Oh, Oscar

When I heard this for the first time, it was at a gig in Cardiff in a local bar. I think sometimes this is the best way to find music, I came into the gig with no preconceived ideas, having never heard of Admiral Fallow.

The lyrics are really jarring because he uses quite unexpected language (for me, anyway) 'veneer's golden mirth' for example, I think highlights the intelligent use of language to portray a character to the listener. And it's certainly not cliched. The dark, the dust, the damp create alliteration which seems to cement a feeling of emptiness, or loneliness. He seems to speak of disappointment, he seems hopeless, and yet toward the end, the "tree bursts in snow" is accompanied by a burst of accordion, lifting the song and leaving the listener with perhaps a renewed sense of self.

I think my favourite part is: And I am soberly lured By the day I've endured As I trace my steps back to the start

Because to me he utterly encapsulates a repeated return to something which we cannot help but be drawn to, despite how bad it might be for us.

I think it's perfectly reasonable to think this song could be about unrequited love. Perhaps this is just my own experience colouring my interpretation of the song, and I don't really think it matters either way, it's beautifully written and the musical accompaniment enhances it emotionally for me.

Could this possibly be about Oscar Wilde? I don't have much to support this thought beyond the use of the name Oscar and the line about 'old fashioned lamps', [also 'My career's natural birth/And its ultimate fall' and 'All I wanted was to know/If there's anyone like me'] but it was my first initial impression