#976
Posted: 6/11/08 at 9:54pm
For those who would like to read, my analysis of "Work the Wound."
SPOILERS MOST PROBABLY ********************************************
"Work the Wound," in my opinion, is the best song in the Passing Strange musical repertoire. Not only because of its beautiful melody, but because of Stew's haunting lyrics, that not only are wonderful as song lyrics, but also are deep and resonant in the context the show. The song essentially details Stew's life up to this point. At this point in the show, Youth's(Stew's) mother has passed away, and Youth was in Berlin when this occurred. The song's lyrics detail his feelings on this.
The song begins..
"Every day I build a mask
Up to the task
Another song you see.
I live behind the rhyme and verse.
I lift my voice til’ I lift the curse
It’s all rehearsed you see.
This music always rescues me
There’s a melody for every malady
Prescription song, you see.
And should the mask begin to fall
My chorus comes in like a twelve-foot wall
So you can’t see me."
Youth possesses a massive loss of identity, or so he says, and therefore, as he sings, "builds a mask" to hide himself from the real world. As Stew will later tell us in "Love Like That," the real is a construct, and Youth's construct is art, specifically music. Whenever something bad happens, Youth will cover it up in music, as if everything is fine.
"And I’m blessed to entertain
The crowd laughs and swoons
It’s loud guitars and champagne.
And I sleep well past noon.
But I’ve got a lot to explain,
To myself not to you.
Like who lost track of her pain.
While working their wound."
Stew sings that he enjoys this life of music, yet, he knows that by disguising himself in song, he has become unaware of "her pain," most probably, Youth's mother.
"So I finally found a home
Between the clicks of a metronome,
And a song you see.
Then I went out on a limb.
Oh, but the tree disappeared and the sky grew dim.
Then the song changed key.
But then you told me my pain entertained.
I heard the applause, thinking God you’re a sane
But what about me?"
This verse most likely describes Youth's time in Amsterdam and Berlin. He tells us that he has found a home, but he tries to go out on a limb, aka, trying to break from the paradise of his new home. But then he moves to Berlin, where "the song changed key." Youth is told that his pain entertains, a phase that was described in the Berlin part of the show.
The lyrics cleverly reverse, changing from "blessed to entertain," to "cursed to entertain," as Youth/Stew is now cursed by the music he has disguised himself with. he then goes on to say he "just got back on my train." I believe this lyric means that even by singing a song that describes his life, it torments him.
Now that he is "back on his train, he keeps working." He's back to working the wound, and trying to cover up the pain through music.
This song is essentially "Stew's Turn." Stew's way of letting loose, revealing his true self, getting everything off his chest. A brilliant song, a brilliant musician, and a haunting tale of life and music.
Such is, "Work the Wound."
SPOILERS MOST PROBABLY ********************************************
"Work the Wound," in my opinion, is the best song in the Passing Strange musical repertoire. Not only because of its beautiful melody, but because of Stew's haunting lyrics, that not only are wonderful as song lyrics, but also are deep and resonant in the context the show. The song essentially details Stew's life up to this point. At this point in the show, Youth's(Stew's) mother has passed away, and Youth was in Berlin when this occurred. The song's lyrics detail his feelings on this.
The song begins..
"Every day I build a mask
Up to the task
Another song you see.
I live behind the rhyme and verse.
I lift my voice til’ I lift the curse
It’s all rehearsed you see.
This music always rescues me
There’s a melody for every malady
Prescription song, you see.
And should the mask begin to fall
My chorus comes in like a twelve-foot wall
So you can’t see me."
Youth possesses a massive loss of identity, or so he says, and therefore, as he sings, "builds a mask" to hide himself from the real world. As Stew will later tell us in "Love Like That," the real is a construct, and Youth's construct is art, specifically music. Whenever something bad happens, Youth will cover it up in music, as if everything is fine.
"And I’m blessed to entertain
The crowd laughs and swoons
It’s loud guitars and champagne.
And I sleep well past noon.
But I’ve got a lot to explain,
To myself not to you.
Like who lost track of her pain.
While working their wound."
Stew sings that he enjoys this life of music, yet, he knows that by disguising himself in song, he has become unaware of "her pain," most probably, Youth's mother.
"So I finally found a home
Between the clicks of a metronome,
And a song you see.
Then I went out on a limb.
Oh, but the tree disappeared and the sky grew dim.
Then the song changed key.
But then you told me my pain entertained.
I heard the applause, thinking God you’re a sane
But what about me?"
This verse most likely describes Youth's time in Amsterdam and Berlin. He tells us that he has found a home, but he tries to go out on a limb, aka, trying to break from the paradise of his new home. But then he moves to Berlin, where "the song changed key." Youth is told that his pain entertains, a phase that was described in the Berlin part of the show.
The lyrics cleverly reverse, changing from "blessed to entertain," to "cursed to entertain," as Youth/Stew is now cursed by the music he has disguised himself with. he then goes on to say he "just got back on my train." I believe this lyric means that even by singing a song that describes his life, it torments him.
Now that he is "back on his train, he keeps working." He's back to working the wound, and trying to cover up the pain through music.
This song is essentially "Stew's Turn." Stew's way of letting loose, revealing his true self, getting everything off his chest. A brilliant song, a brilliant musician, and a haunting tale of life and music.
Such is, "Work the Wound."
My blog- http://okayentertainment.blogspot.com/
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