Interdating. HDAS change 3 usu. pl. Esp. Black E. ...

[Wilson Gray]

On December 31, 1970, a live concert by the group, Band of Gypsys, was
recorded. Intro-ing one of the cuts, Jimi Hendrix says:

"Buddy Miles gonna do this thing he wrote called 'Dem Changes'."

Buddy Miles then proceeds to sing,

"Well, my mind is going through them changes."

No idea why Jimi says "dem," whereas the composer says "them."

In my day, "changes" in the relevant was *always* plural and *never*
singular. By the late date of the singulars cited, I was at UC Davis and
MIT, hence cut off from the cool world. To *cause* a person to go through
the changes is to "put him through the changes," "shoot him through the
changes," as well as "take...'' "Shoot him through the grease," with a
similar meaning, probably contaminated the original to give "shoot ...
changes."

A girlfriend who breaks your heart puts you through the changes. A strange
girl who shines you on shoots you through the grease.

My intuition, AKA "WAG," is that this evolved from "going through the
changes" [of key and tempo and even of instrument] involved in playing
music.

-- 
-Wilson
-----
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"---a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
-Mark Twain

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org