| Liz Phair – Dance Of The Seven Veils Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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My take: The King Herod story is obviously the setting for the overarching metaphor - hence the title of the song. I think it is a referecne to the Ocsar Wilde portrayal, rather than the biblical account, as the narrator (not sure we can call her Liz, but maybe) is Solome, who willingly uses her charms to destroy John based in large part because of her strong attraction to John. Keep in mind that Solome doesn't seduce John, she seduces King Herod and convinces him to kill John (Johnny). The lyric "odds are getting fatter by the minute/That I have got a bright and shiney platter/and I am gonna get your heavy head" shows us that the narrator is considering using her charms on someone OTHER than Johnny in order to bring him low. An guess what, she already has. The preist who marries them can skip the "until death" not because he's dead, but because she's metaphorically cut of his head (hooked up with someone else). The "buisness" to me is obviously a reference to entertainment business, as supported by the lyric "entertainers bring May flowers." This lyric also is a play on "April showers bring May flowers," a term that bascially means you should endure the dolldrums of early April rainstorms because you will reap the benefit of May flowers that sprout up from the rain. She understands that Johnny brings "flowers" (art, satisfaction, etc.) but she's tired of dealing with him being such an asshole all the time. The "ugly pilgrim thing" is a reference to the way a lot of Europeans view American sexual "repression." Sex is a lot more free and open in Europe compared to American society and so Americans are "ugly pilgrims" who are afraid to express their sexuality. The use of the word "cunt" in that portion of the lyric is obviously (well, to me obvious) an attack on Johnny being such an asshole. That's HIS word. She rebelling at the way he treats her, calling her a cunt when he's "spring showers" and "renting her by the hour" (treating her like a whore). When she finds this objectionable he puts her down by calling her, in essence, a typical "American" prude. The gist is that she loves this guy and wants him but it's a toxic relationship. He's an artist/entertainer of some type and thinks he's the shit. He treats her bad becasue he thinks he can. What she's telling him is that if he doesn't start treating her better she won't put up with his shit forver. She equates him being such a total asshole with him being in the entertainment industry. She pleads with him to get out of the buisness so he'll check his ego and quit being such a dick. The last line is the essence of the plea - she doesn't get anything out of him being an entertainer. All of the "good" of what he does is selfish, and she gets shit on. "Enterainers bring May Flowers / to you." |
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