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Edith Wharton's Figurines Lyrics
Edith Wharton's lovely figurines
Still speak to me today
From their mantelpiece in time
Where they wrestle and they play
Their passions and their prudences
Their finances and fears
Her face and what it's worth to her
In the passing of the years
See the portrait come to life
See the vanity behind
'Cause as we struggle for survival
Love is never blind
Now Olivia lies under anaesthesia
Her wit and wonder snuffed
In a routine operation
Her own beauty not enough
Her passions and her prudences
Her finances and fears
Her face and what it's worth to her
In the passing of the years
See the portrait come to life
See the vanity behind
'Cause in the struggle for survival
Love is never blind
Edith Wharton's lovely figurines
Still speak to me today
From their mantelpiece in time
Where they wrestle and they play
We lie under anaesthesia
Our wit and wonder snuffed
In our routine operations
Our own beauty not enough
Still speak to me today
From their mantelpiece in time
Where they wrestle and they play
Their finances and fears
Her face and what it's worth to her
In the passing of the years
See the vanity behind
'Cause as we struggle for survival
Love is never blind
Her wit and wonder snuffed
In a routine operation
Her own beauty not enough
Her finances and fears
Her face and what it's worth to her
In the passing of the years
See the vanity behind
'Cause in the struggle for survival
Love is never blind
Still speak to me today
From their mantelpiece in time
Where they wrestle and they play
Our wit and wonder snuffed
In our routine operations
Our own beauty not enough
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this makes me glad to be alive. and how she says we at the end is amazing and 'routine operations' is a perfect phrase that conveys two meanings- for olivia of wharton's novel, and those of us who are 'under anaesthesia', who don't live each day to it's potential and- these are incredibly poignant and humane lyrics by the way- with 'our wit and wonder snuffed' and 'our own beauty not enough'. God thats beautiful. im so happy that music is still so vibrantly alive.
ps i would marry this woman in an instant even though im 19 and have no money.
I used to be really into Suzanne Vega in ninth and tenth grade (I'm in my second year of college now) and I saw her do this song live. I should really buy the album because I really thought the song was beautiful and I haven't heard it since.
Anyway, I forget Olivia's last name, but SV said that she was a writer who wrote a book about accepting herself, but she died getting a face lift.
This song makes me cry when I hear it. People are willing to throw away their most personal aspects, like the way they look, to chase after some elusive ideal of beauty, disregarding that beauty which they already possess.
Some will do this to the point of death... but even those who don't get facelifts still often think themselves ugly and let their terrible self-images dominate their lives and ruin them.
It's tragic, and it doesn't need to be this way. Beauty is a social construct; let's construct a new, inclusive one that will render this song an anachronism.