Jokes, allusions or references that you didn't get until years later?

I've known and loved the score to "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" since high school when it premiered, and I always thought "All About Ruprecht" was just a funny, bizarre song. It wasn't until this summer that I realized that the midsection is an allusion to Kay Thompson's "Eloise" novelty song (which is currently trending on TikTok).

What about you? What did you discover years later that made the lightbulb over your head go off retroactively?

It took me years to realize that in "In the Heights," when Usnavi says, "Like my man Cole Porter says," he's talking about the "It's too darn hot" line, in reference to Kiss Me Kate. I always thought he was talking about the next line about people coming through for a few cold waters and a lottery ticket, which I assumed was some Cole Porter joke I wasn't getting.

Updated On: 9/18/22 at 11:43 AM

In "All For the Best" from "Godspell," there's a lyric that says "You'd bet that Job had nothing on you." As a heathen kid, I just assumed it meant getting fired from a job for no good reason. I didn't learn about the biblical Job until years later. In retrospect, the "mispronunciation" should have been a clue  

darquegk said: "TotallyEffed said: "I STILL don’t understand, “I think I missed. Don’t get pissed.”"

I believe it's a "pegging with a strap-on but stuck it in the wrong hole" reference, a joke that feels somewhat crude and out of place where it is in the show."

I mean, it's a whole song about sex. If there's any moment to put that lyric in the show, that's it.

I still don’t get the Oz oil can.

"It has to be grocer, it's green"

The majority of the lyrics in spring awakening.

TotallyEffed said: "Luvinbroadway said: "I still don’t get the Oz oil can.”



The Scarecrow doesn’t have a brain, so when he hears “oil can” he thinks it’s the beginning of a longer sentence. As in, “oil CAN do this, oil CAN’T do that.” So he asks, “oil can what?”"

I think you're really reaching for that one.  The 'joke' is simply that the Tin Man is rusted solid, asks for the oil can, and the Scarecrow (being brainless) says, "Oil can what?" not understanding that oil would ease the rust.  

IronMan said: "TotallyEffed said: "Luvinbroadway said: "I still don’t get the Oz oil can.”

The Scarecrow doesn’t have a brain, so when he hears “oil can” he thinks it’s the beginning of a longer sentence. As in, “oil CAN do this, oil CAN’T do that.” So he asks, “oil can what?”"

I think you're really reaching for that one. The 'joke' is simply that the Tin Man is rusted solid, asks for the oil can, and the Scarecrow (being brainless) says, "Oil can what?" not understanding that oil would ease the rust. "

The joke is “oil can (do) what?” and it has always been that play on words.