Sunday, April 22, 2007

Washington Square, I'll meet you there...


Originally, Tori Amos was thinking of titling this song "Washington Square" before she finally settled on "Garlands." Somehow, "Washington Square" resonates more with me because the SJSU campus address is One Washington Square, and it seems that I am always rushing over there as the speaker relates in the song.

"Garlands" is about two lovers meeting at an art exhibit of Chagall lithographs and finding their story in the paintings.

The music has a lovely repetitive refrain that is mesmerizing, meditative, and reflective. The song was only released on the special edition DVD which came with her Beekeeper CD. Sometimes I turn it on, like tonight, and just let it play and play. If I knew how to play piano, I would want to play this song.

I try to keep it toned down for the sake of my friends, but I really am a fanatic for this woman and her music. Her style is feminine, cryptic, nonlinear, and more than a little kooky. She teaches me to trust my feminine, cryptic, nonlinear, kooky side. [grin]

Garlands
~tori amos

“The Winged Painter is on uptown” I said
“Will you meet me to go…”
Washington Square
I’m racing there
to get you at
Noon,
oh the Nocturne noon…
Isabella on the way there stops me
(I say) I can’t stay today -
I’m off in flight Towards Another Light.
Rest.
Youth.
Washington Square,
I meet you there and we go.

now He’s on the run
He’s on the run
From this walking Greeting Card
and Chloe’s Kiss,
The Wolf Pit,
The Wine Harvest,
and Phileda’s Lesson -
We’re not his possession.
in Winter,
Trampled flowers
in Winter

Lovers,
Circus,
these Garlands -
The Blue Pirouette,
The Marriage,
The Mimosas,
Black Sun Over Paris…
these Garlands -
The Little Swallow,
St. Paul from the window,
from the 1/2 open window.

Eve incurs God’s displeasure.
Passion.
Odysseus and Penelope,
Ulysses and Penelope,
The Festival,
In Hell.

in Winter,
The Winged Painter,
The Winged Painter,
Washington Square -
Let’s go see a Day in May
from The Winged Painter







1 comment:

Badger said...

Tanja,
Did you know that Marc Chagall (1887-1985) and Jon Anderson, the singer for the Prog-Rock group, Yes; were good friends? Jon wrote an album of music inspired by his paintings, but it has never been released. He has some other Chagall references in his solo work I believe.

Guy