Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Off Topic Where did this phrase come from?

I have heard the following phrase a couple of times and I was just wondering if it came from somewhere else other than the two sources.

Stargate SG-1
"Carter… I can see my house!"

Veggie Tales
"Hey, I can see my house from here!"

Is it just happenstance or did "I can see my house!" come from somewhere earlier?

James

The first time I heard this phrase was a few decades ago and it was the punchline to a religious joke, which I won't repeat.

Whether that's the source, I can't say. I know it was a fairly common joke around that time, but...who knows? It's possible, I guess, that it permeated into the urban consciousness. Or it's origins could equally lie in something more mundane.

It's definitely been around for some time, though. Long, long before SG1 or Veggie Tales were gleams in their makers' eyes.


LabRat

I know it was also a quote in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

It has been used a lot in media it seems. Where it originally came from I'm not sure. The earliest reference I can find of it is the above though.

It may just be some catch phrase we picked up along the way.

I think the joke Labby mentioned may very well be the origin of that phrase. The joke's been around for ages.

I've said it once or twice...

Which Veggies James? I can hear one of them [Junior?] saying it but can't place it...
Carol

That would be Larry as Daniel while the Scallions are carrying him to the lion's pit.

James, who, now that you mention it, does remember it from FBDO, which, may have shot it off into the stratosphere.

And, Considering that the Hey! I can see my house is the punchline for a religious joke AND they used it in Veggie Tales, the joke can't be that bad.../me doing an internet search.... .... ....

Well, I guess He could see the temple from where He was at that moment. I've heard worse.

Living here in Washington, I've heard it used on the radio once making fun of how high the nosebleed seats were at a stadium. (Those are the seats on the top level, usually near the back) The as went something like this. "You need the aid of two Sherpas and a mountain goat to get to your seat. You can see your house from there. And Canada. And Japan."

I know it from The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy - I think Arthur Dent says it at some point in the first book/part.

But I seem to vaguely remember it from a children's show I saw somewhere but not Veggie Tales because I never watched that....

....I'll be back...

The Little Tornado.

Well, I don't know about it being a catch phrase (and I've never heard of any actual religious joke involving it) but my boss owns a helicopter, and I once got to ride in it. During that ride I did, indeed, see my house (or rather, my parents' house--I've since moved out). Personally, I think it's just something someone said while out hiking on a mountain or something, and their buddy heard it, passed it on, it eventually got to some screenplay writer (or the originator of that joke), and voilà! It was all over the place.

Anyone really curious can find the text of the joke here . It's the third joke down. Do be aware that as it's on a page labelled 'irreverent jokes' there may be other material there that some could find offensive. I didn't read any of the others. Also, although I personally find it fairly mild, your mileage may vary and you may find the joke itself offensive, so check out the url at your own risk.

I was trying to track down just when this joke was doing the rounds, but had no success. I'm kind of curious myself now. I know it has to be at least two decades back. I'm fairly sure I was a teenager when I was told it.

As I say, I don't know if it's the origin of the phrase, but it certainly seems to be the earliest usage of it that we know of, so far, so I guess it must be fairly close.


LabRat