Of magic and loss
May. 21st, 2004 09:20 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gwynI mentioned this phrase in my review yesterday, and even used it as a title for the review elsewhere, and today I wanted to share where that came from: Lou Reed's album and song of the same title -- in my not even humble opinion a masterpiece of our generation and one of the greatest albums of the '90s, maybe the whole last half of the century. I think many people are put off by Reed's kind of half-spoken half-singing, but if you can dig up any of the songs from this album on the net, give them a listen; I think you'll be surprised at how incredible they are. To me, he is a true poet -- just because his poetry is set to rock music does not make him any less of a truly gifted voice.
Magic and Loss was inspired by the death from cancer of two of Reed's friends within one year, and the songs are definitely melancholy and dark. They're written in a kind of theme style, almost, and the most well-known of them, called "What's Good," sets the tone for the contemplative narrative when he asks, "What's good? Life's good -- but not fair at all." The rest of the songs contain titles like "Warrior King" (sound familiar?), "Magician" and "No Chance." But it was "Magic and Loss" that kept running through my head as I thought about this episode. The last connection to the Buffyverse so many of us have been touched by is severed, and like death, we all handle it differently. Pay attention to those last two lines -- it sums everything up, for me.
Magic and Loss
When you pass through the fire, you pass through humble
you pass through a maze of self doubt
When you pass through humble, the lights can blind you
some people never figure that out
You pass through arrogance, you pass through hurt
you pass through an ever present past
And it's best not to wait for luck to save you
pass through the fire to the light
As you pass through the fire, your right hand waving
there are things you have to throw out
That caustic dread inside your head
will never help you out
You have to be very strong,
'cause you'll start from zero
over and over again
And as the smoke clears there's an all consuming fire
lying straight ahead
They say no one person can do it all
but you want to in your head
But you can't be Shakespeare and you can't be Joyce
so what is left instead
You're stuck with yourself and a rage that can hurt you
you have to start at the beginning again
And just this moment
this wonderful fire started up again
When you pass through humble, when you pass through sickly
when you pass through I'm better than you all
When you pass through anger and self deprecation
and have the strength to acknowledge it all
When the past makes you laugh and you can savor the magic
that let you survive your own war
You find that that fire is passion
and there's a door up ahead not a wall
As you pass through fire as you pass through fire
trying to remember its name
When you pass through fire licking at your lips
you cannot remain the same
And if the building's burning move towards that door
but don't put the flames out
There's a bit of magic in everything
and then some loss to even things out
Magic and Loss was inspired by the death from cancer of two of Reed's friends within one year, and the songs are definitely melancholy and dark. They're written in a kind of theme style, almost, and the most well-known of them, called "What's Good," sets the tone for the contemplative narrative when he asks, "What's good? Life's good -- but not fair at all." The rest of the songs contain titles like "Warrior King" (sound familiar?), "Magician" and "No Chance." But it was "Magic and Loss" that kept running through my head as I thought about this episode. The last connection to the Buffyverse so many of us have been touched by is severed, and like death, we all handle it differently. Pay attention to those last two lines -- it sums everything up, for me.
Magic and Loss
When you pass through the fire, you pass through humble
you pass through a maze of self doubt
When you pass through humble, the lights can blind you
some people never figure that out
You pass through arrogance, you pass through hurt
you pass through an ever present past
And it's best not to wait for luck to save you
pass through the fire to the light
As you pass through the fire, your right hand waving
there are things you have to throw out
That caustic dread inside your head
will never help you out
You have to be very strong,
'cause you'll start from zero
over and over again
And as the smoke clears there's an all consuming fire
lying straight ahead
They say no one person can do it all
but you want to in your head
But you can't be Shakespeare and you can't be Joyce
so what is left instead
You're stuck with yourself and a rage that can hurt you
you have to start at the beginning again
And just this moment
this wonderful fire started up again
When you pass through humble, when you pass through sickly
when you pass through I'm better than you all
When you pass through anger and self deprecation
and have the strength to acknowledge it all
When the past makes you laugh and you can savor the magic
that let you survive your own war
You find that that fire is passion
and there's a door up ahead not a wall
As you pass through fire as you pass through fire
trying to remember its name
When you pass through fire licking at your lips
you cannot remain the same
And if the building's burning move towards that door
but don't put the flames out
There's a bit of magic in everything
and then some loss to even things out
no subject
Date: 2004-05-21 10:28 am (UTC)I am just today coming out of the numbness I've felt since the show ended Wednesday. I still have nothing coherent to say. I may not. sigh.
no subject
Date: 2004-05-22 10:15 pm (UTC)I think for some of us, we're just pretending to be coherent. In reality, I sit around with my fingers in my mouth, rocking back and forth. So you're not alone.