Burn

Izzy HaveMercy · 16 Feb 2003, 12:33

I love this song. Great lyrics.

Izzy HaveMercy · 16 Feb 2003, 12:33

Indeed.

dead stars · 16 Feb 2003, 15:21

dead stars · 16 Feb 2003, 15:22

and I'm already feeling guilty.
But yes, yup.

pikkrong · 16 Feb 2003, 15:46

Izzy HaveMercy wrote:I love this song. Great lyrics.

agree - great song - both music and lyrics.
could we start a real discussion about the lyrics?

Andy TG · 16 Feb 2003, 21:40

dead inside wrote:and I'm already feeling guilty.
But yes, yup.

Before the lyrics are "torn apart"

- I would like to know what DI is feeling guilty about

paint it black · 16 Feb 2003, 21:42

pikkrong wrote:
Izzy HaveMercy wrote:I love this song. Great lyrics.
agree - great song - both music and lyrics.
could we start a real discussion about the lyrics?

yup

Izzy HaveMercy · 16 Feb 2003, 23:16

Indeed.

Izzy HaveMercy · 16 Feb 2003, 23:17

Guess how long it takes until this one ends up in the trashbin and win Von's lousy leather jacket!

16 Feb 2003, 23:26

Izzy HaveMercy wrote:Guess how long it takes until this one ends up in the trashbin and win Von's lousy leather jacket!

nice

however, burn IS a really good song - as with all the other reptile house tracks, its a seething commentary on the state of english politics in the early 80s

and it "rocks a fat one", as the saying goes...

they really should resurrect it as a live opener!

Izzy HaveMercy · 16 Feb 2003, 23:35

True.

dead stars · 17 Feb 2003, 01:44

AndyTheGoth wrote:
dead inside wrote:and I'm already feeling guilty.
But yes, yup.
Before the lyrics are "torn apart" - I would like to know what DI is feeling guilty about

About the yups, indeeds, trues, quites, etc.

Yup.
Thst's it.

Andy TG · 17 Feb 2003, 02:20

Yup Indeed - Very True! - Quite!

17 Feb 2003, 02:26

behold, ladies and gentlemen: the death of intellect.

right before your very eyes. here on this very thread.

t'was ever thus...

Andy TG · 17 Feb 2003, 02:37

NOW What Have I Said !!!!!!!!!!

17 Feb 2003, 02:44

AndyTheGoth wrote:NOW What Have I Said !!!!!!!!!!

hmmm

and don't go blaming izzy again... not yet anyway

paint it black · 17 Feb 2003, 08:49

Burn me a fire in the reptile house
In the colour and the carnage call me down
My face in the fire in the reptile house
And the kissing and the colour come crashing down

In the fire in the reptile house
In the colour and the carnage call me down
My face in the fire in the reptile house
And the kissing and the colour come crashing
Down, down, down
Down around me
Down, down, down
Down around my
Face...

In the fire in the reptile house
In the colour and the carnage call me down
My face in the fire in the reptile house
And the kissing and the colour come crashing
Down, down, down
Down around me
Down, down, down
Down around my
Face in the fire my faith in the fire in the
In the burn me down
My face my fire my faith my fire my
My burning down

In the fire in the reptile house
In the colour and the carnage call me down
My face in the fire in the reptile house
And the kissing and the colour come crashing
Down

(Crashing down)

{Additional verse when played backwards}

{After we complete the ring of fire,
We will burn this circus down,
The wheel goes round and the flames get higher
Round the juggling men and the idiot clown}

Thanks to the fourth-floor for that

paint it black · 17 Feb 2003, 09:06

Burn me a fire in The Reptile House
Reptile refers to the elemental evil present in every human mind. "The Reptile House" is a building common in zoos where, obviously, the Reptiles are housed. I would like to think that this is a metaphor for the Houses of Parliament; given the extreme political nature of Valentine and Fix, torching the Palace of Westminster would seem a suitable conclusion.

The syntax of this line is also reminscent of the opening line of Eliot's Sweeney Erect (q.v.): "Paint me a cavernous waste shore". I'm also reminded of Turner's famous painting of the 18?? destruction of the Houses of Parliament.

The Reptile House was also adopted as the name of the Sisters' information service which existed in fits and starts from 1987 until 1992 when it blossomed for four years into the most literate, enervating fan club going. Official Reptile House T-Shirts always identified the wearer as a "REPTILE" which was a dubious privilege at best. Sadly, these days it appears to be in decline, though one hopes...

There is a verse in Burn which is recorded backwards, and is not listed in the official lyric book. It has been transcribed as follows:

"The Catherine wheel around on fire
We will burn this circus down
The wheel goes round and the friends get higher
For the juggling men and the idiot clown"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

thanks to 1959 and all that, for that

Gary · 17 Feb 2003, 10:57

it also makes for a nice back print on the utterly bastard groovy t-shirt

paint it black · 17 Feb 2003, 13:51

Gary wrote:it also makes for a nice back print on the utterly bastard groovy t-shirt

indeed

paint it black · 17 Feb 2003, 14:05

Juggling with the ring of fireThe bullets blow holes and the flames go higher
Chase the yellow, chase the gold
The orange and the white lie in the stones

The juggling men and the idiot clowns
We will burn this circus down to the ground

Because some day I hope to turn and
Stand and watch this city burning down

Chase the yellow, chase the gold
The orange and the white lie in the stones

Burning, burning, burning, burning down

cool another Johnny Cash fan

nearmethexperience · 17 Feb 2003, 14:10

slightly ot, f*ck it very ot but that's never stopped me, judging from quiffies rather dubious avatars over the last few days, who thinks he's playing with his new toy

still, makes a change from him just playing with himself

hallucienate · 17 Feb 2003, 14:25

paint it black wrote:Juggling with the ring of fire

cool another Johnny Cash fan

Or maybe he just likes a curry?

Nah, hopefully it's Johnny Cash

Master Margarita · 17 Feb 2003, 15:15

How can Burn be a seething political commentary? All the song says- again, and again- is set fire to the reptile house. And some kissing and crashing colours.

If you try hard enough, you can dust down a couple of literary references off the shelf in any song, but it doesn't make the song particularly seething or much of a commentary.

AE- Good for a few one liners, and the odd disjointed literary reference. And not a whole lot more. Discuss....but don't disagree, b/c you'll be wrong.

17 Feb 2003, 15:24

Master Margarita wrote:How can Burn be a seething political commentary? All the song says- again, and again- is set fire to the reptile house. And some kissing and crashing colours.

If you try hard enough, you can dust down a couple of literary references off the shelf in any song, but it doesn't make the song particularly seething or much of a commentary.

AE- Good for a few one liners, and the odd disjointed literary reference. And not a whole lot more. Discuss....but don't disagree, b/c you'll be wrong.

it's unusual for me to agree with the 1959 site's take on a set of lyrics, but this time i do. in part anyway.

given that the rest of the reptile house ep concerns itself with politics and "stateof the nation" type stuff, albeit shrouded in goth vagueries, obscurities, and a handful of standard eldritch drug references, it fits that the reptile house that needs burning down is the houses of parliament... to me anyway

but, yeah, i agree. you can read anything to anything if you try hard enough

though i disagree with the comment on von's literary prowess. i think his lyrics work on a lot of different levels. most of them anyway. there are a few turkeys in there...