The Playlist of Life --- Trollheart's resurrected Journal

The Batlord · 10-18-2015, 01:54 AM

Did I just see Trollheart claim that Mercyful Fate are poseur black metal? Who has kidnapped TH and replaced him with a pod person?

Trollheart · 10-18-2015, 08:50 AM

I don't know whether this is really considered metal, and to be honest I don't really care too much. It's been hard trying to find a song with lyrics I can talk about that falls outside my own self-imposed criteria as to what is not acceptable, and it's taken a long time to finally settle on one, so this is what I'm going for.

Pain of Salvation are not a band I particularly have a lot of time for, or even know, but when we reviewed this album some time ago in the poor old PRAC (may its soul rest in peace) I was quite impressed with it, and in particular with this song.

“Rope ends”, by Pain of Salvation, from the album Remedy Lane, 2002
Music and lyrics by Daniel Gildenlöw

From what I can see, and again this is only pure personal speculation, the song concerns a woman who has had enough and just decides to end it all. That's nothing all that new, but the power of this song, for me, is the terrifying mundanity and ordinary everyday backdrop that this is played out against. We hear she has made sure ”The children are safe with her mom” while she attempts her suicide bid, but ”The shower chain broke, her neck hurts.”

This is when it really gets painful, as Gildenlöw describes how she chooses one of her husband's business ties --- such a mundane, boring thing, a tie worn to a meeting or to see a client, the very symbol of the workaday world and, interestingly, the object Ned Flanders described as a noose --- and deciding on a Winnie the Pooh one (so referencing the children as well as her hubby's perhaps less than adult taste in neckwear) she prays that ”Winnie is strong, and will not let her fall.” But life persists, as if to deny her her release, and the tie, though it is strong, becomes not the instrument of her demise. Rather, the decrepit state of the house comes to her aid, and the ceiling collapses, dropping her hard on the bathroom floor, where I think she dies after hitting her head, though I'm not sure. The final line would appear to support that though: ”Red stains on porcelain, and she's not there at all.”

Personally, for me, what's so shocking and powerful about this song is not that it features a young woman, a young mother --- ”Merely twenty” --- trying and perhaps succeeding in taking her own life, but that the things we associate with childhood --- Winnie the Pooh, and Piglet and Eeyore, all symbols of happier and more innocent times --- are forced not only to witness but to become part of and even aid in her suicide attempt. It's the ultimate perversion of childhood, that cartoon characters who have held our young hands and our young minds now become instruments of death and despair, of surrender and suicide.

”She is still young… (x4)

Another day of emptiness
This life is wearing her down
The room around her is a mess
Her children safe with her mom

She is still young but feeling old
Two children with different fathers
She sits on the bathroom floor alone
The shower chain broke, her neck hurts

Then another night of emptiness to wear her down
Naked to the world, she wraps her sadness in a gown
Her children fast asleep, she sears the dark with glassy eyes
Choosing carefully among her husband's business ties

"Over!" she cries through rope ends and silk ties
Beautiful life escaping her young blue eyes
But life holds her hand, refusing to let go
Leaving her breathing on the floor

They're still asleep, don't hear her cry
She's still obsessed with rope ends
This time she picks a stronger tie
with Winnie the Pooh and friends

She is still young but feeling old
A child dying to be a mother
Now she hangs from the ceiling all alone
All pressure is falling from her

Seeing guilt has taught her guilt, she's raised on disbelief
Merely twenty, beautiful, but with a taste for grief
She has learnt all that there is to know about hopelessness
Seeing that no effort in this world could stand her test

"Over!" she cries through rope ends and silk ties
Beautiful life escaping her young blue eyes
And Winnie is strong, would never let her fall
Prevents her from breathing till she's not there at all
But life holds her hands, refusing to let go
Leaving her breathing on the floor

Seeing guilt has taught her guilt she's raised on disbelief
Merely twenty beautiful but with a taste for grief
She has learnt all that there is to know about helplessness
Seeing that no caring in this world can ease her stress

Helpless she lies in rope ends and undies
Unseeing eyes fixating Eeyore's smile
"Over!" she cries as she's going unblind
Still in this life, still in this troubled mind
The ceiling let go, the old house let her fall
Dropping her breathing to the hard cold floor
Hitting her head - a broken china soul
Red stains on porcelain and she's not there at all

Breathing she cries for rope ends and silk ties
Beautiful eyes, Piglet stands shy behind
Broken she lies, undead and unblind
Beautiful life, beautiful crying young eyes
Blackened and bruised, learning how to see
Staring at her tooth - crimsoned ivory
Hours they pass - this broken china soul
Red stains on porcelain, and she's not there at all.”

Trollheart · 10-18-2015, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frownland

Sigh. Trollheart, it is there.

The melodies on Obscura may not be the same type of melodies that you may hear on, say, a Taylor Swift or a Genesis album, but they are melodies nonetheless. They are not pretty little melodies you can pop into your pocket and hum to yourself without getting looks, of course, but it's closeminded (there's that word again) to think that they are not melodies just because you don't like them (which I understand entirely, even though I love it and **** you for thinking otherwise

). You could say the same for structure. The band is incredibly tight and there are repeated motifs regardless of how much you enjoy what they are playing. To imply that the music is freeform or structureless is as ludicrous as saying that Buddy Rich doesn't play drums on any of his songs just because you don't like jazz.

Sigh right back at you. You can't make me change my opinion just because you want me to. I understand that you, and a whole host of people love that album, but I'm entitled to see it, and review it, as it appears to me. You might as well have me try to convince you why Script for a Jester's Tear is an underrated classic. You wouldn't see it and would stick to your own preconceived view of it, which I would expect you to. I'm not saying Obscura is a crap album, just that I got nothing out of it. And nothing you say or do, including a sneery little post about how I "could have written it" will change that. You need to understand that I don't see all music the same as you do. No doubt you thought Evan Parker was great, I heard just noise and made fun of it. We all interpret music in our own different ways, and to try to push someone into seeing what you do, when it's clear they never will, is just wasted effort.

Also, remember, as always, ANYTHING I say here, unless it's backed up by other sources, is MY opinion and I don't expect everyone to agree. But if I say I don't hear melody in Album A, your quoting ten articles that say there is melody in it is equally pointless, as it's my opinion and not likely to be swayed by anything you write. I'll give most albums a shot, but if I don't like one I don't like one and nobody is going to convince me otherwise. You're just as closeminded in that regard when it comes to my music, which I accept and don't try to change your opinion. Why you keep trying to hammer me down until I accept your word that this album is great is beyond me. Just accept it man, and move on. It's only one guy's opinion on one forum in a web of limitless dimensions. In the end, what does it matter?

10-18-2015, 08:50 AM	#2 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,996	I don't know whether this is really considered metal, and to be honest I don't really care too much. It's been hard trying to find a song with lyrics I can talk about that falls outside my own self-imposed criteria as to what is not acceptable, and it's taken a long time to finally settle on one, so this is what I'm going for. Pain of Salvation are not a band I particularly have a lot of time for, or even know, but when we reviewed this album some time ago in the poor old PRAC (may its soul rest in peace) I was quite impressed with it, and in particular with this song. “Rope ends”, by Pain of Salvation, from the album Remedy Lane, 2002 Music and lyrics by Daniel Gildenlöw From what I can see, and again this is only pure personal speculation, the song concerns a woman who has had enough and just decides to end it all. That's nothing all that new, but the power of this song, for me, is the terrifying mundanity and ordinary everyday backdrop that this is played out against. We hear she has made sure ”The children are safe with her mom” while she attempts her suicide bid, but ”The shower chain broke, her neck hurts.” This is when it really gets painful, as Gildenlöw describes how she chooses one of her husband's business ties --- such a mundane, boring thing, a tie worn to a meeting or to see a client, the very symbol of the workaday world and, interestingly, the object Ned Flanders described as a noose --- and deciding on a Winnie the Pooh one (so referencing the children as well as her hubby's perhaps less than adult taste in neckwear) she prays that ”Winnie is strong, and will not let her fall.” But life persists, as if to deny her her release, and the tie, though it is strong, becomes not the instrument of her demise. Rather, the decrepit state of the house comes to her aid, and the ceiling collapses, dropping her hard on the bathroom floor, where I think she dies after hitting her head, though I'm not sure. The final line would appear to support that though: ”Red stains on porcelain, and she's not there at all.” Personally, for me, what's so shocking and powerful about this song is not that it features a young woman, a young mother --- ”Merely twenty” --- trying and perhaps succeeding in taking her own life, but that the things we associate with childhood --- Winnie the Pooh, and Piglet and Eeyore, all symbols of happier and more innocent times --- are forced not only to witness but to become part of and even aid in her suicide attempt. It's the ultimate perversion of childhood, that cartoon characters who have held our young hands and our young minds now become instruments of death and despair, of surrender and suicide. ”She is still young… (x4) Another day of emptiness This life is wearing her down The room around her is a mess Her children safe with her mom She is still young but feeling old Two children with different fathers She sits on the bathroom floor alone The shower chain broke, her neck hurts Then another night of emptiness to wear her down Naked to the world, she wraps her sadness in a gown Her children fast asleep, she sears the dark with glassy eyes Choosing carefully among her husband's business ties "Over!" she cries through rope ends and silk ties Beautiful life escaping her young blue eyes But life holds her hand, refusing to let go Leaving her breathing on the floor They're still asleep, don't hear her cry She's still obsessed with rope ends This time she picks a stronger tie with Winnie the Pooh and friends She is still young but feeling old A child dying to be a mother Now she hangs from the ceiling all alone All pressure is falling from her Seeing guilt has taught her guilt, she's raised on disbelief Merely twenty, beautiful, but with a taste for grief She has learnt all that there is to know about hopelessness Seeing that no effort in this world could stand her test "Over!" she cries through rope ends and silk ties Beautiful life escaping her young blue eyes And Winnie is strong, would never let her fall Prevents her from breathing till she's not there at all But life holds her hands, refusing to let go Leaving her breathing on the floor Seeing guilt has taught her guilt she's raised on disbelief Merely twenty beautiful but with a taste for grief She has learnt all that there is to know about helplessness Seeing that no caring in this world can ease her stress Helpless she lies in rope ends and undies Unseeing eyes fixating Eeyore's smile "Over!" she cries as she's going unblind Still in this life, still in this troubled mind The ceiling let go, the old house let her fall Dropping her breathing to the hard cold floor Hitting her head - a broken china soul Red stains on porcelain and she's not there at all Breathing she cries for rope ends and silk ties Beautiful eyes, Piglet stands shy behind Broken she lies, undead and unblind Beautiful life, beautiful crying young eyes Blackened and bruised, learning how to see Staring at her tooth - crimsoned ivory Hours they pass - this broken china soul Red stains on porcelain, and she's not there at all.” __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018