#11
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The day before yesterday I got that the angel Gabriel is the angel of death in the Jewry. I think that's interesting because so the hero of the story thinks that the angel of the death is coming, it's another link to his impression that he'll die.
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#12
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So she could be wondering from "which star" do man's atoms come, and by "which spark," that is, which supernova (or even which Big Bang) did man come about?
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D'où est, d'où vient l'homme, petit marcheur dans le réel?
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#13
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#14
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Speaking of Go Ask Alice I just read that book a few days ago. It was pretty good but was depressing at the end. She (Alice) was a heavy drug user.
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#15
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Go Ask Alice is a very good book, you should read it if you already haven't.
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#16
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My turn.
This song is deep. It's a mistake to think it's primarily about drugs. It's primarily about enlightenment, the Mysteries, penetrating the illusion to see the reality underlying it. Secondarily it's about drugs, as a symbol of and/or a method of achieving that penetration. There are some hidden drug references in the lyrics (written by Jean Fauque) but they themselves are a hidden reference to something else. Fauque wrote the lyrics, but Alizée approved them, obviously. This is another clue to something I've said about her before: she's more mystical, more magical, more occult than a lot of people may realize. (However, I don't believe she's a druggie; there's no sign of this that I can see. Although Fauque is old enough that he may have been in the past.) I'm going to give a loose translation here, trying as best I can to reproduce in English what Fauque did in French. This will not be literal. See above for translations that will better give the literal sense of the French words. Where did man come from This is the needle that we thread Whence comes the soul And so who invented the code "The code" is in part a reference to the DNA code, but more the code of reality, the riddle of our lives. Before you so many others have sought To touch the sky Even artificially To touch the sky is a metaphor for enlightenment; so is flight (below). "Artificially" is the first drug reference -- use of drugs for spiritual purposes, it means. But it can also mean to fake the experience of enlightenment, or to force it (which psychedelic drugs sometimes do). Gifted with flight The bird excites your jealousy Close the shutters You could become it Very important, flight as metaphor for enlightenment, the flight of the soul. Closing the shutters = closing the eyes, removing the mind from the bondage of matter -- you could become the bird within. Acid is the life which surrounds you The love around you Has such fear of emptiness I think this may be another cryptic drug reference playing between English and French (unless of course "Acide" is French slang for LSD the way "Acid" is in English -- I'm not sure). Thus I left the translation of "acide" as "acid," which in English can be either a noun or an adjective. More important is the idea of life being bitter, acrid, or sour, and of love fearing emptiness, the emptiness of separation. Psychédélices The helix eclipses itself You drink from the chalice Until the kill Now let's look at that title word. It's a mix of the two words "psychédelique" (psychedelic) and "délices" (delights). Mind-expanding delights. Note that "psychedelic" does NOT necessarily mean drugs, although that's one of the meanings. It refers to a spiritual mind-expansion, cosmic consciousness. Psychédélices can be roughly translated as "mind-expanding delights." The second line has layers of meaning. The helix refers to DNA, but also to the spiral of creation. "Eclipser" in French, like "to eclipse" in English, can mean either to blot out/hide, or to outshine, as we speak of one achievement eclipsing another. The French word has the same two meanings. So: in blotting itself out, the spiral of creation (or of life) outshines itself, becomes something greater. To drink from the chalice is a metaphor for life, or for spiritual awakening. "Until the kill" (jusqu'a l'hallali) -- man, I love that! Just say it, or listen to Alizée singing that line, the way it rolls off the tongue. Beautiful. Anyway -- "kill" here is a hunting term, until the quarry is caught and killed. Until you achieve the awakening you seek. Psychédélices It's just like Alice To believe in miracles After the awakening Alice is a reference to Alice in Wonderland. (I'm really thinking Fauque must be fluent in English, and familiar with English language literature.) There are all kinds of drug references in that story, too, but again, the hidden nature of reality is more important. The second two lines should be clear in meaning in the context of enlightenment and spirituality. Where did man come from The little walker in reality Whence come his atoms From which star did they shine? The reference here is to man as a mote of consciousness moving through reality -- the little walker. The connection between the self and the cosmos is also stated, with the physical/chemical connection between our bodies and star-stuff being a metaphor for this -- NOT the literal intended statement. You believe that your body has wings That the angel Gabriel Is here for the announcement The reference to Gabriel and the announcement is to the end of the world in Christian mythos: the last judgment. You believe it's all over, that your body has put on wings and you are finally free. That is, in fact, what it feels like. Even if it isn't true. In a deeper sense, it is. Soft is satin When the dark night is dressed in white Alladin's lamp Suddenly burns with five hundred thousand watts The "dark night" refers to the "Dark Night of the Soul," a concept from the Catholic mystic St. John of the Cross, who wrote a powerful poem of the same name. It's a mystic transformation, the loss of selfhood or lesser identity, to allow the emergence of the greater Identity that is always hidden beneath. One strange thing: the French line is "Quand la nuit noire s'habille de white" -- not "de blanc." Fauque uses the English word. I'm not quite sure why. The image of Alladin's lamp, the mystic summoner of power, and the incredible burst of light are appropriate here. Acid is the time that goes by Wobbling around you You do not come back the same Another meaning of "acid" is the idea of dissolving: this is another metaphor for spiritual transformation. Time becomes unsteady; it wobbles around you. You are transformed: you don't come back the same. Psychédélices Délisoleil You drink from the chalice Until the kill Another wonderful made-up word: délisoleil. Délices and soleil, I would say: Psychedlic delights; solar delights. Psychédélices It's just like Alice To believe in miracles After the awakening
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Même si tu es au loin, mon coeur sait que tu es avec moi The Stairway To Nowhere (FREE): http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/8357 The Child of Paradox: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/27019 The Golden Game: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/56716 Last edited by Deepwaters; 12-13-2008 at 12:54 AM.. |
#17
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I love the lyrics to this song. Jean Fauque did a wonderful job on them. I know it's not the most exciting or the most popular song on the album, but I loved it from the beginning. I just wish more people appreciated this kind of work. And Alizée did a great job singing it.
I like your analysis Deep. Quote:
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http://www.youtube.com/user/lefty12357 |
#18
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I feel I have to apologize to Her Grace and her mystic poet, M. Fauque, because I initially said I didn't like this song much. I now understand why she likes it so much, and why it's the title song. The power of it is in the lyrics, and the lyrics are not easy to understand, especially for someone like me who is not a native Francophone. As music, there are better songs on this album, I still feel, but as poetry, this is sublime.
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Même si tu es au loin, mon coeur sait que tu es avec moi The Stairway To Nowhere (FREE): http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/8357 The Child of Paradox: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/27019 The Golden Game: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/56716 |
#19
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It’s funny. Before I knew more of what this song was really about, I still had that initial feeling that it was lyrically wonderful, so I gave it high marks expecting to be proven correct once I understood it better. I liked the way Alizée sang it, but I agree that musically it is not the best on the CD.
There are other songs on this CD I didn’t appreciate a lot at first, but have grown on me quite a bit. Isn’t it wonderful that a year later, we are still finding new things to appreciate about this CD. I wish the whole world felt the same way. I know I keep repeating myself, but this CD is better than many of the initial reactions it received would have you believe.
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http://www.youtube.com/user/lefty12357 |
#20
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Thanks Deepwater for revealing the meaning of it. This helps me appreciate and accept the album and new style more.
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<3
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