"Up on Cripple Creek" Question about this famous lyrics
Up on Cripple Creek she sends me
If I spring a leak she mends me
I don't have to speak she defends me
A drunkard's dream if I ever did see one
What does "if I ever did see one" mean?
① Even if I did see a drunkard's dream, she defends me
② If I did see such girl, she must be a drunkard's dream
Search from various English teachers...
Answers · 7
2
Norman explained it very well.
Some other examples:
that's a lie if I've ever heard one= that is clearly a lie. It clearly seems like a lie to me. If I am at all able to distinguish truth from lies, that sentence is a lie. If any sentence that I have identified in the past as a lie was correctly identified as a lie, then this one is also a lie.
He's a smart man if I've ever seen one= he is smarter than any other man I've ever seen. If any of the people that I've called smart in the past are actually smart, then he must also be smart.
1
The expression "if I ever did see one" emphasizes what comes before.
In this case, "If I ever saw a dream to comfort and protect this drunkard (that I am) she is that dream, that superlative perfection who will stand up for her man no matter what state of intoxication he is in.
1
I believe it is more like your #2. However, it is more like she is a dream come true for a "drunkard" because she protects him
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