From: owner-jinglejangle-digest@smoe.org (jinglejangle-digest) To: jinglejangle-digest@smoe.org Subject: jinglejangle-digest V3 #117 Reply-To: jinglejangle@smoe.org Sender: owner-jinglejangle-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-jinglejangle-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk jinglejangle-digest Wednesday, August 30 2000 Volume 03 : Number 117 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [MLL] Salem '76 ["Mark Anthony Miazga" ] Re: [MLL] Salem '76 [Stefan Bloom ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2000 16:41:31 -0400 (EDT) From: "Mark Anthony Miazga" Subject: [MLL] Salem '76 I'm teaching high school English for the first time this year (just got back from day 2), and we're doing "The Crucible" next week. IN leading up to it, we've been going over the Puritan values and the cultural phenomenon that the Salem Witch Trials have become. I'm thinking about using "Salem '76" in class in the next couple of days, but am having some interpretation issues. The lyrics are below if you need them. I'm wondering who the narrator is. Is it some girl now, or is it a ghost, or a witch, or what? Any other thoughts on it? Thanks in advance for your help. Here are the lyrics: "Salem '76" (Lord) This town's pretty cool around Halloween but other than that it's the same old scene all that history all that mystery For years I walked that hollowed ground and soon they passed their judgment down and they'll never know they killed me years ago And I drown in the sound of yesterday's raid I burned at the stake of yesterday's raid and in my own hometown there's no attempt to help me down from the gallow's pull seven curses on a hangman's soul the spirit of the beating heart the blessed and the magic arts rid my soul they took control they pulled my masquerade away and made mew hat I am today for all to see go on - look at me I'm not the one who danced with you then And I'm not the one who asked to see you again and in my own hometown there's no attempt to help me down from the gallow's pull seven curses on a hangman's soul This time I'll have the final word this time I'll win the case I won't become a Sarah Good again No one's gonna make me change my mind's made up and rearranged if they had their way they'd lynch me all over again and in my own hometown there's no attempt to help me down from the gallow's pull seven curses on a hangman's soul - -- Mark Miazga miazgama@msu.edu http://www.msu.edu/~miazgama ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2000 14:37:18 -0700 (PDT) From: Stefan Bloom Subject: Re: [MLL] Salem '76 Given that Mary Lou's from Salem, I always took the lyrics as being about how she grew up there feeling ostracized - and how she relates that to the Salem witch trials and the way people in Salem have, throughout history, feared that which they don't understand. I could be wrong, though - I've never heard Mary Lou explain what exactly the song's about. The first verse is pretty clearly set in modern times, but after that it gets kinda fuzzy as to when things are taking place. Could be that it switches narrators, or it's about reincarnation, or that it's a modern person imagining what it must have been like, or, like I said above, projecting contemporary feelings of alienation and unhappiness onto these historical events. It's a neat song, in any case, and I love the guitar solo. I'm pretty sure it's "from the gallows pole," not "gallow's pull," by the way. Not all of the lyrics come through super-clear on the recording, though. You know, now that I've been sitting here thinking about all the lyricss, I think it's being sung by a ghost. Hmm. -Stefan __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - Free email you can access from anywhere! http://mail.yahoo.com/ ------------------------------ End of jinglejangle-digest V3 #117 **********************************