Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for February 07, 2016

We’ll pun till we drop, baby we’ll never go back

Pun faster, Stephan. You’re beginning to sink.

Sing along with Sherlock: “Pun in the USA…”

Works for me…

I’m on fire!

On a serious note, does their work in nuclear reaction explain why the Hot ’n Juicy is still bubbling 20 years after you buy it?

I gather this is a takeoff to the lyrics of some song?

Two Wendy’s near me closed down a year or two ago. Burgers were not as good there as they used to be. One Wendy’s became Burger House. The other is still vacant. I much prefer Debbie’s tacos.

I have discovered a new level of pain:1. Pain2. Excruciating pain3. Stepping on a Lego®4. Reading a Stephan Pastis pun;-)

@ blunebottle, Carl R: Yes, it’s song lyrics … “Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen: “Wendy, let me in, I wanna be your friend, I wanna guard your dreams and visions.”

Carl R, Blunebottle….and whoever else…..

“Wendy let me in I wanna be your friend I want to guard your dreams and visions Just wrap your legs ‘round these velvet rims And strap your hands ’cross my engines Together we could break this trap We’ll run till we drop, baby we’ll never go back "

“BORN TO RUN”Bruce Springsteen

For full lyrics ….Click here

Goat: Ya know, there’s nothing like a good pun. Rat: Yes, and truly that was nothing like a good pun.

Writers block has to be pretty bad when you go digging up lyrics written before the majority of your demographic was born.

Ooops, too late….

@opuscroakus70 and Susan Sunshine

Thank you enormously for that. I’m hear going through Born in the USA, Dancin’ in the Dark, My Hometown, and I’m on Fire and trying to think of other Springsteen songs I knew lyrics to without getting it. Had pretty much ruled out Streets of Philadelphia and Secret Garden as being unlikely. Never really listened to Born to Run so I never even thought of trying to look that one up.

Thank-you Stephan for bringing back my youth for a moment. That song came out around when I graduated from high school in 1975……………….

Ladies and gentlemen,

The Boss

punch him in the face, Rat

Two thirds of a pun:PU!

Your driveway’s jammed with broken heroes on a late night power drive.There was a Wendy’s that got their digital payment system hacked and they had to go to cash only for a while because people were getting their credit and debit cards used by hackers.

Steph, I think this is genius!, but shouldn’t you have had him say, “I want to be your Fred” to maintain the pun line?

Pastis, I want my 30 seconds back. (Okay, so I’m a slow reader).

Puny is as puny does – keep up the good work Pastis

He puns like a Boss.

One of my favorite puns. I’m 32, and I love this song.Not my video, but I was there: https://youtu.be/6B_VhdK084o?t=2h9m42s“Cartoonists like us, baby we was born to pun.”

Should it be Fred instead of friend?

Yeah, I think he meant to write Fred for friend. Oh, the irony.

Explain please

Wow. Nearly “Barney and Clyde” level of esoteric. Well done.

This one didn’t make me laugh, since I’m not a Bruce Springsteen fan.

Here’s Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band to explain:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxuThNgl3YA

Must have heard this song a hundred times. At least. I grew up in the era when it was played on the radio all the time. I never knew the words, and really didn’t care, either. This pun went straight over my head and I had to read the comments to get it.

Groan.

I liked “Born To Run” (and “Free Bird”, “Stairway To Heaven” and Pastis’s puns) the first couple thousand times but they are all starting to wear thin from incessant repetition. His overuse of puns makes me think that maybe it’s time for him to choose the route that Patterson and Breathed traveled down.

I think Stephan blew his own pun here. Pig’s line should be: “Wendy’s, let me in. I want to be your Fred. I want to guard your reams and fissions.”

Why mention Fred twice in the first panels if he’s not part of the pun?

I’ll read what I want to read and say what I want to say about what I’ve read. I like about 80% of his strips. I can’t unread the clunkers. You sound like people who scream, “America. Love it or leave it!” There’s always room for improvement.

@Proginoskes — THANKS. Your explanation was exactly what we needed to understand this.

Stephan should be dropped off somewhere in the swamps in Jersey

I think I’ve finally been offended.

Oh Stephen, look at what you’ve done.

Just wrap your legs ’round these velvet rims

they are never funny…do not understand why he is such a big deal.

Somewhere, A certain Mr. Springsteen is on a phone, talking to a Jersey hit man…

I hope he sues

Well that was a painfully long set up just to to do a pun on a Bruce Springsteen song.

wow, that is so over my head, guess I better go listen to some Springsteen

oh crap, I just figured it out. ew.

Lol!! I actually like the silly puns.

I’m a HUGE fan. I’m 68…BUT this one? Out to lunch OR “lose my lunch”. Anyway…Pastis YOU clean it up.

You know, Stephan, punning may be hazardous to your health some day. Four of five doctors say so, too.

Very funny – one of those where I had no idea what the pun was going to be. Very clever there, Cartoon Boy!

Thanx 2 Proginoskes for the enlightenment! I was really in the dark on this one!

Didn’t he mean “Fred” instead of “friend” in the 2nd to last panel? The song says “friend,” but the 2nd panel says, “Fred.”

Rat would make a very good security guard if he was at least 3 or 4 times bigger.

xxx

Thank you, Proginoskes. I don’t know that I’ve ever heard the song. I had decided that “dreams and visions” was meant, but it meant nothing to me.

Apparently the Rochester, NY, Democrat & Chronicle thought this one was so dumb that in today’s paper they substituted Off The Mark (which they have never printed before) instead.

Forced me to Google “Born to Run” lyrics. glaring like Rat at Mr. Pastis

you can’t “boss” pastis around. just keep on punning dude

… when you say “Baby, I was born to pun” … do you mean?

P urposelyU tilizingN onsense

or

P ut meU nderN ovocaine

either way … runs

… cause ‘Baby I was born to run … from puns!’ :P

Seems a shame to construct such esoteric puns just to have them rendered ineffective because the proofreader doesn’t have a brain !!!!?!!!!!

What is up with these atrocious puns, which always end up in some sort of self-referential way?! These are just the worst. I normally like and admire the work by S.P., but I wish he would realize that he should just give this up. Please—lets have more of the Crocs, more of Guard Duck, more of Rat, etc. Please stop with the LAME puns.

Love the puns!!

I always figured Pig had a “Hungry Heart”….

Too esoteric; a good pun should be understandable immediately.

If it has to be explained (and I didn’t get it either) then the joke is no good. Let’s go back to the crocs and zeebas before it’s too late!

If this is a play on words of a song, I have never heart it.

Bo Long? You outdid yourself this time.Keep it up.

When puns are outlawed, only outlaws will make puns.

A good pun [or joke] should not need an explanation.

here is my twisted sense of humor:pastis calling rat – ‘baby’seriously???oh baby baby it’s a wild world(and yes i did get the pun on the song) sad

> I want to guard your reams and fissions …

?? … dreams of visions …

Think back to the 1960’s musical “Hair” …_______________

When the moon is in the seventh house And Jupiter aligns with Mars Then peace will guide the planets And love will steer the stars

This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius The age of Aquarius, Aquarius

Harmony and understanding Sympathy and trust abounding No more falsehoods or derisions Golden living dreams of visions Mystic crystal revelation And the minds true liberation

Aquarius, Aquarius__________________________

Every time I think Stephan has hit rock bottom with his puns, he brings out another shovel. Keep up the good work!

Well, that answered THAT question: I wasn’t sure WHEN I started reading PBS in the papers, so I went back to the beginning (2002) and went from there. Today’s strip is the first one that I KNOW I read back in the day!