Today’s slow drag is with “Church Underground” from “National Ransom,” released in 2010. Songwriting credit goes to Mr. Elvis Costello.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFDk4OaSRJg The first four lines that are set up by the narrator, dispense with preamble, delving right into the defiance, the sordid history, and the mustered up courage that flows throughout the piece. She stood spotlit in a plain print dress Came howling out of the wilderness There beat a cunning and murderous heart Beneath that calm exterior Natural talent. Raw magnetism. A bit of a deer in the headlights perhaps. Whatever you do, don’t show fear. Why I mentioned the existence of a narrator comes from subsequent lines that are framed within quote marks. And I quote: "You know my name. You don't know my mind Don't doubt my eyes. They betray the past And I've already forgotten. Much more than you will ever know" Every word that I have spoken is true Except the ones that have been broken in two Here we have no quotes, but we do have a quandary. Written out, the last word is t-w-o, as in broken into one/two pieces. But i-n-t-o might do just as well; something broken into, something burgled in order to change the truth of. This puzzle is followed by a weary realization I'm trying to make peace after a long night of pretend I need a pawnbroker or moneylender That must have been some night. There are many places to pretend, of course, but the pinpointed answer of what transpired might come a bit later in this narrative. Until then, there’s an entreating proclamation that demands attention: Why do you do me down, Mister? Sing "Hallelujah," Sister Mr. Google tells me to “do someone down” is British vernacular for being underhanded or to try to get the better of someone. As you can hear, I’m looking at many turns of phrases from an American point of view, so some idioms might be more familiar than others. That drawn out “hallelujah,” as it’s sung, is about 10 or so syllables long, and is simply infectious. Although the word is sung differently, this does remind me of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” and how Mr. Costello sang “Future” and “Bird on the Wire” at the Tribute to Leonard Cohen concert in November 2017. “Hallelujah,” or “praise the lord” inches us closer to what a “church underground” has to do with a brave singer and a person down on their luck. Turn up the volume, just to turn it down The trivial secrets buried with profound I love this sort of gibberish: These swings in extremes are always so pleasing. Nonsensical or dripping with meaning; your choice. They seem to conjure a different image, a different vibe, each time they’re heard. This is another prime example, in my opinion, of the great staying power of his work. It's enough to put a church underground It took long enough to get to the chorus. So, it can wait a little longer. Let’s hear more about our main character as told by the narrator, no quotes: Deflowered young and then ever since She's tried to wash off his fingerprints So every charlatan and prince Was made to feel inferior Gorgeous slant rhyme: since, fingerprints, prince, and inferior. A rare, strong, and defiant look at overcoming misconduct, taking a bad situation and conquering it. Strong female characters, often voiced in both the third and first person, abound in his canon. This is a motif that needs more exploration, and one that I’ll be sure to revisit from time to time. She worked for tips in a ten-cent dance Said moving pictures might pay perchance Doing what you have to do to get by until something better comes along. It’s an age-old tale. The first “moving picture,” a 2 second clip of a horse running, was made by Eadweard Muybridge (Edward My-bridge), and called, “Sallie Gardner at a Gallop,” shot in 1878. Before doing so, however, Mr. Muybridge reportedly killed his wife’s lover, but was acquitted on the grounds of what his Wikipedia page called “justifiable homicide.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqfCmQtrTcE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bmuo45NR6qE https://www.britannica.com/biography/Eadweard-Muybridge https://www.britannica.com/art/history-of-the-motion-picture/Post-World-War-I-European-cinema While searching for the origins of the “ten cent dance,” I came across an Atlas Obscura webpage article about “taxi-dancers” in the 1920s and 30s. Originating in San Francisco and giving a more fun-loving middle class approach to its stuffy precursor of earnest ballroom dancing, these were places that “treaded the line between illicit and respectable entertainment.” The Atlas Obscura article is entitled, “why men in the 1920s paid women for spins around the dance floor.” It’s an insightful read about the American zeitgeist at the time. And may also explain why the narrator is looking for a pawnbroker, having spent the night before buying tickets (or over-tipping for) for dances. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/why-men-in-the-1920s-paid-women-for-spins-around-the-dance-hall So, now it’s time to go back to the beginning, back to the vivid description of a woman standing alone in the spotlight; only, this time it’s reframed just a bit differently. The shaft of fanlight streaked with rain Poured through the glass, punched through the pain A fanlight, that little glass panel above a door, floods a room with light when the time is just right, but if it’s streaked with rain, it’s probably a cloudy day, and therefore providesno focused light at all. So, maybe there is no proper stage, just a dolled up woman in gloomy room since: She must have been dreaming this all along Could she be redeeming herself in song? Here comes another quote: "I'm no-one's martyred, plaster saint Below the grease, beneath the paint" I'm rolling like barrel Swinging like a gallow I'm rising up fast like all hell and all hallows Here we have both raising hell and elevating a saintly person. Since a case can be made that this is set in the 1920s American, and therefore during prohibition, also known as the “temperance movement,” the barrel conjures booze and the swinging gallows suggests the glee that comes from breaking the law, and, conceivably the ultimate death sentence that’s sure to follow such sinful debauchery. https://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/prohibition Why do you do me down, Mister? Sing "Hallelujah," Sister We’ve heard this before, but now the chorus takes a different direction. I'll be damned or purgatory bound Before those jokers ever understand It’s enough to put a church underground In my mind, Purgatory seems a bit like the place where Dorothy and her pals went just before they met the wizard. https://www.britannica.com/topic/purgatory-Roman-Catholicism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur7GnxTkS-M A quick internet search returns links to churches that are actually underground, found in such places as China, Canada, and Ethiopia. But we’re after a “church underground.” For that, it’s time to turn to the scriptures, in particular, Hebrews 11:36-38. In one Wordpress blog I found, there was the “New International Version,” that ends with: “They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.” https://johnfinkbeiner.wordpress.com/2015/02/23/what-does-underground-church-mean/ The “English Standard Version” of the same passage I found, on the other hand, seems to get to the heart of the matter: Quote: “They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated of whom the world was not worthy, wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves in the earth.” https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Heb%2011.36–38 And that is about as far as I feel comfortable wading into religious waters. I don’t want to unintentionally offend anyone. I’m just here for the popcorn and door prizes. It's enough to put a church underground — Dig it Again, this has been a slow drag through “Church Underground,” from 2010’s “National Ransom.” Songwriter, Mr. Elvis Costello. Thank you very much for finding this appreciation of Elvis Costello poetry. So, until next time, Adieu, my little ballyhoo.
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Appreciation written, produced, and narrated by Remedy Robinson Twitter: @slowdragremedy Email: [email protected] Podcast music by https://www.fesliyanstudios.com Rate this Podcast: https://ratethispodcast.com/slowdrag ---------------------- References: “The Tribute to Leonard Cohen Concert, November 2017: https://consequenceofsound.net/2017/11/sting-lana-del-rey-elvis-costello-and-many-more-perform-in-tribute-to-leonard-cohen-in-montreal-11-6/ The first moving picture and the history of its inventor: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqfCmQtrTcE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bmuo45NR6qE https://www.britannica.com/biography/Eadweard-Muybridge https://www.britannica.com/art/history-of-the-motion-picture/Post-World-War-I-European-cinema Atlas Obscura “Taxi Dancers” article: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/why-men-in-the-1920s-paid-women-for-spins-around-the-dance-hall The history of Prohibition: https://www.history.com/topics/roaring-twenties/prohibition The concept of Purgatory: https://www.britannica.com/topic/purgatory-Roman-Catholicism The video of Dorothy and her pals getting ready to see the Wizard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur7GnxTkS-M The blog post with the “New International Version” of Hebrews 11:36-38 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur7GnxTkS-M The “English Standard Version” passage of Hebrews 11:36-38 https://biblia.com/bible/esv/Heb%2011.36–38 Comments are closed.
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AboutSlow Drag with Remedy is an Elvis Costello podcast appreciation. It's an exploration of linguistics, language, poetry, and clever wordplay as framed by the peerless poetry of the modern-day master, Elvis Costello. Slow Drag by Song
Poor Napoleon Alibi Church Underground The Big Light Georgie and Her Rival Joe Porterhouse No Hiding Place 20% Amnesia All This Useless Beauty Let Him Dangle King of Thieves Damnation's Cellar Stripping Paper Pidgin English Riot Act Bedlam The Quickening Art Luxembourg Chemistry Class Living in Paradise My Mood Swings Waiting for the End of the World Little Atoms Two Little Hitlers Crimes of Paris You Tripped at Every Step Needle Time Men Called Uncle Peace in Our Time The Loved Ones I Almost Had a Weakness Our Little Angel Invasion Hit Parade Turpentine Miracle Man A Voice in the Dark The Greatest Thing Satellite Hand in Hand Clubland Tart Glitter Gulch Stations of the Cross Science Fiction Twin Possession This Sad Burlesque Flutter and Wow Soul for Hire After the Fall Blue Chair Monkey to Man Mouth Almighty Watch Your Step ...This Town... Distorted Angel Worthless Thing No Dancing Miss Macbeth Charm School Poor Fractured Atlas Brilliant Mistake My Little Blue Window Suspect My Tears Coal Train Robberies Fish 'n' Chip Papers I Hope You're Happy Now Man Out of Time 13 Steps Lead Down Go Away Sweet Pear The Name of This Thing is Not Love Jimmie Standing in the Rain The Deportees Club The Birds Will Still Be Singing Starting to Come to Me Pay It Back Five Small Words Pretty Words Radio Silence Human Hands Night Rally I'll Wear It Proudly Motel Matches Drum and Bone Harpies Bizarre Nothing Clings Like Ivy Why Won't Heaven Help Me Next Time 'Round The River in Reverse A Room with No Number Clown Strike The Invisible Man My Most Beautiful Mistake All the Rage The Town Where Time Stood Still Episode of Blonde e of Blonde No Flag A Slow Drag with Josephine That Bridge I Burned Sour Milk Cow Blues You Little Fool Spooky Girlfriend Suit of Lights There's a Story in Your Voice Dishonor The Stars The Other Side of Summer Mischievous Ghost They're Not Laughing at Me Now White Knuckles Honey, Are You Straight or Are You Blind? Black and White World The World and His Wife
God's Comic The First to Leave Green Shirt The Man You Love to Hate Lip Service American Gangster Time Blame It on Cain The Spell That You Cast Lipstick Vogue The Difference Stella Hurt Tears before Bedtime |