Greta's cedar hope chest
Is full of pamphlets
Glass shelves of romantic vignettes
A journal laced with sedimentary prose
Norma gathers and collects vintage photoplays
Hair combs valentines
Lillian allows the animals to scratch
And the leather crack
And the mail collect in the box as coatings peel
Agnes veiled cathedral dweller
Smiles with benevolent pain

But it's Katrina's fair
Tuesday morning
As she with caution unlatches the flat door
She alone cascades to the basement
Careful not to spoil her
Calico printed pinafore
Composite traits and mannerists
All others dissipate

Marguerite vigilant
She dwells upon frigid casements
Sarah's thoughts in high velocity
Accusations always pierce and pass
Clara abandons her passions for distastes
A Miss Lenora P. Sinclair
Early for coffee in the pool
"I'm resituating all your words"
Capital Space Colon Paragraph

Sylvia keeps beasts in jars labeled by
Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family
Genus
Species

But it's Katrina's fair
Tuesday morning
As she with caution unlatches the flat door
She alone cascades to the basement
Careful not to spoil her
Calico printed pinafore
Composite traits and mannerists
All others dissipate

Down the way a silk design
This face is mine
Tis I, Katrina!
Katrina, I.


Lyrics submitted by kornchick, edited by epiwoosh

Katrina's Fair song meanings
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2 Comments

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  • +3
    General Comment

    Oh, this is a song about a woman with multiple personalities.. Each personality has a different characteristic or focus. Each one comes out to play, then "dissipates".

    At the end of the song, Katrina finally asserts her "true" identity by shouting into an empty room. But, as assertive as she is, even Katrina is haunted by all the ghosts and their residue. Katrina never knows when the party is going to start, or when (if ever) it will end.

    The final lyrics go something like this: "Sylvia cans beasts in jars, Labels them by Kingdom Phylum Order Class, Family, Genus, Species. [chorus] Down the way(?), a silk design. This space is mine! Tis I, Katrina! Katrina, I."

    If you think about it, it's a fairly hair-raising song, one of my favorite from early 10K Maniacs.

    cbmira01on July 05, 2007   Link

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