I think this song is about how Lord Alfred [Bosie, Oscar Wilde's scadal boyfriend] and how he denied his homosexuality, playing on what would happen if Rufus toyed with Bosie's emotions as Bosie did with Wilde's... at one point Bosie apparently said he was bored of Wilde and stated he was going to play away, and that Wilde could watch. Twisted but see below for some more details.
Bit of Back Story- [this has fascinated me in the past you see]
Basically, Wilde was smitten and Bosie kept demanding things from him in what was a mutually destructive relationship. Wilde tried to help Bosie with his predicament with his beating bastard father who had made Bosie's brother commit suiside following a similar scandal with another man. He dogged Wilde, insulting him to the point that Wilde initiated a court case for assault [many experts think Bosie prompted this action from Wilde]. It was revealed that he was gay, and when Wilde gave a moving speech about Platonic love [which Bosie had written a poem about... sort of. He'd basically gone all out gay, and titled it 'The Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name'. This was used as evidence.] instead of denying it he was shouted out of court and given two years hard labour [which at the time rich men were expected to survive about a year]. Wilde managed to survive, wrote the poem 'Ballad of Reading Gaol' there [which is a masterpiece, unlike 'The Love That Dare Not Speak It's Name' which I also read] and when he got out moved to Paris and changed his name to Sebastian Mermouth. He is buried there, but he was under the name he was born into.
Really tragic stuff. It makes me very glad that, as a gay man, I live now rather than then, despite my many Victorian fantasies connected to literature.
How this relates to the song
After all that, Bosie decided he did love Wilde and then they "lived together" for a bit i think.., but decided he was straight in the end and started becoming an activist against gay rights. Bastard. Troubled pretty two-timing strange bastard.
I think this song is about how Lord Alfred [Bosie, Oscar Wilde's scadal boyfriend] and how he denied his homosexuality, playing on what would happen if Rufus toyed with Bosie's emotions as Bosie did with Wilde's... at one point Bosie apparently said he was bored of Wilde and stated he was going to play away, and that Wilde could watch. Twisted but see below for some more details.
Bit of Back Story- [this has fascinated me in the past you see]
Basically, Wilde was smitten and Bosie kept demanding things from him in what was a mutually destructive relationship. Wilde tried to help Bosie with his predicament with his beating bastard father who had made Bosie's brother commit suiside following a similar scandal with another man. He dogged Wilde, insulting him to the point that Wilde initiated a court case for assault [many experts think Bosie prompted this action from Wilde]. It was revealed that he was gay, and when Wilde gave a moving speech about Platonic love [which Bosie had written a poem about... sort of. He'd basically gone all out gay, and titled it 'The Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name'. This was used as evidence.] instead of denying it he was shouted out of court and given two years hard labour [which at the time rich men were expected to survive about a year]. Wilde managed to survive, wrote the poem 'Ballad of Reading Gaol' there [which is a masterpiece, unlike 'The Love That Dare Not Speak It's Name' which I also read] and when he got out moved to Paris and changed his name to Sebastian Mermouth. He is buried there, but he was under the name he was born into. Really tragic stuff. It makes me very glad that, as a gay man, I live now rather than then, despite my many Victorian fantasies connected to literature.
How this relates to the song
After all that, Bosie decided he did love Wilde and then they "lived together" for a bit i think.., but decided he was straight in the end and started becoming an activist against gay rights. Bastard. Troubled pretty two-timing strange bastard.