I prefer a more hyperbolic reading of the song with Merrill presenting a really exaggerated, unrealistic example of female subordination, the kind that a lot of men expect from women after watching pornography: some slutty girl who will take any insult or humiliation with a smile. Especially considering the album's original title "Women Who Kill" (which shares its name with a classic book on Domestic Violence by Ann Jones), it's hard to believe the narrator truly craves abuse from her partner. I think it's more likely that she has been so brutalized by her lover's insults (which are smartly equated with bombs) that she discards her rebellious thoughts ("Rebel, rebel, no) and can no longer "find [her] way".
I prefer a more hyperbolic reading of the song with Merrill presenting a really exaggerated, unrealistic example of female subordination, the kind that a lot of men expect from women after watching pornography: some slutty girl who will take any insult or humiliation with a smile. Especially considering the album's original title "Women Who Kill" (which shares its name with a classic book on Domestic Violence by Ann Jones), it's hard to believe the narrator truly craves abuse from her partner. I think it's more likely that she has been so brutalized by her lover's insults (which are smartly equated with bombs) that she discards her rebellious thoughts ("Rebel, rebel, no) and can no longer "find [her] way".
I like.
I like.