Beauty Queen/Horses

This is one of my favourite songs by her. "They say that your demons can't go there". We all have demons. By horses I think she means like... I think she means that she writes and sings her demons away, her horses being her music. One of my other favourite lines is "And you would if I would, but you never would".

Tori is a goddess. Only she can write out these sorts of feelings. I try and fail. So I listen to her music and feel re-energised, as though I can get myself some horses and ride away from my personal demons. I'm so grateful she wrote this song.

I love this song. It spoke to me.

I think a lot of Boys for Pele was a healing process after her relationship with Eric. And in the intro, she could be singing from his point of view about herself. Bear in mind, this is just my perspective on it.

I think riding the horses away from the army symbolizes getting away from the hurt of love. She implies that maybe she will find someone else to help her fix mother. To me, it speaks so personally, having a biploar drug addict for a mother. And as long as he doesn't move towards her, the army advancing -- then she'll be okay.

She explains all these fantastical, romantic things that he introduced her to. However, he leaves and she's left empty handed.

I think that the next two parts of the song are mainly mixed memories of their relationship together and her obvious want of what they once had. All the confused feelings too, like wanting to hide, yet wanting to find him.

Under Milk Wood is a play by Dylan Thomas... not sure if that connects to Tori's Milkwood, but lovers of Tori's will likely enjoy his poetry.

Horses.

Horse is a common slang term for heroin. The song may be a metaphor, but the song is about addiction and drugs at some level. Beuaty Queen is where she is picking up the drugs, Horses when she injects them. The "bean bag" in the street is the bag of heroin. "They say that your demons can't go there". When you are on drugs, and avoiding the pain of life.

"As long as your Army keeps perfectly still". This is a "Toriism" as it were. It is not "Army", but your Arm that must keep perfectly still as you inject the heroin and attempt to make your demons go away.

The album is thematic, which is one reason why it is so beautiful. The heroin addiction theme pops up again on Professional Widow: "Mother Mary China white Brown may be sweeter She will supply"

These are also forms of heroin.

If you understand "horse" to mean heroin, I think you will see the song in a new light.

"and Milkwood and Silkwood"

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_Milk_Wood

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silkwood

Horses = heroin = drug = love. Love may literally function as a drug. That song, I believe, is about her falling in love with someone and becoming addicted, a junkie to the person she is in love with (that's why horses, heroin), but she does not contact him, though she thinks he might be interested: "And I would if you would but you never would"; "Maybe you find me... and maybe together we..."; "You showed me the meadow..." - a place where it could work out for them. "I chased down your ..." - she watched him, etc. "Then opened my hands and they were empty then" - it was not happening. "Counting your bees" and "Camera is rolling" might describe them meeting, flashing eyes and stuff and it might be so easy, but it' not. "And if there is a way to find you I will find you" - she'd love to contact him somewhere, somehow. But then she's back to the idea that she is on junk, fighting demons, and maybe it'll stay like that. BUT MAYBE NOT! :)

i think there is definitely some sexual symbolism here, once again the theme of loss of innocense is explored...like theres this sweet little girl that once loved ponies but is finding a new kind of "pony" to ride now("a sailor? a tailor?..an afro? a pharoah? ...its bill and ben..."), thinking she will find happiness or completeness in sex ("they say that your demons cant go there"); she is seeking true love ("if there is a way to find you i will find you"), but is becoming a whore ("the camera is running, its easy like one two three"). she is trying to stay strong, however, for "threads that are golden dont break easily"...As for the beauty queen part, which i dont think is connected to horses at all, it sounds like she is fascinated with a beautiful girl, cant stop thinking about her...i always thought the last line of that was "but...i like like like, it...", which makes more sense with my interpretation, if its what is written by Novartza then i might be wrong, unless by her "lying" she is alluding to having to lie to everyone about liking a girl.

To me, this song has always been about wanting to save someone from something (be it drugs, sex, themselves, whatever) - but being so screwed up yourself that you not only fail to do so, you get sucked under with them.

For some reason, I always picture siblings, in my mind - a sister trying to save her little brother from his own demons, after they both have come through a nightmarishly abusive past. She speaks to him as she did when they were young, like she's telling him a story - that there are horses that will take them away, she won't leave him (threads that are golden), that together they'll "make mother well". But the grim reality is that there is no escape, not for either of them.

Just because I can't get enough. If you ever hear Gustavo's Houseback Remix of this song..

I think the original is right in that poignant moment of being hurt, wanting to escape, being overwhelmed, etc. But the remix is like a moment in the past, washing over you. You're over it. And it's fucking beautiful.

Songs for Pele is an album about abuse. Abuses interpersonal, intergenerational and of the self. In this song, Tori is playing the part of an innocent girl who "... together we'll make mother well" and "as long as your army keeps perfectly still" - the girl is calling the arm an "army". She is coining the articles involved in this heavy topic in a child like manner and perspective. Yes, the song is about opiates. "I got me some horses to ride on." And "your demons can't go there".