Bliss

The song like most of Tori's songs has dual meanings...to me it is about Tori's relationship to two men who have been constant in her life:Trent Reznor and God. The first line names both men "father I killed my monkey"...it is no big secret that Tori and Trent have written encrypted lyrics to each other from the beginning of Tori's career. Little things are traded and used by both artist to indicate that that song is the one intended to relay a message to them. In "professional widow" tori chants "star fucker, just like my daddy"...Trents next cd contained the song "Starfucker". In "Caught a Light SNeeze" Tori says "made my own pretty hate machine" Pretty Hate Machine happened to be the title of Trents CD. I could go on and on...in this song Tori is using Trents version of himself in the video of "Closer" a crucified monkey. She is saying how they were always meant to be in each others lives but instead of lovers they are a bliss of another kind...soul mates. As far a God goes she is talking about how her father was a minister and how she felt guilty for a while by not following the Holy path "made of you but not enough for you" she is referencing the Bible "God made man in his image" this like with Trent, is a Bliss of another kind. She still feels a bond with God but maybe not the one he had in mind for her..."four horse engine" I think refers to the horsemen of the apocalypse and how the imminent fear of an end to both her friendship and the end of the world acts as an engine or catalyst for her to write this song and make her love for them clear.

Oh, jeez. This song is really underrated. Tori is my favorite thing in the world.

"Sometimes, when you express thought to people, you leave it open for somebody to tromp in there and start tearing it down. I sing, 'Father I killed my monkey,' to lead off the song, which explains that sometimes you even destroy your own so they can't excavate it. When I was growing up, I started becoming very secretive about my thoughts and the sensory world I would go to, because there's a lot of mind control that goes on constantly, people wanting access: 'What are you thinking?' So sometimes I'd have my own defense going, which would be to look them straight in the eye and make them think I've killed my imagination. But it's like, I'll take control." [Tori Amos; A.P. Magazine, Oct99]

This is probably my favorite songs in the world. Beautiful, pounding, passionate and elemental. One of Tori's best

just listening to it makes me gasp for air.. it makes me feel as if I'm shooting through space. it's a song that SCARES ME to my toes and yet I keep coming back for more. gotta love it.

OK... i bet nobody wants to hear this interpretation. Remember how Tori is all about her RAINN - rape, incest, abuse, neglect network? well... i think this song is about incest. Lyrics that make me think this: "wonder if i will wander out test my tether to see if i'm still free from you " "what it means to be made of you but not enough of you" "a hot kachina who wants into mine ". In other words, with incest, it is often not particularly TRAUMATIC at the time, but for the young kid that trusts the father and doesn't know what's going on, it could be bliss of another kind - a forbidden kind. Don't hold this against me, but that's what i see from this song.

I totally agree wit Faith ... it's a great song j3ebrules: with the lines you mention, your interpretation kinda makes sense .

I use to think that this song was talking about lossing you virginity o_o;;;

I think this song explores the theme of trying to comprehend this archetypal figure known as god. I read somewhere that Tori's father is a minister, and taking that into context, it makes sense.
As a rather liberal child of a religious person, you have a lot of issues with the concept of a god. You’ve spent your childhood under the hand of someone who makes decisions based on an archaic book that’s been edited thousands of times. It’s a very confusing and intellectually disturbing experience, because you know that these decisions they make that are integral to your life at that point are not based in logic or in your best interests, and you end up with a very strange relationship with the idea of god. I think that Bliss explores this, trying to come to terms with the concept of this figure judging her for being a human. That’s just my thoughts, take them as you will, I feel Tori is one of those artists whose lyrics are so obscure and couched in metaphor that they leave us to decide their meanings.

This song is a chick going crazy on her emotions. It's like a sugar high of emotions. I'd rather not have read the lyrics cause they're gay, but the song rocks. I'm sure Tori is going to make a song about how much I suck for saying that now.