The song sounds beautiful, but when I listen to it, I'm getting some really horrible images from the lyrics, about what different societies consider marks the difference between a girl and a woman.
The first verse is a girl being led into the dark by a boy who forces himself on her, taking her "virginity". ("She's been ensnared" and "He shoves her to the ground").
The second is a young girl being taken by her mother to be circumcised, being held down while this happens. ("Don't be scared, just relax and breathe / good girls hold real still / surrender your free will", while the imagery of "they cracked the crown / to pluck the pearl" and "the jagged edge of the world" suggest the mutilation itself).
Finally, the third is a young mother in a welfare line, wanting a better future for her daughter.
The song sounds beautiful, but when I listen to it, I'm getting some really horrible images from the lyrics, about what different societies consider marks the difference between a girl and a woman.
The first verse is a girl being led into the dark by a boy who forces himself on her, taking her "virginity". ("She's been ensnared" and "He shoves her to the ground"). The second is a young girl being taken by her mother to be circumcised, being held down while this happens. ("Don't be scared, just relax and breathe / good girls hold real still / surrender your free will", while the imagery of "they cracked the crown / to pluck the pearl" and "the jagged edge of the world" suggest the mutilation itself). Finally, the third is a young mother in a welfare line, wanting a better future for her daughter.