forced to stay together here: temporarily forced to share the same space
We're stuck together, so we're gonna ask each other a few direct questions.before-sunrise-1995 · 1995 — Chapter 5 of 20 · 3'18" · B2
Two People Play a Q&A Game, Explained: scare the hell out of someone
Two people stuck together turn the time into a game: direct questions, 100% honesty. On the surface it is playful, but the first question — "Describe for me your first sexual feelings towards a person" — turns the game into a test of how much they are willing to expose.
What happens
Two people stuck together start a question game. The rule is simple: ask direct questions and answer 100% honestly. The first question is about first sexual feelings, and one of them tells a summer-camp story about a swimmer and a crush. The love question gets only "Yes. Next question."
Listen for
the opportune timedeclarations of lovescare the hell out of someonemake up a story
00:00 / 03:18Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Phrase of the scene
scare the hell out of someone
frighten someone badly
The speaker uses 'scared the hell out of me' for their reaction and adds 'because I thought he was so fine': the jolt comes from attraction, not from anything threatening.
Loud noises can scare the hell out of someone who is asleep.
Also in this scene
- the opportune time
a fitting moment
- declarations of love
written or spoken statements of love
- make up a story
invent a story that isn't true
- Hit me
go ahead and ask me
- go into details
describe something in detail
Everything marked in this scene
26 notes across 57 lines
blunt, clear questions
We're stuck together, so we're gonna ask each other a few direct questions.Let 'gonna' slide straight into 'ask' rather than resetting between them.
We're stuck together, so we're gonna ask each other a few direct questions.answer with complete honesty
- And you have to answer 100% honestly. - Of course.'Have to' often rushes together, with 'to' barely taking a beat.
- And you have to answer 100% honestly. - Of course.early sexual attraction
Describe for me your first sexual feelings towards a person.had a strong crush on him
And my friend Emma had a big, big crush on him.Keep 'of' light so 'out of me' flows as one little group.
So — Yeah. It scared the hell out of me because I thought he was so fine.very attractive — Informal praise for looks; keep it out of formal comments.
So — Yeah. It scared the hell out of me because I thought he was so fine.invited me on a date
And then he officially asked me out on a date.nominal clause: The clause 'what I might do' is the object of 'of' and names the feared action.
You know, I was so afraid of what I might do.written or spoken statements of love
Near the end of the summer-camp story, the speaker uses 'declarations of love' for the notes the two exchanged; a later 'Of course not' says they did not keep writing.
You know, we kind of wrote these little declarations of love to each other at the end of the summer andfuture in the past: After 'promised,' 'would keep' shows a future promise seen from the past.
promised we would keep writing forever and, like, meet again very soon.a fitting moment
Right after the story about the swimmer, the line uses 'the opportune time' to say the speaker happens to be a great swimmer too; it means a fitting moment and is more formal than 'a good time'.
Then I think this is the opportune time to tell you that I happen to be a fantastic swimmer.by chance be
Then I think this is the opportune time to tell you that I happen to be a fantastic swimmer.object clause: The clause 'that I happen to be...' is the object of 'tell you,' naming what he wants to tell.
Then I think this is the opportune time to tell you that I happen to be a fantastic swimmer.Put the beat on 'hit' and let 'me' fall away quickly.
- Hit me. - Um...go ahead, ask me — Casual, between friends; avoid it in formal settings.
- Hit me. - Um...answers of a single word
- So we can give one-word answers? - Sure. Why not?described private details at length
No, no. After I went into such private details about my first sexual feelings?invent a story that isn't true
One line says that if asked about love, the speaker would have lied but at least made up a great story; 'make up a story' means to invent one out of nothing.
- (giggles) I would have lied, but at least I would have made up a great story.conditional perfect: It describes a past possibility that did not happen: 'I would have lied.'
- (giggles) I would have lied, but at least I would have made up a great story.Let 'would have' blur before landing on 'lied'.
- (giggles) I would have lied, but at least I would have made up a great story.a complicated matter
You would've lied! Great. Love is a complex issue.as for sexual feelings
But as far as sexual feelings go,a relationship marked by obsession
I'll have you know it started with an obsessive relationship with Miss July 1978.Two People Play a Q&A Game, explained
What's really going on
The game sounds casual, but it also allows questions ordinary conversation would not. The rule of answering "100% honestly" gives both people permission to be direct, and the first question goes straight to sexual feelings. The answer is not a joke: one line gives a detailed summer-camp story about a swimmer, a friend's crush, and a confession. When the love question comes, the answer is "Yes. Next question." — and the objection that follows points to the imbalance: one side has told a private story, the other has given a single word. After the talk about love runs on, a line beginning "But as far as sexual feelings go" pulls the conversation back to where it started.
Theme
RomanceTwo people use a direct-question game to reveal attraction and past love while calling it just a game.
TrustThe 100% honesty rule depends on both sides answering; one detailed confession and one-word reply expose how uneven that trust is.
Listen for
- gonna ask — Let 'gonna' slide straight into 'ask' rather than resetting between them.
- have to — 'Have to' often rushes together, with 'to' barely taking a beat.
- out of me — Keep 'of' light so 'out of me' flows as one little group.
- Hit me — Put the beat on 'hit' and let 'me' fall away quickly.
We're stuck together, so we're gonna ask each other a few direct questions.Since they cannot leave each other's company, they turn the time into a game of blunt questions.
And then he officially asked me out on a date.After the summer-camp confession, the swimmer made a formal request for a date.
Then I think this is the opportune time to tell you that I happen to be a fantastic swimmer.After the swimmer story, this line says now is the perfect moment to reveal a similar talent.
Have you ever been in love?A direct question about whether the other person has ever loved someone.
You would've lied! Great. Love is a complex issue.The reply responds to a hypothetical lie with 'Great,' then calls love a complicated thing.
I'll have you know it started with an obsessive relationship with Miss July 1978.A formal-sounding way of introducing a crush on Miss July 1978, a Playboy centerfold.
Questions about this scene
What happens between the swimmer, Emma and the storyteller?
Emma is the friend who had a big, big crush on the swimmer. The storyteller says, "You should date Emma," and he answers, "Well, that's too bad, because I have a big crush on you."
How does the conversation get back to sexual feelings?
The love question gets "Yes. Next question." and the talk stays on love for a while: one line says love is a complex issue, and another says "I have told somebody that I loved them before, and I had meant it." Later, a line beginning "But as far as sexual feelings go" returns the conversation to that topic, then Miss July 1978 and Playboy come up.
What is Miss July 1978 in the final lines?
The next lines ask "Do you know Playboy magazine?" and "Do you know Crystal?", so Miss July 1978 is tied to a Playboy issue and someone named Crystal, whom the speaker says he knew.
Did the two keep their promise to keep writing?
No. One line says they promised to keep writing forever and meet again soon; the next exchange is "Did you?" "Of course not."
before-sunrise-1995 · 20 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 6piss someone offStrangers Trade Pet Peeves on a Train
Chapter 1weeks on endStrangers Trade Stories on a Train
Chapter 2the poetry of day-to-day lifePitching a Year-Long TV Show
Chapter 3passive-aggressiveTwo Passengers Talk Childhood and Death
Chapter 4a bad liarTwo Travelers Claim a Honeymoon
Watching · Chapter 5scare the hell out of someoneTwo People Play a Q&A Game
Chapter 6piss someone offStrangers Trade Pet Peeves on a Train
Chapter 7romantic projectionsTwo People Talk About Parents and Love
Chapter 8resign yourself toPalm Reading in Vienna
Chapter 9dress rehearsalChurch Talk on Death and Quakers
Chapter 10blank canvasWhat Would Drive You Mad
Chapter 11make a deal withPoet Writes a Poem for a Word
Chapter 12a real prizewinnerAsking About an Ex-Boyfriend
Chapter 13let it sink inA Man Recounts His Madrid Heartbreak
Chapter 14fool aroundTwo People Debate Men, Women and Monkeys
Chapter 15fear of commitmentBirth Dance Talk Turns to Love
Chapter 16fall for someoneThe Fake Phone Call in Vienna
Chapter 17be a ghostMan Pretends to Call a Friend
Chapter 18fizzle outTwo People Agree to One Night Only
Chapter 19sleep togetherThey Agree Not to Sleep Together
Chapter 20have a great lifeTwo Lovers Say Goodbye at Track NineChapter 5 of 20 · about 43 min to go