Love Is Like A Cigarette

Speranza


1908

"Love Is Like A Cigarette" w. Glen MacDonough m. Victor Herbert.

 

--- Again, this song by Glen MacDonough and Victor Herbert may endure (my favourite verb today) a Griceian analysis. I used to collect "Life is..." pharses (Birrellisms), like, my favourite: Life is JUST a bowl of cherries or Isherwood, "Life is a cabaret".

 

In this case, love, which is the sweetest thing (to echo Ray Noble) is not said to BE ("izz", in Griceian parlance) a cigarette, but LIKE ONE (strictly, "like a"). The point by MacDonough may be subtle, or not.

Note that "Life is", or "Love is" invites a metaphor. The "like" brings the utterance back to the boring level of truth-conditionality (cfr. "Love is a cigarette"). There may be a disimplicature there.