Heartland

So, Ribbons then ?

I know a good number of you are far more knowledgeable on all things Sisters than I and starting a question post by buttering you up does no harm so let's hope you didn't notice me being so cheap.

What I'm wondering is if anybody knows of it's antecedence ?

If you search this place for some tracks you get lengthy discussions and picking apart, but with this there are odd mentions in passing but no real meat. Even those people that aren't overly keen on VT seem to like Ribbons and, for me, it seems to not be that huge of a jump from tracks like the fast Floodland. Not the same, but in style. Other tracks too seem to push the buttons like Lucretia or Corrosion but that's for another post.

I'm curious on anything that you know or care to share, anecdotally or otherwise, on this as it's always stood out for me as an all time Sisters favourite, regardless of it's period or the album that contains it.

Anybody care to make this Carpathian perk up his ears in interest ? It's quite a sight, you know !

It starts off in the first person, which always generates intrugue.

It's about being in a brothel on LSD.

canon docre wrote:It's about being in a brothel on LSD.

With being the recent n00b (awful phrase but there you go) on here I really don't know when I'm being poked with sticks but something in me kinda likes that feeling of humorous ingratiation. Go on, I'll fall for it with grace....

A brothel, you say ?

Carpathian Psychonaut wrote: A brothel, you say ?

Yeh and why not? AE lived in St. Pauli, Hamburgs red-light district. Brothels are all over that place. 25 whores in a room next door, anyone?
I imagine being on LSD there being a slight bit "difficult" though.

Sorry, I didn't mean to seem like I was questioning your replies authenticity - that's the semantics of my short phrases for you. I seem to be rubber-banding between verbosity and succinctness tonight - blame the louche in front of me.

It was more that I'd not thought of that before, even though it is obvious from the "25 whores" line as you say.

I appreciate your reply and thank you, of course.

Does anyone else recall a comment about an emergency room in Hamburg where they leave the alcohol related injured to sober up which has a mural of the night sky on the ceiling? I believe that was offered as a possible explanation of "the stars are all too near".

Well, cannot say much about it, lyric-wise, but it is one of my favourite songs as well.

Why? Because there are only two main chords in the whole song, and still, with the unusual drum rhythm and the short-note guitars and the clavecymbel-like synth, there is a lot of tension going on, like a loaded gun.

Then, at the high-pitched 'she looks good in ribbons', the gun is fired, all powers is loose, that's what I like about the song.

And live, it is such a nice song to sing along with, especially the 'oooohn iiiiihhhh-iiiiinnnnn!!!!!'

IZ.

Izzy HaveMercy wrote:Then, at the high-pitched 'she looks good in ribbons', the gun is fired, all powers is loose, that's what I like about the song.

Absolutely spot on - it's that vocal rise with the held guitar note that really makes it uncoil. I couldn't have picked a better example of why I love it myself. Thanks for that !

f**k knows. I tend to listen to, and thus hear, the vocals rather than the lyrics.

A pish track off a Rock album (I do like VT but that and Summit Fast are shite IMO), no I don't like Ribbons.
Sorry Iz it just doesn't work for me.

I always thought Ribbons was about a serial killer at work. She looks good in Ribbons , Just walk on in and all that stuff.
Defiantly one of my Favorites Favorites .Especially the live version on the B side of WYDSM

Izzy HaveMercy wrote:Because there are only two main chords in the whole song, and still, with the unusual drum rhythm and the short-note guitars and the clavecymbel-like synth, there is a lot of tension going on, like a loaded gun.

Then, at the high-pitched 'she looks good in ribbons', the gun is fired, all powers is loose, that's what I like about the song.

Oh yesssss.

Possibly my favourite Sisters track.

I always thought it was about going out with a girl who's a bit dim.

"I tried to tell her
about Marx and Engels, God and angels
I don't really know what for
but she looked good in ribbons."

Spigel wrote:I always thought Ribbons was about a serial killer at work. She looks good in Ribbons , Just walk on in and all that stuff.

:von: wrote: "It's so rational, but undeniably psychotic," he furthers. "I can see a better-read Norman Bates thinking to himself before he flings open the shower curtain: *I've tried, I've really tried, but she'll just never get the point.* And then everything turns red. Delicious, utterly delicious.

http://website.lineone.net/~garynaylor/visionint.htm

It's one of the only tracks on That record I can listen to.

Try asking a relevant question here and this thread is what ensues

A little hint: just because the lyrics might use imagery from a hospital waking room for intoxicated doesn't mean it is about that, even if the reference was direct.

And i never got the impression it was about a serial killer, or a girl who's a bit dim. And now that i've heard of those ideas, i'd discard them immediately.

i don't know what it's about, either, but it does provoke thoughts, which to me suggests that it is not about any particular thing but an existentialist sort of mishmash of half-related abouts. Though i'm probably wrong about this and there probably is at least one way to read it conceptually.

Red_Kola wrote:

:von: wrote: "It's so rational, but undeniably psychotic," he furthers. "I can see a better-read Norman Bates thinking to himself before he flings open the shower curtain: *I've tried, I've really tried, but she'll just never get the point.* And then everything turns red. Delicious, utterly delicious.

http://website.lineone.net/~garynaylor/visionint.htm

Ta for the link - that's a good read.

"Then again, I think they saw that I was a person that couldn't really *use* that many more camels."

....and that's a great quote !

itnAklipse wrote:
And i never got the impression it was about a serial killer, or a girl who's a bit dim. And now that i've heard of those ideas, i'd discard them immediately.

So you discard what Andrew says about the meanings and imagery used in his own lyrics? Why??

And you follow it up with:

i don't know what it's about, either, but it does provoke thoughts, which to me suggests that it is not about any particular thing but an existentialist sort of mishmash of half-related abouts. Though i'm probably wrong about this and there probably is at least one way to read it conceptually.

No wonder he gets so frustrated with certain sections of the fanbase if they completely ignore him and thereby completely miss the point due to willfull ignorance.

Syberberg wrote:

itnAklipse wrote:
And i never got the impression it was about a serial killer, or a girl who's a bit dim. And now that i've heard of those ideas, i'd discard them immediately.

So you discard what Andrew says about the meanings and imagery used in his own lyrics? Why??

And you follow it up with:

i don't know what it's about, either, but it does provoke thoughts, which to me suggests that it is not about any particular thing but an existentialist sort of mishmash of half-related abouts. Though i'm probably wrong about this and there probably is at least one way to read it conceptually.

No wonder he gets so frustrated with certain sections of the fanbase if they completely ignore him and thereby completely miss the point due to willfull ignorance.

does this actually make you angry?

i always thought the ribbons were blood from cuts, like the birthday party's 'long thin red ribbons draped across the arms of a little mortal girl' but recently it has conjured up an image of a girl of no great intelligence with her hair tied in bunches by ribbons doing whatever depraved thing the song's protagonist wants her to... or possibly both at the same time.

still it is, and always was, one of my favourite sisters songs. and i love it more as time passes. THE best thing on VT, no doubt about it in my ears.

so brutal!...)))

I wonder if the Lyrics forum might offer something.

Petseri wrote:I wonder if the Lyrics forum might offer something.

To be honest, I'm loving the fact that others dig the track as much as me AND the debate over the lyrics but a big part of the idea for the thread was to find out the history of the track. Demos, first plays etc etc.

I guess I'm as curious about where it fits into the Sisters history as much as the contents itself.......

Petseri wrote:I wonder if the Lyrics forum might offer something.

Fishing for compliments here eh?
But, honours to who deserve them: That must have been a bunch of work, great Job!!