Mark,
I'm with you on the dropped apostrophe for smile('s). Either way, the line
simply says, "Can I trust you, or are you playing me?"
Still not sure about "notches liberation doll" but the more I think about it
the more I connect it with Rolling Stone's salacious publication of the flow
chart of Joni's love life, starting the feud. The line following it, "and
he pins me with that serpent to that Ethiopian wall" possibly describing her
feeling diminished, isolated and removed by means of pigeon holing (you know
how Joni LOVES a label) on the basis of sexual politics, in respect to her
artistic status. This is all speculation and conjecture, of course. It will
likely remain for the individual to apply what association, if any he or she
will and as I've said before, I'm just fine with that.
CC
"Who you gonna get to do the dirty work when all the slaves are free?"--JM
>From: "Mark or Travis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>To: "c Karma" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Subject: Re: Covert Complicity, notches
>Date: Mon, 29 Jan 2001 19:52:03 -0800
>
> > "Do your smiles covert complicity, debase as it admires?" -- what's
>that
> > about? read Pat's post...
>
>Ok, had to look at the lyrics sheet on this one to be sure I was right
>about what it says.
>
>First of all the line reads: "Does your smiles covert complicity
>debase as it admires?" I think there should be an apostrophe in
>smile's, making it possessive. This makes covert an adjective
>describing complicity. In other words does that smile posess a hidden
>agenda that you expect me to be your accomplice in achieving? Are you
>admiring me, thinking what a beautiful, wonderful person I am or are
>you undressing me in your mind & thinking of doing very, very naughty
>& nasty things to me?
>
> > As for "you're notches liberation doll", I really don't have a clue.
>"
>
>We've gone over this one before. I still say (and will go to my grave
>saying it unless Siquomb herself tells me personally that I am dead
>wrong) that the man is referring to the room full of glasses from the
>previous line. Those glasses are 'your notches' like a gunfighter's
>notches on his gunbelt or notches on a bedpost. He's saying, 'You
>made me a drunk with your independent, uppity, competitive
>(unfeminine) ways. You can chalk every glass of wine I drank up to
>your score. They're your notches, liberation doll.' Liberation doll
>is a sneering & derisive name he's throwing at her. Men used to call
>women they were attracted to doll at one time. Just watch some of
>those old Humphrey Bogart movies.
>
>That's my story & I'm sticking to it!
>
>Mark in Seattle
>
>
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