Carry - Tori Amos

Artist: Tori Amos
Song: Carry
Year: 2011
Album: Night Of Hunters

Tori Amos going full on classical.

Lyrics:
Love, hold my hand
Help me see with the dawn
That those that have left
Are not gone
But they carry on
As stars looking down
As nature's sons
And daughters of the heavens
You will not ever be forgotten by me
In the procession of the mighty stars
Your name is sung and tattooed now on my heart
Here I will carry, carry, carry you

Forever
You have touched my life
So that now
Cathedrals of sound are singing, are singing
The waves have come to walk with you
To where you will live in the land of you,
Land of you
You will not ever be forgotten by me
In the procession of the mighty stars
Your name is sung and tattooed now on my heart
Here I will carry, carry, carry you
Here I will carry, carry, carry you

Forever

Raspberry Swirl - Tori Amos

Artist: Tori Amos
Song: Raspberry Swirl
Year: 1998
Album: From The Choirgirl Hotel

Raspberry Swirl is about Amos' past relationship with a female friend and was written in response to the men in her relationships.

Lyrics:
Huh-huh-huh, let's go.
I am not your senorita. I am not from your tribe.
In the gard- in the garden? I did no crime.
I am not your senorita. I am not from your tribe.
If you want inside her, well, boy you better make her raspberry swirl.

Things are getting dear desperate when all the boys can't be men.
Everybody knows I'm her friend, everybody knows I'm her man...
Things are getting dear desperate when all the boys can't be men.
Everybody knows I'm her friend, everybody knows I'm her man...


Huh-huh-huh, let's go.
I am not your senorita. I don't aim so high.
In my heart- in my heart? I did no crime.
If you want inside her, well, boy you better make her raspberry swirl.
Ra-a-a-a-aspberry swirl, mmm let's go.
Ra-a-a-a-aspberry swirl (swirl).


Things are getting dear desperate when all the boys can't be men.
Everybody knows I'm her friend, everybody knows I'm her man...
Things are getting dear desperate, when all the boys can't be men.
Everybody knows I'm her friend, everybody knows I'm her man...
Things are getting dear desperate when all the boys can't be men.
Everybody knows I'm her friend, everybody knows I'm her man...


Uh, hey. Ra-a-a-a-aspberry swirl, uh let's go.
Ra-a-a-a-aspberry swirl, you go inside her world.
(And she swirls.)
Yes let's go, ra-a-aspberry swirl, let's go.
(And she swirls, and she swirls again.)
Ra-a-a-a-aspberry swirl.
(And she swirls, and she swirls, and she swirls again.)
Uh, uh, yes.
(And she swirls, and she swirls, and she swirls again.)
(And she swirls, and she swirls, she swirls, and she swirls)
Uh, uh yeah, uh yeah, uh yeah, uh mmm...

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)

Professional Widow - Tori Amos

Artist: Tori Amos
Song: Professional Widow
Year: 1996
Album: Boys For Pele

This album came out at the peak of my Tori fandom. I still love to listen to her, but I have to admit that I'm not as rabid of a fan as I used to be. I suppose that when she mellowed her sounds, I mellowed too. I like her new songs, but they will have a hard time living up to her past recordings.

I saw her in concert at McCormick Place in Chicago during the tour for this album. This was her first concert appearance after the infamous "Pain In My Hole" improv. There were people holding signs requesting it, but she confessed on stage that she didn't recall it. Still the fans wanted to hear it and she told us that she would go through her tapes and play it next time.

I haven't seen her since. It's not that I don't want to go, it's mostly because she comes at bad times for me. I either don't have the cash to spend or I am committed to previous engagements. I would love to see her again, but I am fearful that after twelve years, I may be disappointed with the results. In reality, I'd probably like it just fine. That may be just the thing to rekindle my rabid fan mode of Tori.

"Professional Widow" might be about Courtney Love. Then again, it might not. Does it really matter at this point. What may have been a burning question in 1996, is not so much anymore. This does mark the first album where Tori incorporates harpsichord into her music, with fantastic results. By the way, the remixes of this song are outstanding!

Lyrics:
slag pit
stag shit
honey bring it close to my lips
don’t blow those brains yet
we gotta be big boy
we gotta be big
starfucker just like my Daddy
selling his baby
just like my Daddy
gonna strike a deal make him feel
like a Congressman
it runs in the family

rest your shoulders Peaches and Cream
everywhere a Judas as far as you can see
beautiful angel
calling “we got every re-run of Muhammad Ali”

prism perfect
honey bring it close to your lips
what is termed a landslide of principle
proportion boy it better be big boy
starfucker just like my Daddy
selling his baby
just like my Daddy
gonna strike a deal make him feel
like a Congressman
it runs in the family

Mother Mary
china white
brown may be sweeter
she will supply
Mother Mary
china white
brown may be sweeter
she will supply
she will supply
she will supply
she will supply
give me peace, love and a hard cock

Silent All These Years - Tori Amos

Artist: Tori Amos
Song: Silent All These Years
Year: 1992
Album: Little Earthquakes

This song was my first exposure to Tori Amos. I saw the video for this song on MTV, when they used to actually play videos. I know, it's a shocker. I was entranced with this gorgeous redhead singing about garbage trucks and the shape of her lips. I was hooked.

I jotted down the Tori's name and never heard anything from her until 1994. MTV played this song as a "Buzz Clip" and quickly dropped it. I wanted to know more, but my resources were limited back then.

The stark white background with Tori climbing in and out of this box kept running through my mind until I found her again in 1994. Q101 played her song "God" and I liked the song. They started playing "Cornflake Girl" and I liked that song. Then they started playing "Past The Mission" because Trent Reznor did the backing vocals. I liked that song too.

So, I picked up her second solo album shortly before my high school graduation in 1994. Then I saw the picture of Tori. It was the same girl from the video from two years ago.

Since then, I became a Tori fan. I would pick up every piece of music she came out with. From albums to singles. But it all started with this one song.

Lyrics:
excuse me but
can i be you for a while
my DOG won't bite
if you sit real still
i got the anti-christ
in the kitchen
yellin' at me again
yeah i can hear that

been saved again
by the garbage truck
i got something to say
you know but NOTHING comes
yes i know what you think of me
you never shut up
yeah i can hear that

but what if i'm a mermaid
in these jeans of his
with her name still on it
hey but i don't care
cause sometimes i said
sometimes i hear my voice
and it's been
HERE silent all these years

so you found a girl
who thinks really deep thoughts
what's so amazing
about really deep thoughts
boy you best pray
that i bleed real soon
how's that thought for you

my scream got lost in a paper cup
you think there's a heaven
where some screams have gone
i got 25 bucks and a cracker
do you think it's enough
to get us there

but what if i'm a mermaid
in these jeans of his
with her name still on it
hey but i don't care
cause sometimes i said
sometimes i hear my voice and it's been
HERE silent all these

years go by will i still be waiting
for somebody else to understand
years go by if i'm stripped of my beauty
and the orange clouds raining in my head
years go by will i choke on my tears
till finally there is nothing left
one more casualty
you know we're to EASY easy easy

well i love the way we communicate
your eyes focus on my funny lip shape
let's hear what you think of me now
but baby don't look up
the sky is falling

your MOTHER shows up in a nasty dress
it's your turn now to stand where i stand
everybody lookin' at you
here take hold of my hand
yeah i can hear them

but what if i'm a mermaid
in these jeans of his with her name still on it
hey but i don't care
cause sometimes i said
sometimes i hear my voice
i hear my voice
i hear my voice
and it's been HERE silent all these years
i've been here silent all these years
silent all these
silent all these years