| Missy Higgins – Secret Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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Am I the only one who thinks of William Faulkner's "A Rose For Emily" whenever I hear this song? For those who have no idea what I'm talking about, well - Emily is a Southerner who has an affair with a Northerner, and when this story was written, I believe it was post-Civil War, and society was still a bit miffy on an alliance between the North and South. Since Emily was with a Northerner, it was something different for her - but the two were compelled to each other (First Verse). Now comes the chorus. Emily is saying she's his secret, because he still had yet to tell his family about her. By the way, anyone can correct me on how Faulkner's story goes, I've not read it in quite a while. Anyways, "different plans, different rules" refers to society's expectations of relationships (i.e., why is he with a souther girl, why is she with a northern man, etc.) The kicker is the second verse. The idea of scent is a big symbol in the story. Emily murders Barron (the man) with arsenic and keeps him in a room in her house for as long as she is alive. She has this crazy notion that this will allow her to be with him forever. She keeps him with her, in response to him rejecting her love as a whole. She becomes isolated for about forty years, and her house becomes musty and smells horridly, so much that the neighborhood complains and takes some action about it. Now listen to the second verse: so this room is damp where your sins laid there was a smell in the air of an old place that hadn’t seen much daylight in years and this room? douse it, if you don’t mind I’m going to leave you here until nighttime and we can do what we want my baby out of the spotlight Okay, I think I've written enough >.> |
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