From: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org (ecto-digest) To: ecto-digest@smoe.org Subject: ecto-digest V16 #666 Reply-To: ecto@smoe.org Sender: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-ecto-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk ecto-digest Thursday, January 24 2013 Volume 16 : Number 666 To unsubscribe: e-mail ecto-digest-request@smoe.org and put the word unsubscribe in the message body. Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: Florence and the Machine - Spectrum - what are those allusions? [jess] Re: Top 12 of 2012 [Karen Hester ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2013 20:31:59 -0800 From: jessica spurling Subject: Re: Florence and the Machine - Spectrum - what are those allusions? I wish I had some idea! but I haven't a clue! - -j On Mon, Jan 14, 2013 at 7:58 PM, Paul Blair wrote: > Wow, no discussion at all? Am I off base in thinking that these lyrics are > alluding to something? Maybe it's some movie I didn't see... > > > On Sun, Jan 6, 2013 at 3:39 PM, Paul Blair wrote: > > > I've been hearing Florence and the Machine's "Spectrum" a lot lately, and > > the more I hear it, the more I am puzzled by the lyrics. It seems clear > to > > me that it's alluding to something fairly specific, but I can't figure > out > > what. Maybe ecto can help? > > > > From what I can tell, the song is sung from the point of view of the > > leader of some group, that came to some cold place, where they were > afraid. > > At that time their skins were colorless, but the people to whom the song > is > > being sung "let the spectrum in." Now this group is colorful and > powerful, > > and will return to "drag bodies from their graves." > > > > Here are the lyrics - speculations below. > > > > ----------------------------------- > > > > Spectrum > > Florence and the Machine > > > > When we first came here > > We were cold and we were clear > > With no colors on our skin > > We were light and paper-thin > > > > And when we first came here > > We were cold and we were clear > > With no colors on our skin > > 'Till you let the spectrum in > > > > Say my name > > And every color illuminates > > We are shining > > And we will never be afraid again > > > > And when we come for you > > We dressed up all in blue > > With the ocean in our arms > > Kissing eyes and kissing palms > > > > When it's time to pray > > We dressed up all in gray > > With metal on our tongues > > And silver in our lungs > > > > Say my name > > And every color illuminates > > We are shining > > And we'll never be afraid again > > > > And when we come back we'll be dressed in black > > And you'll scream our names aloud > > And we won't eat and we won't sleep > > We'll drag bodies from their graves > > > > So say my name > > And every color illuminates > > And we are shining > > And we'll never be afraid again... > > > > ----------------------------------- > > > > Among other allusions are "paper-thin," "ocean in our arms," "kissing > > eyes," "kissing palms," "metal on our tongues", "silver in our lungs," > and > > "drag bodies from their graves." Saying the name of the leader of the > group > > also has some sort of significance, and causes the new power of the group > > to reveal itself. The way the lyrics are written also suggests that the > > name is widely recognizable, and if we can identify it, everything else > > will fall into place. (The song might be, say, about fallen angels and > the > > name be Lucifer, but I don't see how that would fit the specifics of the > > rest of the song. At one point I even thought the name might be Voldemort > > and the group be the Death Eaters, but I don't recall any of the above > > allusions being mentioned in Harry Potter, and I don't think the Death > > Eaters started out clear and paper thin.) > > > > Since the song seems to be about a downtrodden group that is now standing > > proud, and since it alludes to colors on the skin, I first thought it had > > to do with racial minorities. But the fact that the group initially had > no > > colors on their skin seems to belie that, and the specific allusions > later > > in the song don't seem to bear any relationship to race. For a similar > > reason, the LGBT rainbow flag didn't seem to fit--particularly the > > reference to coming back and dragging bodies from their graves. > > > > One strange thing about the song is that even though it talks about the > > colors of the spectrum, the only spectral color mentioned is blue. (The > > other colors are gray, silver, and black.) All the colors mentioned are > > colors that the members of the group are dressed in, but maybe not the > > colors of their skin. > > > > Another thought I had was that the song might have to do with body art, > or > > with some group characterized by body art ("metal on our tongues" could > > have to do with piercings, say). I don't know enough about that culture, > > though, to put it all together. > > > > AC/DC is Back in Black, and their fans might scream their names aloud, > and > > even dragging bodies from their graves might fit with that, but I'm not > > sure that has anything do with the beginning of the song. > > > > "Metal on our tongues" suggests the coin that is placed on the tongues of > > the dead as payment to Charon to ferry them over the river Styx. I don't > > know of anything that has to do with the dead having silvery voices, > > though. Do shades ever return? Would they drag bodies from their graves? > > And why would they be "shining"? > > > > Lyra Belacqua from Phillip Pullman's *His Dark Materials* is Lyra > > Silvertongue, but again I can't place any of the other allusions. > > > > Then maybe the group isn't people at all, but, say, animals. Butterflies > > might be paper-thin, and blue butterflies might live near the ocean, and > > moths show up in gray and black. But I can't see the rest of it. > Similarly > > with birds (say a silver-throated tanager?). > > > > "Kissing eyes and kissing palms" sounds like some sort of ritual, > > something Masonic, say. But again I don't know enough about that. > > > > Well, ecto, how about it? ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 28 Dec 2012 12:16:55 -0500 From: Karen Hester Subject: Re: Top 12 of 2012 'Tis the season for Ecto Wallet Syndrome. Enjoying your lists. K ------------------------------ End of ecto-digest V16 #666 ***************************