> <<So far, I personally think that "Exxon Blue" and "Radiation Rose"
are simply colors, named like ones you would find in a Crayola crayon
box. >>
>
> This one's the biggest stretch of all for me...do you sincerely
think she chose the words "Exxon" & "radiation" at random, or because
they sounded good with Blue & Rose? So be it, I guess, but I think you
really have to dig a bit more than that.
This is one of my favorite Joni songs from one of my favorite albums.
Part of the reason I love it is that I've never been able to
completely figure out what she's trying to say. There seems to be a
more than average amount of ambiguity about this one that makes it all
the more fascinating to me. Unless I'm completely missing something
here which is entirely possible.
I agree with Bob that the choice of Exxon Blue and radiation rose is
not random or without meaning. Both could be seen as references to
environmental issues. I think this song was written some time but not
a long time after the Exxon Valdez debacle. To me the two words she
attaches to these colors have a negative and threatening connotation.
By extension they could be seen as references to the large
corporations, industries and governments that hold the reins of power
in our modern world. The title of the song and the phrase 'enter the
multitudes' makes the line sound like a stage direction. Blue & rose
might be the colors of the costumes the multitudes are wearing or it
might be the colors of the lights. Stage lights are usually gelled in
shades of pink (or amber) and blue. I like the light interpretation.
It calls up the image of the multitudes entering under blue neon
lights coupled with the rose glow of radioactivity. A toxic mix, if
ever there was one. Kind of fits in with the image of a sickened
planet that she presents later in 'Slouching Toward Bethlehem' where
she talks about the beast of the Apocalypse and hopes that the spirit
of this world will 'heal and rise'. At any rate, I've always felt
that by using the references to Exxon & radiation she's setting the
story of Christ's Passion against a modern day backdrop in 'Passion
Play'.
But to me the line that is the most telling and in some ways the most
cryptic is 'Who you gonna get to do the dirty work when all the slaves
are free?' I can see at least two interpretations of this line, based
on two points of view that she might be taking. If she's speaking as
a true believer that Christ's vision of the world will truly come to
pass on this earth, then she's asking this question of the world's
power mongers. In a world of peace & love where all are treated
equally with compassion and respect, how can you continue enslaving
and exploiting the poor & downtrodden? Who's going to work in your
sweat shops for next to nothing? Who's going to clean your toilets,
cook your food and do your laundry for you in such a world? Who's
going to care for you when you're old and infirm? Who's going to work
in your mines, mow your lawns or haul away your garbage?
On the other hand, maybe she's playing devil's advocate. Maybe she's
asking Jesus how he expects a world so completely at odds with his
philosophy to function if his teachings are truly followed. If you
look at nature, the prime directive of it's myriad creations is
survival. And the law of evolution is survival of the fittest. The
teachings of Christ would seem to be incongruous with this. The
concerns of survival, whether it be of an individual or a species,
would seem to leave no room for compassion for those that are less
than fit. Doesn't survival mean looking out for number one? Where
is there provision for helping the sick or the infirm to survive in a
dog eat dog world? And certainly providing the less than fit a good
quality of life is completely out of the question. If you take apart
the system of oppressor and oppressed - the whole pecking order of
have and have-not, the food chain of modern civilization - the world
will surely grind to a halt and everything will crumble into dust....
Kind of like 'Atlas Shrugged'. You may be right, Kakki! There may be
some Ayn Rand in there!
> Another point in this song is the pattern of the inserted words of
the chorus:
>
> Ecstasy
> Misery
> Apathy
> Tragedy
>
> Is it random? Why not repeat the same word each time?
The lyrics to this song are so beautifully written. I love the line
'Magdalene is trembling like as washing on a line'. What a wonderful
description! And those words Bob mentions sum up the mood of each
verse so well. Magdalene's ectasy. The misery of the multitudes that
the heart-healer seeks to relieve. The apathy that caused the stray
to wander so far. The tragedy of the crucifixion.
>
> Like I say, I don't know any more than the next guy, but I DO enjoy
talking about it!
Neither do I but it's certainly obvious that I enjoy talking about it
too. If anybody's still reading by now, thanks for your patience with
my rambling.
Mark in Seattle
