Hey there !


Merry and I were having a conversation about misheard lyrics when it became apparent that at least *one* of us was wrong about "Smoke On The Water" by Deep Purple.

The lyrics in question :

Frank Zappa and the mothers
Were at the best place around
But some stupid with a _____ gun
Burned the place to the ground

Now.  One of us says "Flame" and the other says "Flare".  I will not say who is who.

I have also attached a sound clip of that part of the song, in case you are not sure or would like to hear it for yourself :


Click here to hear Smoke On The Water


Please vote and tell us what you think is the answer - thanks :)

Sounds like 'flare' to me...

Incidentally, there's a Jewish version of this song...'Shmuck On The Water'...

Flare gun.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flare_gun

A flare gun, commonly found in any boat's survival kit, is a dumb drunk guy's always-available fireworks display.  If you've got a bar on the edge of a lake, and you've got a guy outside with a flare gun who's too drunk to aim it over the water, you've got everything you need for a Deep Purple song.

This question intrigued me enough to dig around, & on the website thehighwaystar.com   the story behind Smoke On The Water is given by a couple of different people that were there. I'm thinking it was a Roman Candle because it shoots off little flares fairly high & could have been mistaken for a flare gun.  Very accurate sounding accounts here.     
I had the article here, but it was too long, so here's the link
http://www.thehighwaystar.com/FAQ/trivia.html#sotw

Thank you all  :)

flare.  I am firm in my decision.

"But some stupid with a FLARE gun
burned the place to the gorund."

When originally released in the UK 'Machine Head' had a lyric sheet with it, and it is most definitely FLARE.