Symbol ~ Photo Friday Image for 05.05.27

"Pagan Poetry"
Bjork

Pedalling through
The dark currents
I find
An accurate copy
A blueprint
Of the pleasure
In me

This time
She loves him, she loves him
I'm gonna keep it to myself
She loves him, she loves him
She loves him, she loves him
This time
I'm gonna keep me all to myself
She loves him, she loves him
And he makes me want to hurt myself again
She loves him, she loves him
She loves him, she loves him
And he makes my want to hand myself over

I do not know what this tatoo symbol means. I wrote to the performer in this photograph three times to get an explanation. It's possible that it has no meaning, or that the meaning is very personal to the wearer, so I stopped pushing for an explanation. That Bjork's song, Pagan Poetry (one out of the 3500 songs on my iMac) started playing on iTunes, which I keep on shuffle mode, shortly after I began working on this photo seems to be more than a mere synchronicity to me because the song is one of Bjork's most personal.

From the web site Disorder Magazine

Bjork - well what can you say? Everyone's heard of Bjork, everyone knows who she is and the critics are crazy for her. Somehow she has been able to maintain a slightly mystical reputation for such a long time (aided by her self-induced under-exposure), which in the fickle world of popular music is often a good thing.

'Pagan Poetry' exposes the mystery a little more than previous single releases. Taken from recent album Vespertine, the song is intimate and somewhat childlike. The song is completely engaging from first listen; starting off with a quiet harp melody, smoothly blended with Bjork's characteristic voice. Added electronic bass beats build up the depth of the music. 'Pagan Poetry' contains some of the most personal lyrics Bjork has ever sung (no more dancing in the street like 'It's Oh So Quiet') and her voice has the perfect degree of vulnerability to carry a song so subtle.

The song climaxes lyrically and musically in a perfect way; the harp melody and beats become more turbulent and Bjork's voice switches to her distinctive resonant and throaty sound. It sounds painful but beautiful at the same time, as she sings, 'he makes me want to hurt myself'. And you can well believe it. 'Pagan Poetry' is somewhat desperate and helpless in melody and words. This is not bad; this is very good. Laying yourself open to your audience is one of the best ways of capturing their interest (or so we're told). This song executes this theory perfectly. It's engaging, and it's beautifully written. 'Pagan Poetry' is a brilliant insight into Bjork's immense talent.