BIGINOIL wrote: Back on the subject of, you know, the music of New Order, I have something to throw into the Odyssey theory.
I have been thinking about the following lines, the bridge from the song “Waiting for the Siren’s Call”:
How many times must I lose my way, Eh? How many words do I have to say, Eh? What can I do just to make you see, That you're so good for a man like, A man like me
This brings to my mind the tasks that are often set to test the heroes of the great legends. These lines make me think that the singer is attempting to convey the sense of hopelessness the Hero feels when faced with these seemingly impossible tasks. The hero is required to prove his worth in the heroic tradition, and he doesn’t know how to go about it. His cries evoke a heroic call to the gods “What do I have to do? What is the nature of this challenge?”
Interestingly, the last two lines of the bridge contain an unexpected twist. Rather than the expected ‘How can I prove that I’m good enough for you’, the logic is ‘how can I prove that you’re good enough for me’. Surely, if the person being addressed needs to prove her (or, if certain less reputable threads on this forum are to be believed, ‘his’) worth, surely it should be her that's getting lost in the boat. I cannot explain this, and it is putting a bit of a spanner in my theory.
Also, the hero’s choice of language rather spoils the idea that he is addressing the Gods. Although it is popular to add the word “Eh?” to the end of a question, particularly in the area around me and Barney’s home town of Manchester, it’s hardly proper English. I like to think of my heroes making an effort to speak correctly when addressing the all-powerful ones.
Nevertheless, I offer this theory, flawed as it is, as food for thought.
I applaud this insight, Big. I think that the line "How many times must I lose my way" fits particularly well into the intepretation you are giving it.
With respect to the last two lines, I think we need to keep in mind that presumably for a number of reasons, the band did not want to make the mythological parallels overly obvious. To begin with, if it had been clear to the world that this was an album based on an ancient Greek epic poem, that notion might have been expected to have an adverse impact on sales. Plus of course, the fact that the parallels are not entirely on the surface is part of the appeal.
My point is that when one finds lines that fit into the overall structure, the fact that surrounding lines don't fit as well does not seem to me to be a reason for disregarding the lines that do fit.
Good work!
less serious TYPES-you ringing my BELL?
