Symbolic Stuff Nobody Gives a Crap About

[CrystalGeezer]

I want to tell you something symbolic and funny kind of. So lately there has been someone trying to give away Adam Ant tickets on my facebook and there's a Morrissey namecheck in an Adam Ant song and he;s popping up here and there lately, making a comeback.

Okay so in symbolic crazy land, the name Adam Ant is very interesting, I've used it before to direct me to what I call "the source" of whoever I seem to be carrying on conversations with in crazytown. The name is like a key and I'll break it down:

Adam Ant

ANT --> ATN --> Etienne which is Steven in French.

Now Kabbalistic study (Sooooooooo BORING!! Tree of Life, blah, blah, blah, it was the most boring phase of study I had to endure) refers to Adam Kadmon, or the original man, "the source."

So Kadmon which translates roughly as "the original" is used in place of ANT which is Steven. Steven= the original. And since he's shy about using his real name he stays hidden, unless you get a brainiac crazy person like me constantly thinking about this shit who can figure it out using mundane pop culture references where God hides his best secrets.

[nothappynotsad]

I've been sitting at home moping about my lost opportunity see Morrissey play at the music box tonight and mulling everything over in my mind. A couple things jumped out to me that I haven't noticed before. The name of the venue where I'll be attending my very first Morrissey concert is 'the shrine'. It seems a little silly, but for a while, I pretty much worshipped Morrissey. His words and music have helped me through some serious dark times and somehow he reached a god status in my mind. Because of this, I find the name of the venue particularly curious.
shrine
noun
1 the shrine of St. James: holy place, temple, church, chapel, tabernacle, sanctuary, sanctum.

Maybe it's a good thing that I'm not going to the music box tonight. I can't afford it and I think the Shrine will be a nice place for my first Morrissey concert....

[CrystalGeezer]

I've been sitting at home moping about my lost opportunity see Morrissey play at the music box tonight and mulling everything over in my mind. A couple things jumped out to me that I haven't noticed before. The name of the venue where I'll be attending my very first Morrissey concert is 'the shrine'. It seems a little silly, but for a while, I pretty much worshipped Morrissey. His words and music have helped me through some serious dark times and somehow he reached a god status in my mind. Because of this, I find the name of the venue particularly curious.
shrine
noun
1 the shrine of St. James: holy place, temple, church, chapel, tabernacle, sanctuary, sanctum.

Maybe it's a good thing that I'm not going to the music box tonight. I can't afford it and I think the Shrine will be a nice place for my first Morrissey concert....

I agree.

[!Viva Hate!]

I've been sitting at home moping about my lost opportunity see Morrissey play at the music box tonight and mulling everything over in my mind. A couple things jumped out to me that I haven't noticed before. The name of the venue where I'll be attending my very first Morrissey concert is 'the shrine'. It seems a little silly, but for a while, I pretty much worshipped Morrissey. His words and music have helped me through some serious dark times and somehow he reached a god status in my mind. Because of this, I find the name of the venue particularly curious.
shrine
noun
1 the shrine of St. James: holy place, temple, church, chapel, tabernacle, sanctuary, sanctum.

Maybe it's a good thing that I'm not going to the music box tonight. I can't afford it and I think the Shrine will be a nice place for my first Morrissey concert....

I agree.

[CrystalGeezer]

Kokopelli clock. I won't go into the whole tying him to Morrissey's haircut and hairdresser on fire analysis tonight.

[CrystalGeezer]

Bump. Gotta go to work, in case I forget. Five posts up.

[CrystalGeezer]

I think I saw (and felt) MOrrissey do something cool tonight.

So there's this weird affliction I'm under the impression he might suffer from where energy gets balled up in your heart chakra and you feel tremendous chest pain, it;s like the flaming heart of Guadalupe, it hurts like fuck but it's a signifier that you're tied into something greater. There's a number of ways you can release that pain, but one of them is by opening your head/crown/kether chakra or center and the energy releases or escapes through your head. It sounds crazy but just go with it. Anyway, one way to do that is to kind of puke a little bit, not like vomiting, but like choking a bit. It makes the pain go away. I think I saw him do that with his back to the audience. I could be wrong but if that's the case, I didn't just see it.

[CrystalGeezer]

Thinking about the covers thread, one of my favorites is Moonriver. Because I love it and because it has really symbolic meaning to it that I won't go into. One thing I find interesting though is listening to it's placement on the album World of Morrissey. If you listen to it in Bird Language, (Fuck off Juno, let me be crazy.) you can hear a phonetic anagram of his mother's maiden name, Wider is Dwyer. It's in that house, also an acknowledgement of really old, special blood lines, that poor Morrissey is reduced to tears forever searching for a ghost. The next song asks him to Come on to my house (CA DWELLing,) and do something new, but not to far from what he already knows. It's like the spirit is saying, "I know you love your mother and her cosmic house, love my mother and her cosmic house too!" I love that. God can be so cool and sneaky sometimes.

[CrystalGeezer]

I found something interesting. So you know my whole "Isis-is-back-and-she's-making-her-presence-known" thing that I keep yammering on about? And you know how Morrissey sings "As I live and breathe, you have killed me?" Well let's say that Morrissey is dead. And we are all living in his underworld. So one of Isis's duties in addition to reassembling her Osiris is to protect those travelling in the underworld.

From wiki:

The star Sopdet (Sirius) is associated with Isis. The appearance of the star signified the advent of a new year and Isis was likewise considered the goddess of rebirth and reincarnation, and as a protector of the dead. The Book of the Dead outlines a particular ritual that would protect the dead, enabling travel anywhere in the underworld, and most of the titles Isis holds signify her as the goddess of protection of the dead.

Now she makes her presence known in the weirdest ways, but one of them is through things that go viral for a short time then die off. Then she'll pick up some other underground communication and say "Hey there, I'm here!!! Hellooooo, you're not alone!!!!"

This is her classic stance, she always has wings, she's like papagena the bird lady in the Magic Flute, but her relaxed stance is squatting like this with one knee bent:



So lately people have been "Tebowing." Tim Tebow is an American football player who takes this stance after he scores a touchdown. The word Tebow is also interesting because in Bird it's "Boat" or a safe place to be if you're stuck in the middle of an ocean AND where you're heart is stuck if if it's lost looking a safe port to dock. But anyway, these kids in a high school in Riverhead, NY (Did you know the Nile travels too?) all got suspended for randomly Tebowing in the hallway.



Okay I'm going to go take my imaginary meds now.

[CrystalGeezer]

Soooooooo, it's hannukah. I'm not Jewish but I lived with a Jewish family for 6 months as a kid while my homelife was a disaster, so I know a little bit about it.

I'm taking a particular interest in this amazing photo snapped by the "light guy" up on the cat walk above the stage in Chicago.



My initial thought was that it was the phoenix, you can clearly see the wings and a tail, Morrissey at the head, or is the head, the brains. Then I thought "Oh, it's Isis's Biggest. Wings. Evar". But something wants me to make this menorah connection. Hannukah is afterall the festival of lights, and who doesn't love our little light in the center that never goes out (because it's easier to stay in. )

From wiki:

The festival is observed by the kindling of the lights of a unique candelabrum, the nine-branched Menorah or Hanukiah, one additional light on each night of the holiday, progressing to eight on the final night. The typical Menorah consists of eight branches with an additional raised branch. The extra light is called a shamash (Hebrew: שמש, "attendant" or "sexton")[1] and is given a distinct location, usually above or below the rest. The purpose of the shamash is to have a light available for use, as using the Hanukkah lights themselves is forbidden.



Morrissey is like our living shamash. He's our light available for use, so long as we are open to interpreting his words fluidly and in God's language with an open mind.

[CrystalGeezer]

Taking the thought a step further, Morrissey is the phoenix that rises from the (sham)ashes.

ta dum CHA!

Okay I gotta go wash a car to distract from my head hurting.

[CrystalGeezer]

When Signs Are Kind of Fucked Up:

So this is a still image from the American Show on TLC, Toddlers and Tiaras. It's a reality show illustrating the child beauty pagaent industry, and not in a mocking way, these people are serious.



So someone dressed their child in the hooker costume Julia Roberts wore in Pretty Woman. It is a recognizable "prostitute." I think this is the spirits way, the spirit who dipped into this mother;s brain and decided this would be a good idea to do this, of addressing the misconception that jesus's bride Mary Magdalene is a whore, she's actually very innocent.

[CrystalGeezer]

Mary Magdalene actually was a whore; that is what was so interesting about her as a character in The Bible...the dichotomy between what she was known as by the general public -a loose woman of ill repute- and what Christ saw in her, which was a loyal friend and companion; somebody not to be shamed into submission or punishment but rather accepted and treated as a human being.

Good point. I'm actually not well read when it comes to the bible, I'm basing this theory on reading grail theory books. There's this fact tossed around that Maggie was a whore, I'm just saying "What if she wasn't?" Like the theory that she was wealthy...what if she was just rich with connection and Jesus saw a kindred spirit in that?

[Iona Mink]

Mary Magdalene actually was a whore; that is what was so interesting about her as a character in The Bible...the dichotomy between what she was known as by the general public -a loose woman of ill repute- and what Christ saw in her, which was a loyal friend and companion; somebody not to be shamed into submission or punishment but rather accepted and treated as a human being.

There has been some dispute over this fact. The first time Mary was explicitly said to be a whore was in the 6th century by the Catholic Church.

Here is an article about it

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religi...agdalene.shtml

and the first part of a documentary about her. It touches on her reputation as a prostitute.



Another interesting thing about her is her gospel which some claim was hidden by the Catholic Church/early Christians. (It was one of many)

[CrystalGeezer]

Thanks Iona!

And there's this. To explain it takes away from how marvelous it is.

[CrystalGeezer]

In case you can't hear his intro to ruffians, here's Elvis's version, an ode to Marie or MARY, a woman who was stolen from him.



Now INSTEAD of singing these sentiments:

Though I smiled the tears inside were a-burnin'
I wished him luck and then he said good-bye
He was gone but still the words kept returnin'
What else was there for me to do but cry?

Would you believe
That yesterday
This girl was in my arms and swore to me
She'd be mine eternally
And Marie's the name
Of his latest flame

Morrisseey breaks into Rulsholme Ruffians, it's a tale of the sordid nature of greasy speedway drivers and giant wheels and underground stuff, alluding to the people who STOLE Mary from. The boy stabbed is Morrissey and he's fucking pissed. His soulmate is taken from him by the very people who are painting Mary as a whore. So he spends his career crooning to her to get her back because his faith in love is devout.

The last night of the fair
by the big wheel generator
a boy is stabbed
and his money is grabbed
and the air hangs heavy like a dulling wine
she is Famous
she is Funny
an engagement ring
doesn't mean a thing
to a mind consumed by brass(money)
and though I walk home alone
tough I walk home alone
but my faith in love is still devout
the last night of the fair
from a seat on a whirling waltzer
her skirt ascends for a watching eye
it's a hideous trait (on her mother's side)
from a seat on a whirling waltzer
her skirt ascends for a watching eye
it's a hideous trait (on her mother's side)
and though I walk home alone
tough I walk home alone
but my faith in love is still devout
then someone falls in love
and someone's beaten up
someone's beaten up
and the senses being dulled are mine
and someone falls in love
and someone's beaten up
and the senses being dulled are mine
and though I walk home alone
tough I walk home alone
but my faith in love is still devout
this is the last night of the fair
and the grease in the hair
of a speedway operator
is all a tremulous heart requires
a schoolgirl is denied
she said: "How quickly would I die
if I jumped from the top of the parachutes?"
this is the last night of the fair
and the grease in the hair
of a speedway operator
is all a tremulous heart requires
a schoolgirl is denied
she said: "How quickly would I die
if I jumped from the top of the parachutes?"
so scratch my name on your arm with a fountain pen
(this means you really love me)
scratch my name on your arm with a fountain pen
(this means you really love me)
and though I walk home alone
I just might walk home alone
but my faith in love is still devout
I might walk home alone
but my faith in love is still devout
And I walk home alone
but my faith in love is still devout

Listen to November Spawned a Monster in this context. It's a song about HER, Mary Magdalene. The lyrics could be laid over that very BBC documentary and be verbatim her story.



Sleep on and dream of Love
because it's the closest you will
get to love
poor twisted child
so ugly, so ugly
poor twisted child
oh hug me, oh hug me
one November
spawned a monster
in the shape of this child
who later cried:
"But Jesus made me, so
Jesus save me from
pity, sympathy
and people discussing me"
a frame of useless limbs
what can make GOOD
all the BAD that's been done?
And if the lights were out
could you even bear
to kiss her full on the mouth
(or anywhere?)
poor twisted child
so ugly, so ugly
poor twisted child
oh hug me, oh hug me
one November
spawned a monster
in the shape of this child
who must remain
a hostage to kindness
and the wheels underneath her
a hostage to kindness
and the wheels underneath her
a symbol of where mad, mad lovers
must PAUSE and draw the line
So sleep and dream of love
because it's the closest
you will get to love
that November
is a time
which I must
put OUT of my mind
oh one fine day
LET IT BE SOON
she won't be rich or beautiful
but she'll be walking your streets
in the clothes that she went out
and chose for herself

She's a hostage to the wheel of the BIG WHEEL OPERATOR underneath her, the greasy, everyday is silent and gray GRAYS (the mad lovers who at some point have to pause and draw the line) that forces her to appear to be a prostitute, but she isn't. (It's hard to explain. ) She's actually a child in a way, the very child Morrissey holds on the over of YOR. His last three albums have him holding a progression of things. A gun. A bow (It's like a sword actually) and finally a baby. She's coming into realization and he's tracking her, he's kind of programmed to because he's the yin to her yang, she's becoming more real in his world. But he knows something about her, because he knows himself, that others don't which is why it is esy to forgive her. He knows that she is a child caught in a trap and he's trying to get her out of it as is she, they fight to get each other off of this cosmic wheel. (It's not an ultimate death thing, but like a cosmic birth to be free of it, it's hard to explain and sounds too much like New Age mumbo jumbo to go into it, marriage of souls stuff.)

Another fine example of Morrissey feeling a kinship with her, or the child in her, is Yes I am Blind. It's an ode to their mutual fight against these big wheel generators that (perhaps unbeknownst to them) affect their lives since the are stuck on the wheel. They are each the lamb, they take turns being the lamb, he sees that in her which is why he takes her as his wife, they each are present at their many hangings, they witness each other's suffering in metaphor.



Yes, I am blind
no, I can't see
the good things
just the bad things
Yes, I am blind
no, I can't see
there must be something
horribly wrong with me?
God come down 1
if you're really there
well you're the one
who claims to care
Love's young dream
I'm the one who shopped you
I'm the one who stopped you
'cause in my sorry way I love you
Love's young dream
aren't you sorry
for what you've done?
well, you're not the only one
and in my sorry way I love you
Yes, I am blind
but I do see
Evil people prosper
over the likes of you and me
ALWAYS
God come down
if you're really there
well you're the one
who claims to care
Little lamb
on a hill
run fast if you can
good Christians
they want to KILL you
and your life has not even begun!
you're just like me
just like me
oh, your life has not even begun
you're just like me
just like me
and your life has not even begun
you're just like me
just like me
and your life has not even begun
you're just like me
just like, just like me
and your life has not even begun

These are all just theories though, I'm not saying this is the way it is exactly, but something is fishy. Salted fishy.

[¡Viva Morrissey!]

The song Billy Budd from 1994 is very telling. This is the definitive letter to Johnny Marr from Morrissey. I will break it down for you...

First, the title: B-I-L-L-Y B-U-D-D - A total of 9 letters, 5 in the first name, 4 in the last. Translation: J-O-H-N-Y M-A-R-R
So, we learn, from the beginning, this song is about Johny Marr aka Johnny Marr. Morrissey is a master at being cryptic but at the same time, revealing obvious clues. The second "n" is redundant, perhaps a Smiths reunion is ALSO redundant? Which is a question raised in the song.
You'll also note: The second "L" in "Billy" represents Johnny's second "n". AND, the song itself sounds very "Smithsy" and could've easily been something that Johnny wrote for Morrissey.

Here's what Morrissey might really be saying, line by line:

Original Lyrics and Translation(in bold)

Say, Billy Budd Say, Johny Marr(also I might add, when you start a sentence with "Say", it may constitute one not being very serious, perhaps just a whim of a comment, but it also could be a serious brought up in a non-chalant way.)
So you think you should ? So, do you think we should reunite The Smiths ? (I like my band, but I would really love to be back in The Smiths)
Oh, everyone's laughing Morrissey, being insecure of being rejected again but nevertheless wants an answer. Also, with a successful solo career at this point, what would be the point of reuniting? Also, perhaps the fans or his closest friends and family might be laughing due to the band reuniting for "money" or because Morrissey can't hack it on his own? Also at play here, could be Morrissey's hateful streak, laughing off any idea of such a reunion because of his success and the lesser success of the other Smiths.
Say, Billy Budd Same
So you think that you should ? Same
Everyone's laughing! Notice the exclamation point. Driving the point home.
Since I took up with you Commentary about how, lots of people in the music industry sort of thought Morrissey and The Smiths were a joke at first, well, people like Tony Wilson who told a young Steven Morrissey who confessed his ambitions to be a pop star, "Concentrate on your writing, Steven." Blowing off Morrissey's desires for pop star fame. Also, It is widely suspected now that Mike Joyce, Andy, and Johnny used to laugh and make little jokes about Morrissey's eccentricities, along with many others. Morrissey always knew this and maintained his role as black sheep for a long time, even to this very day.
Things have been bad THINGS HAD BEEN BAD up to that point. Not terrible, but bad in the sense that Morrissey didn't feel comfortable with any other songwriting partner like he had with Johnny. Stephen Street, Vini Reilly, Nevin, Boorer, Whyte, the list is long and Morrissey kept bouncing around. Even though this was the second album completed with Whyte and Boorer, IT STILL just wasn't like the old days anymore...Viva Hate, Kill Uncle, Bona Drag, Your Arsenal were nice but it still wasn't THE SMITHS!
Yeah, but now it's 12 years on 12 years on from the release of this song and Vauxhall & I would place us timeline-wise in 1982, the beginning of The Smiths.
Now it's 12 years on Same
Yes, and I took up with you Since we started The Smiths.
I took my job application
Into town When Morrissey went solo, there was an American guitarist (I can't remember his name) that Morrissey wanted to write songs and work with(rumored). In fact, at first, when Morrissey went solo, there were many that were wary of working with him for many reasons: One might be that they were worried about being forever compared to Johnny Marr(this continues to be a fact to this very day). Another reason might be Morrissey's unorthodox way of writing songs, having the musician send demo's of the music for Morrissey to yay or nay and to write melodies over, which some might argue is not really "writing together" at all. Another reason could be Morrissey's growing reputation of being difficult to work with.
Did you hear ? They turned me down The American guitarist, apparently, turned him down. I think there were "others" too, so he uses, "They."
Yes, and it's all because of us No blame on his own difficult personality. The blame rests squarely on future writing partner's JEALOUSY of the success of The Smiths.
Oh, and what was in our eyes This gets a bit weird. By saying what was in our eyes, Morrissey is also laying blame on other people prejudices to the idea that people won't work with Morrissey because they think he might be gay and don't want to be associated with that, but that's just speculation. But also, Morrissey had racked up a reputation for playing "games" or head games and a person could see that prospect of being tiresome. Examples: Whispering in a guitarist's ear during rehearsal, "Do you like chocolate?" Or something like that. Also, refusing to deal with problems properly like placing a note on some bassist's car, "You're no longer a Smith." Blah blah blah, the list is long. I, myself, would enjoy such things as they make life more interesting but I could see how someone would get tired of it, like Johnny did and like a prospective writing partner might be wary of that type of possible hostile work environment even if it is passive aggressive.
Oh, what was in our eyes, yeah Again, a reference to the idea that people were jealous of Morrissey and Johnny's "love" as the sun shined out of their behinds from day one.
I said, Billy Budd see below
I would happily lose see below
Both of my legs see below
I would lose both of my legs see below
Oh, if it meant you could be free Morrissey is no stranger to handicapped references, but here perhaps, Morrissey is talking about the idea that Johnny Marr, whether he decides to reunite The Smiths or not, would be FOREVER attached to Morrissey whether Johnny LIKED IT OR NOT. So, a reunion is not really necessary. Morrissey may feel a bit bad about this, but Morrissey also probably hates being attached to The Smiths sometimes and realizes that he shares the same fate, thereby, he'd be willing to lose his legs to make this not so anymore. It's also telling, while Morrissey would probably like to be back in The Smiths, deep down, when it's all said and done, he wishes The Smiths to remain dead and GOOD RIDDANCE, lock and key, door slammed, guillotine dropped.
Oh, if it meant you could be free
(Don't leave us in the dark!) The Oliver Twist sample wraps up Morrissey's last minute feelings, as an orphaned misfortune, even though he was very hurt by the break and hateful of The Smiths, the demise, there's still hope, with the plea: DON'T LEAVE US IN THE DARK! He still wants to be friends with Johnny and is very grateful for what Johnny did for him, bringing him out of his bedroom and into the spotlight and that there is always hope for a reunion, at least, with Johnny and Morrissey. The truth is, no matter what, Morrissey holds Johnny very dear for believing in him when no one did and for making his hopes and dreams come true. The rest is just banter.

[Author's note: I spent too much time on this, and yet, not enough, but I figured I'd post it anyway. This may be a bit sloppy but the just of it is there and perhaps I'll come back later to upgrade it.]

Original lyrics:

Billy Budd

Say, Billy Budd
So you think you should ?
Oh, everyone's laughing
Say, Billy Budd
So you think that you should ?
Everyone's laughing !
Since I took up with you
Things have been bad
Yeah, but now it's 12 years on
Now it's 12 years on
Yes, and I took up with you
I took my job application
Into town
Did you hear ? They turned me down
Yes, and it's all because of us
Oh, and what was in our eyes
Oh, what was in our eyes, yeah
I said, Billy Budd
I would happily lose
Both of my legs
I would lose both of my legs
Oh, if it meant you could be free
Oh, if it meant you could be free
(Don't leave us in the dark!)

[CrystalGeezer]

You spelled Steven wrong.

[Girl-with-the-Thorn]

CG, have you read this? A lot of it was from a very Christian spiritual perspective which I didn't entirely buy into, but I found it very interesting nonetheless. It discusses the roles of Mary Magdalene (both actual and potential) and also touches quite a lot on the whole 'marriage of souls' business. I'd urge you to give it a read if you haven't already.

[Girl-with-the-Thorn]

There has been some dispute over this fact. The first time Mary was explicitly said to be a whore was in the 6th century by the Catholic Church.

Here is an article about it

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religi...agdalene.shtml

and the first part of a documentary about her. It touches on her reputation as a prostitute.



Another interesting thing about her is her gospel which some claim was hidden by the Catholic Church/early Christians. (It was one of many)

Pretty much everything I was going to say on the subject is summed up in your post and that article. I'll have to watch that video at some point as well. The whole thing is very interesting, but I also find it slightly sad that to be an acceptable female figure in the history of Christianity one must be made out to be either a virgin or an ex-hooker.