobs - Time Machine - ABC (Lawrence Hilton Jacobs LP)

Ben E. King - Fly Away To My Wonderland - Atlantic (Let Me Live In Your Life LP)

Lamont Dozier - You Ought To Be In Pictures - M&M Records (Lamont Lp)

Lamont Dozier - What Am I Gonna Do About You Girl - ABC (Peddlin’ Music LP)

Lamont Dozier - Cool Me Out ( Working On You LP )

Lamont Dozier - It’s The Same Old Song (Right There LP)

Lamont Dozier - You Made Me A Believer (Working On You LP)

Zingara - Haunted House - Wheel Records (Self Titled LP)

Lamont Dozier - Breaking Out All Over - ABC (Out Here On My Own LP)

Ben E. King - Wonder Woman - Atlantic (Let Me Live In Your Life LP)

Lamont Dozier - Don’t Want Nobody To Come Between Us - ABC (Out Here On My Own LP)

Lamont Dozier - Trying To Hold On To My Woman - ABC (Out Here On My Own LP)

Lamont Dozier - Break The Ice - ABC (Peddlin’ Music LP)

Margie Joseph - All Cried Out - Atlantic (Hear The Words, Feel The Feeling LP)

A great listen - thanks for posting this.

As an aside, I've come across the line "You got my nose wide open" in several other songs too (I can't even recall in the listing above - was it in "What am I gonna do about you girl"?). What is it taken to mean? Is it just along the lines of "I'm hyper alert, interested in you"?

Any ideas where it came from originally? Was it fairly current street talk or an old saying?

The phrase was used in this mid 60's 45 but I think it around  long before that. I believe it means what you think it does. The phrase also was the title of a Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes song- 

 

 

Edited August 19, 20222 yr by The Yank

11 hours ago, Seano said:

A great listen - thanks for posting this.

As an aside, I've come across the line "You got my nose wide open" in several other songs too (I can't even recall in the listing above - was it in "What am I gonna do about you girl"?). What is it taken to mean? Is it just along the lines of "I'm hyper alert, interested in you"?

Any ideas where it came from originally? Was it fairly current street talk or an old saying?

Seano,

The full title of Lamont Doziers song is "What am I gonna do about you girl (The Coke Song) so I think "You got my nose wide open" could mean something other than a sexual thing in this instance

Don’t forget Frank Dell version - He Broke Your Game Wide Open 😂🤣