"The Dark I Know Well" Question

[Mtay156]

Posted: 1/29/07 at 10:06pm

In the song from Spring Awakening, Are the girls talking about their fathers taking advantage of them?
Updated On: 1/29/07 at 10:06 PM

[gumbo2]

Posted: 1/29/07 at 10:06pm

Yes.

[dramaqueen2]

Posted: 1/29/07 at 10:13pm

yes, and to add more..

in the scene preceding this song, martha is telling the other girls about how her father beats her.. however in the song, the lyrics imply more than just beating is going on. there is an underlying, i would say, molestation.. or how you said it.. taking advantage of.. that happens "in the dark"
and if you really read the lyrics, it will become much clearer that is absolutely what is going on. the script itself doesn't really flat out say that that is what happens.. but the lyrics make it quite evident.
it is such a great and really very powerful song though. love it.

[snl89]

Posted: 1/29/07 at 10:18pm

*SPOILERS*

the whole scene is SO intense in the show. I mean I think I'd gotten that it was a very sexual song before I saw it, but its was just much more intense than I even expected it to be.

and yes, even FROM the dialague I think you can basically get the impression that something is going on more than just beating. Mostly because... she's talking about him coming late at night. and beating her. That doesn't just exactly happen unless there's something more than beating to it, you know?

[dramaqueen2]

Posted: 1/29/07 at 10:19pm

this is true snl.. when i go see the show again i'll look out more carefully for that.

[Trina55]

Posted: 1/30/07 at 10:34am

Right before Ilse starts singing, Stephen Spinella has the line "Ilse, Ilse, Story time." I'm pretty sure they added that in the transfer, and I thought it helped to clarify her relationship to the song immensely.

[uncageg]

Posted: 1/30/07 at 11:41am

That is one of my favorite songs in the show. It has a Coldplay sound and feel to it.

[dramaqueen2]

Posted: 1/30/07 at 12:24pm

oooh, good connection incageg! never thought of it that way..

this song is so.. gahh.. love it.

[.LittleWing. 0224]

Posted: 1/30/07 at 1:20pm

actually i think the most telling lyric "you say all you want is just to kiss goodnight then you hold me and you whisper 'child the lord won't mind'".

it says it all. obviously there's sexual abuse happening and the fact that it becomes very clear and yet is never spelled out for you adds to the brilliance and power of the song.

[Josh Freilich]

Posted: 1/30/07 at 1:59pm

I knew that "God it's good, the lovin', ain't it good tonight? You ain't seen nothin' yet, gonna treat you right, it's just you and me. Child, you're a beauty." had some molestation hints woven and sewn into its edges. Those lyrics bring chills to my spine, and now that you brought it up, it brings even more chills. I love that song so much.

[snl89]

Posted: 1/30/07 at 4:32pm

its one of those songs where, you WANT to cheer afterwards because Lilli and- well, I saw Krysta, who was amazing, but usually Lauren- are SO kick ass in it, but you end up not really because... its just not appropriate to clap after a song like that. Its too chilling and horrible to be cheering for it. But they do it SO well!!

Updated On: 1/30/07 at 04:32 PM

[xM3L24x]

Posted: 1/30/07 at 6:25pm

Dark I Know Well was the only part of the show that I got really emotional over. I cried a little during Left Behind when Moritz's dad started to cry, but Dark I Know Well was so powerfully done it was overwhelming.

It was absolutely amazing. The subject matter is SO sad, but it's such a beautiful song.

[Taryn]

Posted: 1/30/07 at 6:30pm

The diagonal beams of light coming up on the father and the mother towards the end of the song is one of those great theatrical moments that sent chills down my spine.

[snl89]

Posted: 1/30/07 at 6:36pm

ugg the lighting in that scene is just. well, the lighting in the whole show is so amazing, but yeah. It totally gave me shivers.

Its funny... as incredibly, incredibly sad as I was durring the Left Behind scene, the scenes that affected me the MOST were Dark I Know Well and right before Those You've Known. I think that's largely due to the fact that I just wasnt prepared for either of those. I knew about Moritz's suicide, so I was kind of bracing myself for that the whole time. Also,its not MEANT to be as... haunting I think. I think that scenes more just meant to be very deeply SAD. But Dark I Know Well and Those You've Known just really hit me hard, and I couldn't stop thinking about them long after the show ended.

[dramaqueen2]

Posted: 1/30/07 at 10:03pm

agree with you litte women..

and seriously, i am getting the chills jsut reading this board. throughout the entire show i kept getting the chills, it was so powerful. i can't even handle it.

and as someone mentioned, the lighting.. agh! amazing! i am kind of a lighting nerd, i always look for them during shows, and this lighting design is some of the most beautiful and original work i have ever seen. fantastic.

and as far as the songs, well, basically the whole soundtrack.. the first word to describe it that always comes to my mind, is haunting. truly. i am just so effected after listening to it and i am just so impressed and awestruck by it, it just haunts me, especially some of the deeper, more intense songs (all of the songs ARE deep and intense IMO, but some even moreso) that really not only make you think and consider, but you can relate and connect to. at least that is the way it is for me.

this is the best OCR currently in my collection, bar none. love to love it! <3 =)