Space Dog - Tori Amos

Artist: Tori Amos
Song: Space Dog
Year: 1994
Album: Under The Pink

Apparently, this song was inspired by Tori seeing a young teenager in Chicago, by a 7-11, on a flight from New Mexico to Chicago. It may sound strange, but that's Tori Amos in a nutshell. I wouldn't have it any other way. The faerie energy that she gives off fed her early work, in a good, odd way.

Under The Pink was the first album that I picked up of Tori's. I was instantly hooked. Then, near the end of the record, came this strange surreal song. It always stuck out like a sore thumb to me. It stuck out in a pleasant way. It was like Tori was trying something different and tacked it onto the album as a secret.

One of my female friends loved this song to death in the mid nineties. She fell in love with the "pissing in the river" line. She thought it was so absurd. I often wonder if she feels the same way about that today. I'll have to remember to ask her about it sometime.

This is the only song on the album that feels like it wasn't completely driven by the piano. That is an oddity for Tori at this stage in her career, but it was a precursor to her upcoming work. I've always enjoyed the juxtaposition of this song with the rest of the album. It fits perfectly with Tori's whimsical moods.

Lyrics:
Way to go Mr.Microphone
Show us all what you don't know
Centuries, secret societies
He's our commander still
Space dog

So sure we were onto something
Your feet are finally on the ground he said
So sure we were onto something
Your feet are just on the ground girl

Rain and snow our engine's down
Been receiving your eager call
There's Colonel Dirtyfishy dishcloth
He'll distract her good don't worry so

And to the one you thought was on your side
She can't understand, she truly believes the lie

Lemon Pie he's coming through
Our commander still Space dog

Deck the halls I'm young again, I'm new again
Racing turtles the grapefruit is winning
Seems I keep getting this story twisted
So where's Neil when you need him
Deck the halls it's you again it's you again s
Somewhere someone must know the ending
Is she still pissing in the river now
Heard she'd gone moved into a trailer park

So sure we were onto something
Your feet are finally on the ground he said
So sure we were onto something
Your feet are just on the ground girl

(So sure those girls are in the Navy
Those bombs our friends can't even hurt you now and
You hold these tears
'Cause they're still on your side
Don't hear the dogs barking
Don't say you know we've gone
Andromeda stood with those girls
before the hair in pairs it just got nasty
and now those girls are gone)