Thursday, May 24, 2012


I've heard two love songs in the last year that make a point to show both sides of the give and take of love and how selfishness brings so much pain.
First is the tragedy of "Poison and Wine" by The Civil Wars, which has a beautiful but heart-wrenching music video on youtube by the same name.

He: You only know what I want you to
She: I know everything you don't want me to
Oh your mouth is poison, your mouth is wine
Oh you think your dreams are the same as mine



Both: Oh I don't love you but I always will
Oh I don't love you but I always will
Oh I don't love you but I always will
I always will

She: I wish you'd hold me when I turn my back
He: The less I give the more I get back
Oh your hands can heal, your hands can bruise
I don't have a choice but I still choose you
Both: Oh I don't love you but I always will
Oh I don't love you but I always will.....  ...I always will.  I always will...



On a somewhat more lighthearted note, at least according to the catchy beat of the music, is the current hit "Somebody That I Used to Know" by Gotye.  A delightful song may soon be a most annoying one if it keeps playing all the time, but so far its unique design is still palatable and toe-tapping.    In this song, you don't necessarily expect to hear the other side of the story.  You automatically empathize with the first voice:

[Gotye:]
Now and then I think of when we were together
Like when you said you felt so happy you could die
Told myself that you were right for me
But felt so lonely in your company
But that was love and it's an ache I still remember

You can get addicted to a certain kind of sadness
Like resignation to the end, always the end
So when we found that we could not make sense
Well you said that we would still be friends
But I'll admit that I was glad it was over

But you didn't have to cut me off
Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing
And I don't even need your love
But you treat me like a stranger and I feel so rough
No you didn't have to stoop so low
Have your friends collect your records and then change your number
I guess that I don't need that though
Now you're just somebody that I used to know

Now you're just somebody that I used to know
Now you're just somebody that I used to know


[Kimbra:]
Now and then I think of all the times you screwed me over
Part of me believing it was always something that I'd done
But I don't wanna live that way
Reading into every word you say
You said that you could let it go
And I wouldn't catch you hung up on somebody that you used to know

[Gotye:]
But you didn't have to cut me off
Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing
And I don't even need your love
But you treat me like a stranger and I feel so rough
And you didn't have to stoop so low
Have your friends collect your records and then change your number
I guess that I don't need that though
Now you're just somebody that I used to know




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I vote these songs "interesting."