Musical Musings
Mar. 11th, 2006 10:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
forsythYou know, I like Natalie Merchant's songs, for the most part. She has a really good voice, and I like the sound, usually. But there's one where the lyrics puzzle me. I still like the song, but the lyrics just trip me with a "huh?" reaction. At least part of them. Some of the other bits are parts I wish I'd thought of first or could steal for something else. The song's Wonder, and the lyrics that trip me up are the chorus.
They say I must be one of the wonders
Of God's own creation
And they smile as they can see they can offer
No explanation
There's two parts of this that confuse me. The first is the "...wonders of God's own creation..." part. From the theme of the song, I'd kinda figure, y'know, everything's God's own creation, what with the whole making the world in seven days bit. But that's really just a minor logical inconsistency with implied metaphysics, not really something to pick at. (Though it gave me an idea for something else to discuss later.)
It's the second stanza which confuses me. (And my interpretation could be wrong, some of the sites I saw read it as ...and as far as they can see..., which changes the meaning a bit, but most of my points stand.) Okay. So. This is something that's not just confined to this song, it's a much more widespread thing. People who see understanding things as bad. I don't get that. At all. The smiling when unable to explain part rings exceptionally false, but may be misheard. Why is being unable to explain something good, or desirable? And part of the other lyrics, yeah, the media can make things really banal, but again, asking questions isn't going to steal the glory of her story.
I still like the song, mind you. But I don't understand it. I like it like I like something from a totally alien culture. There's assumptions there on a base level I just don't share.
They say I must be one of the wonders
Of God's own creation
And they smile as they can see they can offer
No explanation
There's two parts of this that confuse me. The first is the "...wonders of God's own creation..." part. From the theme of the song, I'd kinda figure, y'know, everything's God's own creation, what with the whole making the world in seven days bit. But that's really just a minor logical inconsistency with implied metaphysics, not really something to pick at. (Though it gave me an idea for something else to discuss later.)
It's the second stanza which confuses me. (And my interpretation could be wrong, some of the sites I saw read it as ...and as far as they can see..., which changes the meaning a bit, but most of my points stand.) Okay. So. This is something that's not just confined to this song, it's a much more widespread thing. People who see understanding things as bad. I don't get that. At all. The smiling when unable to explain part rings exceptionally false, but may be misheard. Why is being unable to explain something good, or desirable? And part of the other lyrics, yeah, the media can make things really banal, but again, asking questions isn't going to steal the glory of her story.
I still like the song, mind you. But I don't understand it. I like it like I like something from a totally alien culture. There's assumptions there on a base level I just don't share.
