Saturday 30 January 2010

What is THAT supposed to mean, or do, or say?


Say You Don't Love Him, My Salamander.
Why Do You Need Him?
Oh No, Don't Answer, Oh No.


Perplexing lyrics. While I usually take songs at their face value, others seem open to interpretation. Initially I thought this a love song, however the presence of the word salamander is confusing, one of several images which seem contradictory, sarcastic, perhaps stemming from bitter root of rejection or abandonment. 'my Salamander'. Not your usual term of endearment, rather evoking images of something reptile-like. Hardened and unresponsive. Something was not right. Reminds me of the cartoon skunk, Pe'pe le Pu, who is after the feline frantic to get away from him. Unwanted and unsolicited one-sided affection. One would think these feelings are not uncommon to McCartney, you know, feelings of being stalked. Something he could relate to, and perhaps create a song about. So I thought about a scenerio and applied the lyrics and they seemed to fit. My thought was that this is person (not McCartney) but the person he is pretending to be, is a bone fide stalker. Rejection can bring a man or woman to act on ideas and feelings which are completely erroneous. This guy bought an RV and is headed to Florida ( the Salamander being a person who can tolerate heat), to confront the woman who has up and left him for another lover. He's a stalker alright, convinced that she still loves him, when in actuality she is in hiding and has blocked his calls and emails. He refers to her as My Salamander. In a normal relationship this kind of talk is intimate and sweet, however in the world of the psychopathic stalker, they denote ownership. Read the lyrics...he's getting closer...closer...

I'm Getting Closer,
I'm Getting Closer To Your Heart.

Keeping Ahead Of The Rain On The Road,
Watching My Windscreen Wipers.
Radio Play Me A Danceable Ode,
Cattle Beware Of Snipers.

When Will You See Me, My Salamander?
Now Don't Try To Tell Me
Oh No, Don't Answer, Oh No.

L'm Getting Closer,
I'm Getting Closer To Your Heart.

Hitting The Chisel And Making A Joint,
Glueing My Fingers Together.
Radio Play Me A Song With A Point,
Sailor Beware Of Weather.

L'm Getting Closer, My Salamander.
Well When Will We Be There?
Ah No, Don't Answer, Oh No.

L'm Getting Closer,
I'm Getting Closer To Your Heart.
I'm Getting Closer To Your Heart.
I'm Getting Closer To Your Heart.


You have to admit is has a certain Lecterain creepiness.
Or maybe it's just singing about a salamander!



The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
salamander [ˈsæləˌmændə]
n
1. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) any of various urodele amphibians, such as Salamandra salamandra (European fire salamander) of central and S Europe (family Salamandridae). They are typically terrestrial, have an elongated body, and only return to water to breed
2. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) Chiefly US and Canadian any urodele amphibian
3. (Myth & Legend / European Myth & Legend) a mythical reptile supposed to live in fire
4. (Myth & Legend / European Myth & Legend) an elemental fire-inhabiting being
5. any person or thing able to exist in fire or great heat
6. (Engineering / Metallurgy) Metallurgy a residue of metal and slag deposited on the walls of a furnace
7. (Miscellaneous Technologies / Building) a portable stove used to dry out a building under construction
[from Old French salamandre, from Latin salamandra, from Greek]
salamandrine [ˌsæləˈmændrɪn] adj

3 comments:

BT said...

Again... What's that supposed to mean or say or do? Truer words were never spoken. A more enigmatic song has never been sung.

BT said...

The question was posed when the THAT was proposed.

Gina said...

i assure you, BT, twas an idea spoken, in jest, which was no sooner employed then deployed. Correction, no sooner proposed then disposed. Happily, it sparked a line which will not soon depart from our repertoire, portly sir.

GG