"Fogarty's Cove" comes across very differently if you have electric coils

[rachelmanija]

Poll #20813

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 113

View Respondents

If someone is described as having "eyes like the top of a stove," their eyes are...

View Answers

Orange, like a flame.
20 (17.7%)

Blue, like a flame.
12 (10.6%)

Green, like a flame.
0 (0.0%)

Red, like electric coil burners.
32 (28.3%)

Black, like iron
36 (31.9%)

Silver, like steel
1 (0.9%)

White, like enamel
5 (4.4%)

Some other color related to the top of a stove
7 (6.2%)

Comments

[rachelmanija]

It's a very pretty song about a sailor's love for his wife:

My Sally's like the ravens wing
Her hair is like her mother's
With hands that make quick work of a chore
And eyes like the top of a stove
Come suppertime she'll walk the beach
Wrapped in my old duffle
With her eyes upon the masthead reach
Down in Fogarty's Cove


She will walk the sandy shore so plain
Watch the comber's roll in
'Til I come to Wild Rose Chance again
Down in Fogarty's Cove

[sholio]

Hahaha, well okay, in context that's COMPLETELY different than what I was picturing! "Warm", I guess? Glowing orange eyes is a very different mental image and suddenly I see what you mean about modern stoves making a difference. XD

[graydon]

It's a pre-electric kenning.

[muccamukk]

Knowing the era that song refers to, I'm picturing a cast iron wood stove like the folks who lived in the woods always had. Which would be black unless you were on verge of burning the house down.

[the_rck]

Looking at that context, I'm not sure the simile is meant to be visual. It may simply be warmth/heat which can go to affection, life, sexual attraction, temper, and a lot of other things.

[sholio]

Context honestly makes all the difference here.

[rachelmanija]

I always had the context, and yet every time I hear the song, I picture her with flaming demonic orange eyes.

[genarti]

Ah! Not a song I knew, either. In context, I'd take it to mean "smoldering with heat [when we look at each other]," rather than anything about color or appearance.