Part Two of my Annotated Bell x1 series. This time it's Music in Mouth from 2003. Please let me know if there are any omissions or if the lyrics mean something totally different than what I have. Or leave a comment if you found this any way useful or amusing.
SNAKES AND SNAKES1
I need some crayon light
I need some colouring in
I need somebody who's going to give in
I need my own moon landing
I need a mission to Mars
I need to carry out repairs by the light of your star
You say you're missing my voice now
Yea, I'm missing it too
I'm missing my voice when it's talking to you
I'm hearing your voice now
And here I go again
Coming over like mist be coming rain
All this serves to tell me
Is maybe there's no ladders in this game at all
All this serves to tell me is maybe only snakes
Like the one in the garden that has to crawl2
All this serves to tell me
Is maybe there's no ladders in this game at all
All this serves to tell me is maybe only snakes
Like the one in the garden fucked it all
I need to smile like an angel
I need to smile like a fool
I need to smile like I'm pissing
In your swimming pool
1 This is a play on the traditional children's board game Snakes and Ladders. In the game, the ladder helps the player progress, whereas the snake moves the player backwards. It's usually a square board made up of 100 smaller squares, with the winner the one who reaches square 100 first. Lots of fun for children, but ridiculously tedious for adults. If you don't believe me, download the iPhone app here.
2 A reference to the serpent in the Garden of Eden (c.f. 'Eve, the Apple of My Eye' and 'The Money'), who was in actuality the Devil in disguise. It was he who tempted Eve to eat the apple, therefore "fucked it all".
ALPHABET SOUP1
I should have known
By the arc of the empty wine glass
I should have known
'Cos you step on, don't walk over cracks
Looking over my shoulder
To see you looking back over yours
But you were paying the ferryman
Even after Chris said don't2
But you're not Maud Gonne3
Not Maud Gonne
No you're not Maude Gonne
You're not Maud Gonne
But then again neither was she
The only one talking now
Is my alphabet soup
I'd say you'd like children
But you couldn't eat a whole one
The only one talking now
Is my alphabet soup
And he's on a loop
I should have known
But I only caught a glimpse
I should have known
It was a beautiful
Red wine soaked glimpse
I was other peoples' children
I could always be sent home
In front of someone else's
Blue screen4
For someone else's show
What's that you're saying to me
Tomato coated spaghetti?
It's gonna be OK
1 Alphabet Soup is a form of tinned spaghetti, made up of various random letters. It is usually given as a meal to children in order to (a) teach them or (b) get them to shut up. In 99% of cases, it's the latter.
2 Chris DeBurgh is the stage name of Christopher Davison (1948-), an Irish singer-songwriter, most famous for the 1986 dancefloor-filler (and 2010 dancefloor-emptier) 'Lady in Red'. Also wrote 'Don't Pay the Ferryman', which takes its title from Shakespeare's The Tempest. Now more famous for the fruit of his loins than actually writing any music.
3 Irish actress and revolutionary Maud Gonne (1866-1953), who was the paramour of William Butler Yeats, and the cause of much of his suffering. Although looking back at pictures now, you wonder what all the fuss was about. How two men could be after the same Jimmy Greaves jawed lady.
4 A blue screen is a technique used by television and film makers to make the actor(s), presenter(s), or weather forecaster appear to be in a different environment than they actually are. Often used by politicians to actually appear as if they visit their constituencies, when in fact they are sitting in the lounge of the Radisson in Dublin.
DAYBREAK
I went 'round to stand in your hall
To watch you descend
While your taxi slowed
Outside my home
For the last drive by
I went 'round for to fill your sail
What a way to wake
What a way to wake
We're cracking with the break of day
And God gave us guts
To have feelings, to spill1
But why would you let them show
When they look like this
What a way to wake
What a way to wake
We're cracking with the break of day
Break the day
Break the day
With your fire light
We'll break the day
1 Spilling your guts is a metaphor meaning to express one's feelings. The physical act of spilling one's guts, on the other hand, is more suited to an Eli Roth movie.
EVE, THE APPLE OF MY EYE
You left it, I sent it
I want it back
You left it, I sent it
I want it back
If I had you here, I'd clip your wings
Snap you up and leave you sprawling on my pin
This plan of mine is oh so very lame
Can't you see the grass is greener where it rains
You left, I died,
I went and you cried
You came, I think
But I never really know
I've served my time
I've watched you climb
The wrong incline
But what do I know
Accept it, Don't let it
Turn the screw
Accept it, And let it
Scream back at you
Now this applies both equally to you and I
The only thing we share
Is the same sky
These empty metaphors
They're all in vain
Like can't you see the grass is greener where it rains
In the garden Snake was a charmin'1
And Eve said let's give it a try
Now lead us not into temptation2
But no matter how hard I try
When in the garden and
Snake is a charmin'
And Eve says let's give it a try
Eve is the apple of my eye
And I lie behind you
And a cradle you in the palm of me
And I pat your hair down
I think will we sink or swim?
'Cause we could do either on a whim
1 The snake in the Garden of Eden who tricked Eve, the first woman, into eating the forbidden apple and thus condemning man to sin. (c.f. 'Snakes and Snakes', 'The Money', Milton's Paradise Lost)
2 A line from the popular Christian prayer 'Our Father' or 'The Lord's Prayer'. The temptation is a mirror of Eve's temptation in the garden. One of the first things children learn by heart (or by rote), like 'Ring a Ring a Rosie' and 'The Wheels on the Bus'.
NEXT TO YOU
It was part of our experiment
Went you said go and I went
like a gooseberry1 on Noah's Ark2
I watched them file in two by two3
And I set sail without you
And we were carried on the flood of your tears
Time pulls a face when I'm next to you
Let's hope the wind changes4
Time pulled a face when I'm next to you
Let's hope the wind changes
Now I'm looking for dry land
As all this crying subsides
But I'm like Columbus in India5
I'm a little all over the shop6
Like those souvenirs from Knock7
That come all the way from China8
Time pulls a face when I'm next to you
Let's hope the wind changes
Time pulled a face when I'm next to you
Let's hope the wind changes
'Cos we'd be stuck in this place
For an age or two
I hope the wind changes
And the vacuum in space will draw me to you
I hope the wind changes
I'm not over you, can I get back under
1 To "be a gooseberry" is an old English expression meaning being the odd one out. For example, the third person on a date, or the guy who just stands there staring while the rest of you are drinking and having a good time.
2 Noah's Ark was a gigantic sailing vessel built by Noah, on God's request, in order to save his family, as well as two of each animal, from an imminent flood. The story was recently used in the Godawful pseudo-comedy Evan Almighty starring Steve Carrell.
3 The lyrics of a nursery rhyme recounting Noah's Ark, which helps children learn about animals and counting.
4 An old expression used by lying parents to tell their children to stop making faces. They threatened them by telling the children that if the wind changed, their faces would be stuck like that forever. In recent years, studies carried out by scientists at University of California Los Angeles have proven that this is more than just a mere myth, and that it did in fact occur to RTÉ Television's Marty Morrissey during his formative years.
5 When navigator and explorer Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) set out on his 1492 journey, his aim was to find a route west by sea to India. What he found was the continent of North and South America, which he believed to be India.
6 To be all over the shop it to be mixed up or "all over the place". Usually attributed to scatty people.
7 Knock is a town in County Mayo, which is significant as it is believed that the Virgin Mary, along with St. Joseph and John the Baptist, appeared in 1875. If a similar event happened today, the witnesses of such an event would either (a) be incarcerated in an institution or (b) be considered to be liars or drunks. They definitely would not be taken seriously. Knock was seen to be of so much importance that saviour of Ireland Taoiseach Charles J. Haughey approved the building of an airport there rather than in the region of Galway city. The airport, Ireland West Knock Airport is seen as the gateway of Connaught.
8 This refers to the "Made in China" stickers on the bottom of many products, not limited to alleged religious relics, or single-use breakable plastic toys.
WEST OF HER SPINE
She asked me to work on that knot
Now I've been at that
Coalface some time
I've been trying to untie that knot1
I'm trying to work it to a soft spot
And lie there a while
Just south of her shoulder
And west of her spine
Now you'd think that I could
Untie that knot
I'm the one who put it there in
The first place
But it's like trying to remember
Where you've buried treasure
Well I've a vague idea
But it was under the pale moon light
And I was south of her shoulder
And west of her spine
Sometimes early in the morning
I watch her breathing rise and fall
I've spilled in drunk beside her
In the stillness of dawn
See how her hair spills over
Like frayed ends of twine
All wild and wrapped around her
Like these wandering arms of mine
Well I hope they find a soft spot
Where I can lie for a while
Just south of her shoulder
And west of her spine
Now careful not to wake her
I trace back along the twine
To where her never endings sing
Of too much of my time
It's here I'll rest my chin
And breathe her deep and smile
For I think I've found a soft spot
and I'll lie here a while
It's here I'll raise my flag
And claim this land as mine
Just south of her shoulder
And west of her spine
1 This is a pun on the use of the word knot. The knot in her back is obviously not like a knot of rope or string, and thus can't be untied. Later her hair is compared to frayed twine. Extending the metaphor. Like how I tied that in there? Tied, gettit?
BOUND FOR BOSTON HILL1
Out into pitch black
Where the moon lay upon its back
Driving deep into the throat
of the countryside
Strapped tight into
Centre of scene
Starry open attic night
No headline hits happen here
About what do I write
So sad the pull I feel
Is a push into out of sight
Hard not to look behind
when there's something
On your back
On your soul
On your mind
Let time pass by
Circles fly
Time can wet and roll a
Tear from the eye
Strapped tight into
Centre of scene
Starry open attic night
No headline hits happen here
About what do I write
So sad the pull I feel
is a push into out of sight
1 There are many hills in Boston, Massachusetts, and more still in Boston, New York. Therefore I can't tell you which hill this is at all. I'm no help really. Can't tell you much about the rest of the song either.
TONGUE
This one's for you
This one's for me
This one's for you
This one's for me
I've got a nervous feeling over you
But who am I fooling,
I like airline food1
I need to feel whole
I need to feel young again
I need to be bold
and start using my tongue again
They can laugh as they cry
They can cut till I bleed
But I ain't losing
'Cos this one's for me
1 Clearly he's lying here. Nobody likes airline food. By extension, this song must all be a lie. Just a clever ruse to get her into be, and "start using my tongue again."
WHITE WATER SONG
I'll finish this jigsaw
I'll find the pieces behind the couch
I dream we were slowdancing
I dream I knew your name
Between sleep and waking we're drinking flavoured vodka in bed
And when I wake I'm all the King's horses and all King's men1
I make wild laughing rivers
from streams
Above white water noise2
no-one can hear my screams
I threw my eyes to heaven
and I asked for a sign
They said I can get back my yesterday
if I cross the date line3
But I'm sick of all this hope
Sometimes the stars are not enough
I'm sick of all this hope
Sometimes the stars are too much
I make wild laughing rivers
from streams
Above white water noise
no-one can hear my screams
Quiet please
1 Line from the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty, first published in 1810. Humpty Dumpty was a shell-based character (c.f. #!/bin/sh ), who fell from a wall and smashed to pieces. However hard they tried, "all the king's horses and all the king's men" could not put him back together again. That's what you get when you anthropomorphise eggs. Should've went with ones of the faberge type.
2 White Noise is a noise which comes at a centre frequency, and produces a type of hissing sound. There is also Brown, Grey, and Pink Noise. Although I have never knowingly heard any of these. Brown Noise may have led to random movements, but as of yet, I have no proof.
3 This is the idea that if one goes anti-clockwise around the earth they can gain back time retrospective of GMT/BST. In the 1978 movie Superman, this is attempted by the title character, who flies backwards around the earth faster than the speed of the light. Note: before attempting this, make sure you know all the results of the day's sporting events or lottery draws. The Gray's Sporting Almanac 1950-2000 is a popular choice.
IN EVERY SUNFLOWER
My book has more bookmarks than pages
'Cos it take me ages
Or is everybody reading
Is everybody reading
Standing on a black Ulster hill1
I never fear the chill
'Cos everybody's holding
Everybody's holding
I wouldn't swap the pain
For never knowing you
I wouldn't swap the pain
It was worth it for the view
My book has more bookmarks than pages
'Cos it take me ages
Or is everybody reading
Is everybody reading
Of a sparkling Medusa2
With snakes of cerise and blue
And though we're all pillars of salt now3
it was worth is for the view
I wouldn't swap the pain
For never knowing you
I wouldn't swap the pain
'Cos it was worth it for the view
We're still watching
Your rainbow through the shower
And we still see you
In every sunflower
We're still watching
I make days from the hours
And I still see you
In every sunflower
Every screaming sunflower
And how they scream of you
1 This could allude to the hills around Belfast, one specifically called Cave Hill or Black Mountain.
2 A Greek Gorgon, who could turn men to stone if they gazed directly into her eyes. She was said to have hair made from snakes of Cerise. Cerise is a colour and not the lead singer of Catatonia. Modern Medusas include Joan Rivers, Mary McEvoy, and Mary Harney.
3 In the Book of Genesis in the Bible, Lot's family is ordered from the city of Sodom, and warned not to look behind them. However, Lot's wife looks back upon the city and is turned into a pillar of salt. The next time you're eating a Burger King, please remember that the salad and chips is not a vegetarian option.
I'LL SEE YOUR HEART, AND I'LL RAISE YOU MINE
What's with the angel
and what's with the devil
They keep swapping shoulders
and I can't tell which from which
"Will you be my Kriskindle?1
Will you be my better nature?"
says one to the other
But I think they're only showing off
I caught them play poker
and I think it was the devil2 who said
"I'll see your heart
and I'll raise you mine"
Yea, they keep swapping shoulders
I think there's something going on
"Will you be my sweet pea?
Will you be the card up my sleeve?"
says one to the other
and this time they hold their gaze
for too long
Now they're playing poker
and this time it's the angel who says
"I'll see your heart
and I'll raise you mine"
This is the story of the angel
who played poker with the devil
in the Garden of Eden3
before it all went pear shaped
They said
"I'll see your heart
and I'll raise you mine"
1 Kris kindle is another name for the Christmastime gift giving practice Secret Santa. Each member of the group is assigned one other member at random to give a gift to. There is usually a spending cap placed on gifts. It is often practiced in workplaces where the employees are too tight, and too lazy, to actually think about the presents they buy - it usually results in many unused and opened novelty gifts and mugs.
2 In the 1957 Swedish movie The Seventh Seal, Max von Sydow's character has to play a game of chess with Death in order to escape dying. This was used again in the 1991 sequel Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, where the characters play Battleship, Cluedo, and Twister against Death. Here the narrator sees a game of poker take place between an angel and the devil. This was never going to work out though, surely the angel isn't allowed to bluff.
3 cf. every other Bell x1 song. This is just lazy Paul Noonan, lazy.
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4 comments:
Thanks very much to Niall over at Scannain.com for additions to the 'In Every Sunflower' notes.
No problemo! Hilarious stuff.
You defamed HRH Charles Haughey though. That will not go unpunished!
There's a townland called Boston in Laois. I'd say its more likely to be referencing somewhere in Ireland as Mr. Noonan tends to keep it local in the lyrics.
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