It's also a siren song, in the way that Florence sings it, along with the insistent harp strings. Both her voice and the strings hit high and low on the octave like an ambulance. When she slows it down, her eerie, dream-like phrasing reminds me of the winged creatures who wait for Greek sailors to pass by and then try to sink them and gather up the spoils. The wanderer is entranced, no matter how sure of his way and purpose. The most famous traveler, Odysseus, wanted to hear the song, despite the danger. He had his crew tie him to the mast of his ship so that he wouldn't jump overboard into madness. At least he has been forewarned and can prepare. He is striving to get home, but he wants to fully experience his journey, too. So does Florence, but she wasn't prepared. Fortunately for us, she knew when to run, and knows how to bring us an invigorating song of her own.
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| Odysseus and the Sirens, circa 475 B.C. |
Here are the lyrics, because you know you want to hear it again:
Happiness hit her like a train on a track
Coming towards her, stuck still, no turning back
She hid around corners and she hid under beds
She killed it with kisses and from it she fled
With every bubble she sank with a drink
And washed it away down the kitchen sink
The dog days are over
The dog days are done
The horses are coming so you better run
Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father
Run for your children, for your sisters and brothers
Leave all your love and your longing behind
You can't carry it with you if you want to survive
The dog days are over
The dog days are done
Can't you hear the horses
'Cause here they come
And I never wanted anything from you
Except everything you had
And what was left after that too, oh.
Happiness hit her like a bullet in the back
Struck from a great height
By someone who should know better than that
The dog days are over
The dog days are done
Can you hear the horses
'Cause here they come
Run fast for your mother and fast for your father
Run for your children, for your sisters and brothers
Leave all your love and your longing behind
You can't carry it with you if you want to survive
The dog days are over
The dog days are done
Can you hear the horses
'Cause here they come
The dog days are over
The dog days are done
Can you hear the horses
'Cause here they come
The dog days are over
The dog days are done
The horses are coming
So you better run
What first was singing to us-- the strains of sirens that cause our downfall-- is later turned into the name for the sound of alarm that wakes and warns us that we are heading for calamity. In this song, Florence appears to be singing of heartbreak and the need to run for freedom from passion's speeding locomotives and bullets that threaten disaster upon impact. But the times aren't right for passive acceptance. Apparently, a mired happiness based on hypnotic suggestion, rather than a chorus of awakening, leaves us and our loved ones vulnerable to being trampled.
The drumbeat of the Machine tells us it's time to get going.
