In my fantasy, they would notice me in the audience and pull me out of the crowd. They would take me back to Scotland and I would live with Stuart Murdoch in an old abandoned church.
Speaking of Stuart, he gets me all kinds of hot and bothered:
I can't really pick out a favorite song of Belle and Sebastian, though I've always been fond of "The State That I Am In." It's off of "Tigermilk," which was really early on in their recordings. What really makes their songs great is the lyrics. This song sums up a lot of themes that run through Belle and Sebastian songs: ambiguous sexuality, unrequited love, losing oneself, redemption through personal growth or higher power, and a general sense of being ok even in the midst of confusion.
My favorite lines:
The priest in the booth had a photographic memory
For all he had heard
He took all of my sins and he wrote a pocket novel called
The state I am in
So I gave myself to god
There was a pregnant pause before he said ok
Imagine me singing along (the harmony part).
The audio starts a little soft, but then gets better:
I was surprised, I was happy for a day in 1975
I was puzzled by a dream, stayed with me all day in 1995
My brother had confessed that he was gay
It took the heat off me for a while
He stood up with a sailor friend
Made it known upon my sisters wedding day
I got married in a rush to save a kid from being deported
Now shes in love
I was so touched, I was moved to kick the crutches
From my crippled friend
She was not impressed that I cured her on the sabbath
So I went to confess
When she saw the funny side, we introduced my child bride
To whisky and gin
The priest in the booth had a photographic memory
For all he had heard
He took all of my sins and he wrote a pocket novel called
The state I am in
So I gave myself to god
There was a pregnant pause before he said ok
Now I spend my day turning tables round in marks & spencers
They dont seem to mind
I gave myself to sin
I gave myself to providence
And Ive been there and back again
The state that I am in
Oh love of mine, would you condescend to help me
Cause Im stupid and blind
Desperation is the devils work, it is the folly of a boys empty mind
Now Im feeling dangerous, riding on city buses for a hobby is sad
Lead me to a living end
I promised that Id entertain my crippled friend
My crippled friend
2 comments:
Listened to that one this morning! My girlfriend introduced this band to me (probably not an uncommon occurrance) and I love them dearly. Witty and poignant, they also often do one of my favorite musical tricks: sad or introspective songs with happy or jaunty music.
Yes! Good point. That's another reason I love them- the music may be super-peppy but when you listen to the lyrics it's all about heartbreak, missed connections and despair.
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