Patriarch on a Vespa

emily haines is a goddess..

basically.. a young girl, afraid of marriage (pretty houses and their porches), afraid of having kids (biological wrist watches), afraid of having a family (comparison shopping)... having anxiety about maturing and growing up and all the new complications that it brings.

"her mouth is full of questions"

I see this song as ambivalent... it is challenging, but also questioning. Are all those fears hurting us? Are we meant to be this? Or that?

I love the ah-ah-arrgh at the end of many of the lines... like a maybe-sarcastic cry of fear -- suburban life, run! I just don't see that as an argument that everyone should be like her.

Woot, proof of my point... I just found this in an interview with Emily Haines:

NIKA: I always appreciated the unconventional way you handled gender politics in songs like "Poster of a Girl" and "Patriarch on a Vespa." You find fault with both sides—it's not just girl power.

HAINES: Totally. On those songs I was exploring my own discomfort and trying to state a way to overcome it. "Patriarch" is about my fears of domesticity and normalcy–I mean, who wants a floral couch? But I never really "took a stand" on the side of women, because I never really experienced my life that way. I don't define myself by my gender. That's not really our battle anymore. It's no longer men vs. women. The topics have changed. Now, the allegiances are more tribal.

for the patriarch on a vespa part of it, this is what i think: well since at the beginning, shes encouraging women to escape the typical housewife persona as mentioned above, this could be like her now thinking of the concequences of always running away, how you will end up crashed and alone, pretty much dead inside, because always running away doesnt leave you a chance for happiness. so shes telling us women to be strong have our own opinions and dont travel back in time where women didnt have any rights; all they did was cook and clean for the man in the house.

emily haines is my dream woman.

fabulous song.

Cool song. Is anyone else reminded of the "Unsolved Mysteries" theme song when they listen to this?

Who's to say Promiscuous (the speaker, in the song) is afraid or anxious? She seems more passionate, with her suffragette talk.

i think the song can be read in many ways. The first thought was that it had double meaning. The first verse seems to go with the whole feminism movement while the second verse kind of being anti-feminist. Why be afraid of all the above? And then patriarch is obvious the Vespa can be seen as a women as it is seen (at least here) more "fashionable" and thus matriarchy crushing patriarchy. As well ithink we can see the first verse being women and the second verse as a message to men. I also see the song as kind of saying "do what feels right for you". Like if you want to do the whole "succeful, business women" thing go ahead but you're just as welcome as doing the "stay-at-home mom" thing as well, just try to not fix each other. Do what makes you happy and don't bother if another woman's happyness is doing the opposite.

I love how Metric comes up with such thoughtful statements:

Are we all brides to be Are we all designed to be confined

In The List and Wet Blanket too.

I think the "stop trying to fix it" is talking about aging. Perhaps I'm completely off-base, however, when she says, "Until our faces all resemble dying roses" I think she's saying that the modern housewife is so intent on having the "perfect" house, family, life, ect. She tries to "fix" everything, and in the end it turns her into a dying rose.

"Promiscuous makes an entrance. Her mouth is full of questions." - Love it.

Amazing song

I feel like this is somewhat of a "coming of age" type of song.

The first verse is "what do i want??' ("full of questions" -- and then the list of societal standards; should be i that "good" virginal woman? Should i give in to the standard of beauty? should i worry about marriage - when where who??)

Then the second verse approaches the fear of conforming and its possible consequences (suburbia, biological clock -- if im not married by a certain socially approved time when will i have kids?) I think the dogs on leashes/pretty pillows is a visualization of the threat societal norms try to embody; dogs on leashes is not comforming ("dangerous"/"bad"), and floral pillows is conforming ("comforting"/"good") Then the 2nd to last line makes reference to growing old after choosing to conform -- we'd all just worry about the same things and "resemble dying roses" and the last like in a quick realization, like, wait nothing needs to be fixed, i am who i am i can make my own decisions.

Then the last three lines is the conclusion to the realization. The Patriarchal society that makes women question themselves all their lives is finally crushed by not conforming to societal norms and being who you/the subject of the song wants to be. The reckless driver gets his comeuppance, finally.

The way i saw the vespa imagery was depict patriarchal society as that annoying scooter weaving in and out of traffic disrupting (making us "swerve" and question ourselves and decisions) normal traffic (normal being the way women would choose to be by themselves). OR it could be an a way of saying patriarch still exists in new trendy society, and how it still need to be smooshed.

Sorry if thats rambly and only making half sense. I wanted to put my two cents in too.