From: owner-precious-things-digest@smoe.org (precious-things-digest) To: precious-things-digest@smoe.org Subject: precious-things-digest V9 #35 Reply-To: precious-things@smoe.org Sender: owner-precious-things-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-precious-things-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk X-To-Unsubscribe: Send mail to "precious-things-digest-request@smoe.org" X-To-Unsubscribe: with "unsubscribe" as the body. precious-things-digest Friday, March 12 2004 Volume 09 : Number 035 Today's Subjects: ----------------- re: Angels [Pete Lambert ] RE: A hopeful answer to the Angels Question ["Tom xxxxx" Subject: re: Angels Tom said: >>> I was wondering if anyone can shed some insight on the song "Angels." <<< I know what you mean. It seems to be crying out for a lengthy concert introduction, but in the meantime we'll have to do our best. Reviewers seem to keep calling it fiercely critical of George Bush,.but I find that hard to pin down in the lyrics. OK, "they're trapping Angels by the Potomac" is doing a bad thing to good beings in Washington, but what really confuses me are the switches in pro-noun. I mean - the first verse is the narrator singing to us in the second person "YOU tossed your instructions" (and that line's a brillant can-be-read-two-ways-one - you threw away your instructions ABOUT how to catch a moving train; or you threw away your instructions, WHILE you were catching a moving train, ?); then she(?)'s telling us about "my" (her) "DJ friends" telling HIM to watch his back. So is "he" the person she's singing to, or the person she's singing about? When she says "they liberate your dreamscape til you cant remember to recall where your wings have gone", is she saying that the Angels remind him (Bush?) of the fact that he isn't an angel (has lost his wings/innocence); or is she telling the Angels themselves that it's Bush's fault that they can't remeber where THEIR wings have gone? I ssuppose she's doing both at the same time, cause she's clever like that. "Sign the dotted line" makes me think of the whole trail of tears theme that started with 'Home On The Range (With Cherokee Addition)' back on the UK b-side of PGY. I suppose it could be marriage too, but the Native American theme has run so clearly through the last few years work that I'm assuming that's where it comes from. "They all accept he's got to watch his back". Now this is where I get really confused. Who is "He"? So far the song has been addressed to "you" and about what "they" are doing, so I cant decide whether "he" is her DJ friends referring to "you", or Her telling You about Him, literally the introduction of a third person. And surely it's not George Bush's smile that she sees at night before she closes her eyes? That bit always makes me think that I've definitely been taking it too literally. Oh dear. I always kind of knew that if I ever started trying to set this all down I'd only end up much more confused than when I started. The song seems clearest when I imagine it as a Gaiman style graphic novel, with various hes, shes, and yous, flitting in and out from page to page, but I feel like I'm possibly missing some of its directness by seeing it that way. Anyone else able to untangle things??? Happy phantoms, Pete xxxxx ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2004 02:55:49 +0000 From: "Tom xxxxx" Subject: RE: A hopeful answer to the Angels Question Thanks to all those who responded to my question about Angels. You were all very helpful. I still have to think about it some more. Cheers, Tom "you don't want to sound dumb don't want to offend so don't call me faggot not unless you are a friend." - --- Joe Jackson, "Real Men" ------------------------------ End of precious-things-digest V9 #35 ************************************