I know this is a many years old thread but "(Song For My) Sugar Spun Sister" is one of my favorite songs of all time and it just came up for me today in a very serendipitous way out of a life experience which is exactly like the one in this song.
I completely disagree that the song is literal, and about a girl who works at the fair, selling cotton candy. Has NOBODY ever heard of METAPHOR?
I do agree that the girl is supposed to be someone who has a hard time being happy, and hates many things about her life, but nonetheless she gives it all that she's got in every area of her life.
This reason, and the fact that she is super sweet as candy, make people be irresistibly drawn to her, including the boy singing the song.
The problem is, theirs is a "star crossed love" and there is a reason she should not be with him. She allows herself to be with him anyhow, knowing it's wrong, so she hates all that she does, but she gives it all that she's got anyhow....
He equally knows it's wrong, yet he can't stop himself. She's just too sweet to resist, so he keeps going back for more and more, even though it's making him sick in his gut, because there's a reason it's not the right thing for them to be doing.. But he can't help himself because she is too sweet and irresistable, and he can't help but want to make her happy.
Yes it does sound like they are not successful at resisting the temptation, and they spend the night together. Then she tries to brush it all off pretending that it's not a big deal as represented by the line "she wakes up with the sun and asked me what is all the fuss." The fact that they shouldn't be together is also evidenced by the lyrics "as she gave me more than she thought she should."
He also knows they shouldn't be together, but he wasn't able to help himself and now he's responding with the realization of "My God what have I done, as I gave her more than I thought I would."
Theirs is classic starcrossed lovers song. It'll take all these things in oh much more before his sugar spun sister can be happy with this love. What it will take is the resolution to whatever is the reason that they really shouldn't be together and that they shouldn't have given each other so much.
I believe the real evidence that theirs is an impossible love lies in the chorus.
"Until the sky turns green, and the grass is several shades of blue, every member of Parliament trips on glue"
I agree with those who say this has nothing to do with drugs.
What it's saying is sugar spun sister cannot be happy with his love until the impossible happens, because theirs is an irreconcilable starcrossed love. So before they would really to be able to work it out, the sky will have to turn green, the grass will have to turn several shades of blue and Parliament will be entirely made up of drug addicts tripping on glue.
In other words it's NEVER going to be possible for her to be happy with his love because of whatever irreconcilable reason is in the way.
Sadly I've lived this song more than once, and know firsthand the pain of loving somebody you can't be with. Maybe I'm just seeing my own story in the song, but I definitely don't think it's literally about a guy who can't stop flirting with the cotton candy girl at the fair. The Stone Roses have never been that trite and banal. Nor is it about drugs; the reference to all of Parliament tripping on glue is strictly used as a metaphor that the impossible will have to happen before she'll be able to be happy with his love....
I know this is a many years old thread but "(Song For My) Sugar Spun Sister" is one of my favorite songs of all time and it just came up for me today in a very serendipitous way out of a life experience which is exactly like the one in this song.
I completely disagree that the song is literal, and about a girl who works at the fair, selling cotton candy. Has NOBODY ever heard of METAPHOR?
I do agree that the girl is supposed to be someone who has a hard time being happy, and hates many things about her life, but nonetheless she gives it all that she's got in every area of her life.
This reason, and the fact that she is super sweet as candy, make people be irresistibly drawn to her, including the boy singing the song.
The problem is, theirs is a "star crossed love" and there is a reason she should not be with him. She allows herself to be with him anyhow, knowing it's wrong, so she hates all that she does, but she gives it all that she's got anyhow....
He equally knows it's wrong, yet he can't stop himself. She's just too sweet to resist, so he keeps going back for more and more, even though it's making him sick in his gut, because there's a reason it's not the right thing for them to be doing.. But he can't help himself because she is too sweet and irresistable, and he can't help but want to make her happy.
Yes it does sound like they are not successful at resisting the temptation, and they spend the night together. Then she tries to brush it all off pretending that it's not a big deal as represented by the line "she wakes up with the sun and asked me what is all the fuss." The fact that they shouldn't be together is also evidenced by the lyrics "as she gave me more than she thought she should."
He also knows they shouldn't be together, but he wasn't able to help himself and now he's responding with the realization of "My God what have I done, as I gave her more than I thought I would."
Theirs is classic starcrossed lovers song. It'll take all these things in oh much more before his sugar spun sister can be happy with this love. What it will take is the resolution to whatever is the reason that they really shouldn't be together and that they shouldn't have given each other so much.
I believe the real evidence that theirs is an impossible love lies in the chorus.
"Until the sky turns green, and the grass is several shades of blue, every member of Parliament trips on glue"
I agree with those who say this has nothing to do with drugs.
What it's saying is sugar spun sister cannot be happy with his love until the impossible happens, because theirs is an irreconcilable starcrossed love. So before they would really to be able to work it out, the sky will have to turn green, the grass will have to turn several shades of blue and Parliament will be entirely made up of drug addicts tripping on glue.
In other words it's NEVER going to be possible for her to be happy with his love because of whatever irreconcilable reason is in the way.
Sadly I've lived this song more than once, and know firsthand the pain of loving somebody you can't be with. Maybe I'm just seeing my own story in the song, but I definitely don't think it's literally about a guy who can't stop flirting with the cotton candy girl at the fair. The Stone Roses have never been that trite and banal. Nor is it about drugs; the reference to all of Parliament tripping on glue is strictly used as a metaphor that the impossible will have to happen before she'll be able to be happy with his love....
My $.50 worth.