This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere.
In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Epilepsy is dancing
She's the Christ now departing
And I'm finding my rhythm
As I twist in the snow
All the metal burned in me
Down the brain of my river
For the fire was searching
For a waterway home
I cry, "Glitter is love"
My eyes pinned inside
With green jewels
Hanging like Christmas stars
From a golden vein
As I came to her screaming
Hold me while I'm dreaming
For my fingers are curling
And I cannot breathe
Then I cried in the kitchen
How I'd seen your ghost witching
There's a soldering blue line
Between my eyes
Cut me in quadrants
Leave me in the corner
Cut me in quadrants
Leave me in the corner
Cut me in quadrants
Leave me in the corner
Cut me in quadrants
Leave me in the corner
Oh, now it's passing
Oh, now I'm dancing
Oh, now it's passing
Oh, now I'm dancing
Oh, now it's passing
Oh, now I'm dancing
Oh, now it's passing
Oh, now I'm dancing
She's the Christ now departing
And I'm finding my rhythm
As I twist in the snow
All the metal burned in me
Down the brain of my river
For the fire was searching
For a waterway home
I cry, "Glitter is love"
My eyes pinned inside
With green jewels
Hanging like Christmas stars
From a golden vein
As I came to her screaming
Hold me while I'm dreaming
For my fingers are curling
And I cannot breathe
Then I cried in the kitchen
How I'd seen your ghost witching
There's a soldering blue line
Between my eyes
Cut me in quadrants
Leave me in the corner
Cut me in quadrants
Leave me in the corner
Cut me in quadrants
Leave me in the corner
Cut me in quadrants
Leave me in the corner
Oh, now it's passing
Oh, now I'm dancing
Oh, now it's passing
Oh, now I'm dancing
Oh, now it's passing
Oh, now I'm dancing
Oh, now it's passing
Oh, now I'm dancing
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Magical
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Ed Sheeran tells a story of unsuccessfully trying to feel “Amazing.” This track is about the being weighed down by emotional stress despite valiant attempts to find some positivity in the situation. This track was written by Ed Sheeran from the perspective of his friend. From the track, we see this person fall deeper into the negative thoughts and slide further down the path of mental torment with every lyric.
Plastic Bag
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“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
I can totally relate to this song. There's isn't much of anything out about epilepsy. I am 26 years old and started developing signs when I was 25. My first seizure mostly affected my vision; I was completely conscious, but partly blind. I would experience auras for the seizures where I was conscious. But, lately, since September, I have been experience Clonic Tonic (Grand Mal) seizures - Becoming epileptic in your mid 20's, something that you were genetically predisposed to is no picnic.
I experience no sign before going into a clonic tonic - Luckily, there were people around during these occasions. My mom said I let out a scream right before it happened & she just thought I was mad at the computer I was trying to fix or something, then she saw my eyes were rolled back in my head. After that, convulsing- Only injury that occurred was where I had bit my tongue, and it bled a little. Point being, yes there are many different types of seizures. Some people experience visions, while other people become completely unconscious, convulse, are disoriented, and afterwards have no idea where they are at or what happened.
This verse really struck me: As I came to a screaming Hold me while I'm dreaming For my fingers are curling And I cannot breathe
The screaming reference really hit home for me because it's something i've done before a generalized clonic tonic (grand mal) . When the seizure first starts in its tonic phase, every muscle in your body tightens, and it forces your diaphragm to push out a noise. Then the clonic phase is the convulsive part. I never know what happens to me during that period of time but I have foamed at the mouth or my eyes have rolled back in my head. I am always out of my mind when I somewhat regain consciousness, experience a very intense feeling of Jamais vu ("Instead of feeling extra familiar, thing seem totally unfamiliar In this case there is too little connection between long-term memory and perceptions from the present.)"
Also, people who experience temporal lobe seizures feel a closer spiritual connection in general, see visions, things like that. So the very first part "She's the Christ now departing" also felt close to me.
Anyone interested in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (which is absolutely fascinating) should read the book "Seized" by, Eve La Plante.
This song was well done and I am glad that it was made.
Both the song and the video seem to be from the perspective of a person with a disease or disability which causes seizures or involuntary movements, but also provokes visions. As is sometimes the case with tumors or damage in some parts of the brain, the visions can be unimaginably beautiful, almost impossible to return to "reality" from -- but they're also part of a disease which may be killing the body. "Curing" the disease might be the only way to survive, but it would mean losing the purest expression of beauty and transcendent meaning that a person might ever be able to experience.
Damn. Antony tends to teeter on the edge between eerie and beautiful; but I always want to give him a big creepy hug when I hear this song.
Professor M, you are exactly right. At least, that's exactly what I got from the stanzas. Each represents a different experience of someone with epilepsy might have. I happen to have epilepsy (complex partial seizures) where I have this extreme deja vu feeling that is overwhelming. It sounds weird but that's the best way to explain it. And I also get auras, which are a warning of an oncoming seizure (I am on medication now so no worries :) it's been 1 year and 3 months and not a single seizure).
But anyway...the stanzas are, I think, different experiences someone has or some people have when they are having a seizure. Visions, feelings of it passing, the sometimes violent shaking that occurs...which by the way, you shouldn't stop the person from convulsing if they are doing so. Common mistake.
Thumbs Up
Beautiful video for this at pitchfork.tv/videos/antony-the-johnsons-epilepsy-is-dancing
In the ballet, I believe she is Mother Nature and he is the deer.
This is posted about the video on the home site news:
January 20th, 2009: THE CRYING LIGHT IN STORES NOW WORLD WIDE and we are proud to present a video for our next single "Epilepsy Is Dancing" Directed by AFAS.
Antony asked his friends the Wachowski Brothers to work with him on a video for his new single "Epilepsy is Dancing". They in turn invited painters Tino Rodriguez and Virgo Paradiso to create costumes and a mystical environment and choreographer Sean Dorsey and his dancers to bring the dream sequence to life. Antony's artistic partner Johanna Constantine stars as herself in the role of "Deer Monster". The video was lit and shot by the up-and-coming directors of photography, Chris Blasingame and Banker White, and produced by Jim Jerome. The production team collectively named themselves AFAS. Please enjoy the fruits of their San Francisco art party.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chorea_(disease)
So . . . I was wrong. She is "Deer Monster."
right... i love this song, but that video... let's just say i didn't like it. anyway... i think it's another expression by Antony that his differences, which may be normally considered bad by society, are what really make him especially beautiful; combined, of course, with things about how an epileptic seizure feels (i think; i've never actually had a seizure, but i assume that's what the strange visual descriptions are referring to)
I apologize for the errors on my comment. I do not know how to edit my post. I meant Tonic Clonic, not vice versa.