...but what does Tori say?

[Koalapupu]

I love hearing other people's interpretations and discussing them, but I'd also like to hear Tori explain her work in her own words. So do you guys know any good links etc. where Tori is being interviewed or just tells what her songs are basically about, or what kind of emotions or thoughts she wanted to bring forward with them? I'm especially interested in Scarlet's Walk as I haven't been able to find much anything regarding that album... Other album-info is welcome as well!

Oh and by the way, how do you see the song I Can't See New York? (I'm waiting for someone braver than me to start this...)

[orfeo]

Good places to find quotes include hereinmyhead.com (has individual entries for each song) and yessaid.com (groups quotes by album as well as song).

Hope those are helpful.

[Koalapupu]

Thanks Orfeo!

checked the site and indeedy, there it all was. Great!
And good to find out too that my interpretation of New York wasn't as far fetched as I thought, but rather hit the spot. phew. hihihi.

Speaking of Scarlet's Walk I'm reading Neil Gaiman's 'American Gods' at the moment, and occasionally it just reminds me of the album. In a nutshell, it's a story about America (I haven't gone too far yet, am at the settler-part). I couldn't help but smile when I read the line "The children grew up in the lush Virginia hills..."

[fearscape222]

Speaking of Scarlet's Walk I'm reading Neil Gaiman's 'American Gods' at the moment, and occasionally it just reminds me of the album. In a nutshell, it's a story about America (I haven't gone too far yet, am at the settler-part). I couldn't help but smile when I read the line "The children grew up in the lush Virginia hills..."

I actually made a thread that was about the similarities between that part of American Gods and Virginia, but it disappeared when Haullie temporarily got rid of the "Say What" forum. Re-read that part again (the story about the girl who ended up moving to the East Coast) and then listen to Virginia. The similarities are astounding.

[Koalapupu]

Wish that thread of yours were still around. Why do you think Tori came to use this part of the story for Virginia? I kinda thought the song was more about the land, area, personified, but now after reading that bit in American Gods it seems that hm it was about a girl after all. It seems too big of a coincidence if the song and the story have nothing to do with each other. And I guess Gaiman stayed at Tori's while he was writing the book or at least some of it, so she would have had access to it early on. Uh and to make sure, I'm not accusing Tori of using someone else's ideas, I have nothing against that, especially when the people involved are friends (intertextuality rules, yay) - I was just surprised of the possible source as I hadn't heard any comparisons between the novel and the song before and just bumped into it . I'll continue reading the novel, it's mighty interesting.

heh, almost could've posted this in the 'Anyone listen to Kate Bush' thread, where I said Tori and Kate have some similarities. here would be one again: using a novel as an inspiration (Kate: Wuthering Heights, Cloudbusting).

[Julie]

I can't see New York

From here
no Lines are
drawn
From here
no lands
are owned
When tragedies like what happened on Tuesday, September 11th, 2001 happen, people sort of throw the rule book out the window. It is a time for working together and coping and having respect. It's a time for bravery.

13,000 and Holding
swallowed
in the purring
of her Engines
There are far too many deaths and it is overwhelming to Scarlet

tracking the Beakon
here
"is there a Signal
there
on the other side"
on the other side?

what do you mean side of
what things?

and you said
and you did
and you said
you would find me
here and you said you would
find me even in Death
Scarlet had a connection with a woman that went on the plane that crashed on 9/11 and Scarlet can feel this woman's pain pre-crash, during, and aftermath because of this amazing connection she has and she can still communicate with her in some ways.

and you said
and you said
You'd find me
But

I can't see New York
as I'm circling Down
through white cloud
falling out
and
I know his lips
are warm
but I can't seem
to find my way out
my way out
New York didn't look like New York on that dark day so it was unusual for Scarlet of course.

I can't see New York
as I'm circling Down
through whtie cloud
falling out
and
I know his
lips are warm
but I can't
seem to find
my way out
my way out
of
this Hunting ground
'this Hunting ground' is a metaphor for the murders that are right infront of your face and far too many of them for that matter.


From here
crystal meth
In meters of millions
In
the end
all we have,
soul blueprint,
did we get
lost in it
do we
conduct a
seartch
for this
This is the wonder that people had that day. What to do? How to act?

"from the other
side"
from the other
side?
what do they mean side of
what things...

and you said
and you did
and you said
you would find me
here and you said that you would
find me even in Death
and you said
and you said
You'd find me
But


I can't see New York
as I'm circling down
through white cloud
falling out
and I know his lips
are warm
but I can't seem
To find
my way out
my way out

I can't see New York
as I'm circling down
through white cloud
falling out
and
I know your lips
are warm
but I can't seem
To find my way
my way out
of your hunting ground


you again
it's you again
I can't see
I can't see
New York
fromt he other side
from the other side

I Hum
from the
other side

Here's Tori's description of it:
"Tori Amos wrote the searing I Can't See New York, included on her upcoming Scarlet's Walk, in which an airplane passenger's future - and perhaps her life - is obfuscated by clouds, dust, and death."
-- Washington CityPaper, 09/2002
From Boston, the story switches to New York, where Scarlet witnesses a plane crash in mid-air. Tori was in the city on September 11 and I CAN'T SEE NEW YORK is a story with obvious echoes of that fateful day. "When they watched it on TV , people had to remind themselves that it wasn't a movie. Being there and being able to smell it, you knew that it was reality."
-- Scarlet's Walk bio

"She thinks she's got it all figured out and then she, um, she goes to Boston airport. And that is when the thread leaves her and follows another woman on a different plane. And Scarlet takes a little plane. And she gets into New York and she gets into New York City where she sees this plane that this other woman is on that the thread, mm, followed and tied itself to. She sees this plane crash above New York City. And...the thread comes back to her while she's on the ground and in the panic and the chaos that happens she's able to see and hear what this woman went through before she died. So she takes that thread with her. And she doesn't leave New York, I think it's almost like uhh feeling a friend that's wounded. Not wanting to leave their side. At a certain point though, she goes. It's time for her to go."
-- Scarlet Stories CD

---

: Pocketbook (remix) - Me'Shell NdegeOcello & Tweet & Redman

---