| Harry Chapin – Sniper Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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The obvious interpretation is a retelling of the day when Charles Whitman took a hunting rifle to the top of the tower on the campus at Univ. Texas/Austin in 1963, and started killing people until he himself was finally killed. But...Chapin adds plenty more. Far more than anyone could know about Whitman. Basically, he turns it into a kind of generalized "rebel-against-the-world" type of tale--someone for whom life has been worse than a joke, has been tragedy and treachery and disappointment and worse from Day One. Someone who is rebelling against everyone and everything--justice and mercy be damned. As such, this song is about a lot more than just Charlie Whitman. With appropriate adjustments, it could be about the Columbine duo, Son of Sam, whoever. ...NOT about Bin Laden or the 9/11 terrorists, though; these are people with a goal, however twisted. This is a song about someone whose only goal is to protest, and to assert himself--to make damn sure he's noticed. There aren't many songs out there like this one. |
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| Paul Simon – You Can Call Me Al Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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I have no reason to doubt any of the explanations given above; but I have noticed something about this song of Simon's. Which seems to explain why, for example, one would want someone named "Betty" to be one's bodyguard.... This song can be read as a kind of modern/hip updating of Dante's "Divine Comedy". You'll recall (if you've read/studied it) that Dante descends into Hell on Christmas Day in the year 1300. He travels through Hell, guided by Virgil, viewing all the sinners being tormented; then through Purgatory; and finally makes it to Heaven, where he is reunited with Beatrice, his true love in real life, who died very young. So...Dante's last name was Alighieri. Let's shorten it to Al. Beatrice could be shortened to Betty. In the poem, he wants to get to Heaven to meet her, but also to get her to protect him...she could be his...umm...bodyguard. And he would be her former friend/companion. So that's the basic structure. It's also worth noting that there are three stanzas, presumably corresponding to the three worlds he visits--Hell, Purgatory, Heaven. There is talk of "redemption" and of being in a "foreign land" (understatement there). There are angels in the architecture, spinning in infinity. ...now, maybe this is all just coincidence. Maybe Simon has never read The Divine Comedy. But the parallels (and there are plenty more, but I'll stop here) are pretty striking. |
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