i'm enjoying this discussion. to agree with the main points, i think it especially makes sense with the cup dropping and the loss of a head that an assassination attempt on the king was attempted, the perpetrator was beheaded, and she fled fearing getting caught in the revolution.
i agree that lola is the spider metaphorically throughout the entire song. so then the following verse is a reflection of her preying on rich man after rich man (flies) for their money. the machine refers to just the normal system by which a common spider catches flies in its web, and also the lola's gypsy lifestyle of selling herself. the character of lola sees some habitual behavior she is doing as morally reprehensible, yet she indifferently continues killing flies.
"You caught a fly, floating by, Wait for him to drown in the dust;
drown in the dust of other flies, whereby the machine is run,
and the deed is done. Heaven has no word for the way you and your friends
have treated poor Louis. May god save your poor soul, Lola.
(But there is nothing I adore, apart from that whore's black heart.)"
the last part of the song before the final bookend interests me - it seems to me very frantic and stream-of-consciousness, which indicates some sort of climactic emotional scene or series of fever-induced memories. wikipedia says lola had a temper and stubbornness that were fierce. the negative verbiage "cornered rat," "god spat," "half-dead" seems to put lola in the frame of mind of intense self-loathing or some kind of extreme emotional outburst throughout this sequence. she is racing through these memories so fast it's difficult to dissect.
when she says, "have on on me," i agree that she may be repeatedly pushing poisoned wine upon her lover, louis/ludwig, since perhaps their relationship has grown over the course of the song into a toxic, bitter one. it could be a toxic relationship with a man, or flashbacks to a series of men she has in some way, more or less, preyed upon, pushed poison upon. it could also be her talking to herself- pushing poison on herself for all of these regretful traumatic memories haunting her in this "hallucinatory narration," since there are hints of self-loathing or disdain for a certain aspect of her famed lifestyle.
also of note is the daddy-long-leg/lola relationship being that of father and child. if she's this powerful spider capturing flies, why does she feel helpless in his arms, as the narrator of "no provenance" feels with her partner? maybe this captivation is true love, which goes at odds with lola's nomadic lively yearning for freedom? the dichotomy of choosing freedom & movement versus choosing entrapment & stability, i think is present in many songs on the album from "easy" to "in california"
also of note is the daddy-long-leg/lola relationship being that of father and child. if she's this powerful spider capturing flies, why does she feel helpless in his arms, as the narrator of "no provenance" feels with her partner? maybe this captivation is true love, which goes at odds with lola's nomadic lively yearning for freedom? the dichotomy of choosing freedom & movement versus choosing entrapment & stability, i think is present in many songs on the album from "easy" to "in california"
i'm enjoying this discussion. to agree with the main points, i think it especially makes sense with the cup dropping and the loss of a head that an assassination attempt on the king was attempted, the perpetrator was beheaded, and she fled fearing getting caught in the revolution.
i agree that lola is the spider metaphorically throughout the entire song. so then the following verse is a reflection of her preying on rich man after rich man (flies) for their money. the machine refers to just the normal system by which a common spider catches flies in its web, and also the lola's gypsy lifestyle of selling herself. the character of lola sees some habitual behavior she is doing as morally reprehensible, yet she indifferently continues killing flies.
"You caught a fly, floating by, Wait for him to drown in the dust; drown in the dust of other flies, whereby the machine is run, and the deed is done. Heaven has no word for the way you and your friends have treated poor Louis. May god save your poor soul, Lola. (But there is nothing I adore, apart from that whore's black heart.)"
the last part of the song before the final bookend interests me - it seems to me very frantic and stream-of-consciousness, which indicates some sort of climactic emotional scene or series of fever-induced memories. wikipedia says lola had a temper and stubbornness that were fierce. the negative verbiage "cornered rat," "god spat," "half-dead" seems to put lola in the frame of mind of intense self-loathing or some kind of extreme emotional outburst throughout this sequence. she is racing through these memories so fast it's difficult to dissect.
when she says, "have on on me," i agree that she may be repeatedly pushing poisoned wine upon her lover, louis/ludwig, since perhaps their relationship has grown over the course of the song into a toxic, bitter one. it could be a toxic relationship with a man, or flashbacks to a series of men she has in some way, more or less, preyed upon, pushed poison upon. it could also be her talking to herself- pushing poison on herself for all of these regretful traumatic memories haunting her in this "hallucinatory narration," since there are hints of self-loathing or disdain for a certain aspect of her famed lifestyle.
also of note is the daddy-long-leg/lola relationship being that of father and child. if she's this powerful spider capturing flies, why does she feel helpless in his arms, as the narrator of "no provenance" feels with her partner? maybe this captivation is true love, which goes at odds with lola's nomadic lively yearning for freedom? the dichotomy of choosing freedom & movement versus choosing entrapment & stability, i think is present in many songs on the album from "easy" to "in california"
also of note is the daddy-long-leg/lola relationship being that of father and child. if she's this powerful spider capturing flies, why does she feel helpless in his arms, as the narrator of "no provenance" feels with her partner? maybe this captivation is true love, which goes at odds with lola's nomadic lively yearning for freedom? the dichotomy of choosing freedom & movement versus choosing entrapment & stability, i think is present in many songs on the album from "easy" to "in california"