On Painted Tape
Opera Singer
by Cake
If you ever get a chance to purchase Cake's album "Comfort Eagle" I recommend you go for it. It has a lot of fluffy pop-culture sounding arrangements with surprising lyrical depth.
Their first track on the album is the song "Opera Singer". The song is not performed in an opera style at all, yet the opera singer is oddly believable.
One of the main themes in the song is the way the opera singer is not really in control of his own choices. The painted tape on the stage tells him where he's going and where to throw his cape. He also boasts about the rigors of his schedule. I can't tell if he is crediting his "diligence" or his schedule for his success. Either way he is not behind the wheel of his life.
Another peculiar theme in this song is the way the opera singer plays the roles of so many different people yet has little or no understanding of who he is. He claims to play "both good and evil parts". He boasts that some people call him a monster and others call him a saint, and that this talent feeds his "darker side". He has presumably consumed himself with putting his identity in his outward appearance to convince others of his character -yet he remains a mystery to himself.
The problem is that he has no self under all those disguises. He says that most people seem to know his name, "or at least know who I am" -as if his self-identity were obvious, whereas recalling his 'name' is something of a test to see what circle of greatness someone has obtained. "Oh yes, that man. I am familiar with his work..."
Another major theme is the way other people motivate his work. After his 'performance' people just stand around and wave to tell him that they love his work and that he's great. He mentions this as though it confirms the value of his work ("Do you, sir, find your work to be of value?").
Are we all not -in some sense- like this opera singer? Do we not all put on performances for others to see? Do we not boast about the 'kings' and 'emporers' of our lives? Are we not all restless about traveling to other lands (either in the memory of something past or the fantasy of something future)? Yet do we not all fail to live in the present? Is our boasting anything more than a distraction from our thinly-disguised self-loathing? Are our efforts anything more than acting?
Lyrics pulled off of elyrics.net.
by Cake
I am an Opera Singer
I stand on painted Tape
It tells me where I'm going
And where to throw my cape
I call my co-star's brother
I call my co-star's name
I play both good and evil parts
I sing to Verdi's play
And every single morning
By 10 AM I'm dressed
My rehearsals last for hours and hours
With diligence I have been blessed
Some people they call me monster
Some people they call me saint
My talent feeds my darker side
Yet no one will complain
I am an opera singer
I sing in foreign lands
I've sung for kings in Europe
And emperors in Japan
And after each performance
People stand around and wave
Just to tell me that they love my voice
Just to tell me that I'm great
I am an opera singer
I will sing when you're all dead
I sing the mountains crumbling apart
I sing what can't be said
I am an opera singer
I sing in foreign lands
Most people seem to know my name
Or at least know who I am
If you ever get a chance to purchase Cake's album "Comfort Eagle" I recommend you go for it. It has a lot of fluffy pop-culture sounding arrangements with surprising lyrical depth.
Their first track on the album is the song "Opera Singer". The song is not performed in an opera style at all, yet the opera singer is oddly believable.
One of the main themes in the song is the way the opera singer is not really in control of his own choices. The painted tape on the stage tells him where he's going and where to throw his cape. He also boasts about the rigors of his schedule. I can't tell if he is crediting his "diligence" or his schedule for his success. Either way he is not behind the wheel of his life.
Another peculiar theme in this song is the way the opera singer plays the roles of so many different people yet has little or no understanding of who he is. He claims to play "both good and evil parts". He boasts that some people call him a monster and others call him a saint, and that this talent feeds his "darker side". He has presumably consumed himself with putting his identity in his outward appearance to convince others of his character -yet he remains a mystery to himself.
The problem is that he has no self under all those disguises. He says that most people seem to know his name, "or at least know who I am" -as if his self-identity were obvious, whereas recalling his 'name' is something of a test to see what circle of greatness someone has obtained. "Oh yes, that man. I am familiar with his work..."
Another major theme is the way other people motivate his work. After his 'performance' people just stand around and wave to tell him that they love his work and that he's great. He mentions this as though it confirms the value of his work ("Do you, sir, find your work to be of value?").
Are we all not -in some sense- like this opera singer? Do we not all put on performances for others to see? Do we not boast about the 'kings' and 'emporers' of our lives? Are we not all restless about traveling to other lands (either in the memory of something past or the fantasy of something future)? Yet do we not all fail to live in the present? Is our boasting anything more than a distraction from our thinly-disguised self-loathing? Are our efforts anything more than acting?
Lyrics pulled off of elyrics.net.
4 Comments:
Hi BB,
I interpret this just a little bit differently than you do. I read this as someone who defines themself by the work that they do. I think men fall to this more than women. Men often don't work out their inner problems or deal with their emotions and as a result, they don't know themselves very well. Others often judge us by the work that we do, whether it is important or unimportant and if we don't have a strong image of who we are, we will likely judge ourselves as others see us. There are many men who can't emotionally survive the loss of an important job or business because they have in essense lost themselves. Men care a great deal about their performance in most every situation and that correlates with the Opera Singer.
Hi JoyIndestructible,
You used the phrase "the work that they do" a couple times. Are you refering to what they do (as in their role) or how well they do it (as in the quality)?
I agree that men often do a lousy job of working out their inner problems, but I am inclined to think women are no better. Men tend to be more introverted about it.
The more spiritually something is viewed the less of a factor the roles have. It does not matter if one is a Greek, a Scythian, a man, a woman, or a barber shop singer. No one has any natural advantage when it comes to love, and no role can protect against anxiety.
Thinking about your post some more ...
The opera singer proclaims, "I am an Opera Singer", and not "I am a Great Opera Singer". Is this telling? Or would that just sound funny in a song?
I agree that the speaker defines himself by the work he does, as you suggest. It seems like it's all role-based and very impersonal.
BB,
I started to add a comment about women but decided not to as I didn't think the story applied to the way we view ourselves. We tend to define ourselves according to relationship rather than our work. We define ourselves by what kind of daughter we are, wife, mother and what ever work we do outside is always for the benefit of those whom we are in these relationships with (of course there are exceptions as there are exceptions to men defining who they are by their job). Failure at any of these is devestating.
I don't think there is releif from either gender-view-of-self except in Christ. Our true value is in Him and He also is our true identity. That doesn't mean that we ignore our jobs or family but when we are in a right relationship with Jesus, everything else falls into place and we actually become a better worker and a better family member when everything we do is an outflow of our faith in Him rather than we trying to gain an identity for ourselves through work or relationship.
lol! I think you are right about women not dealing with inner conflicts very well either because it was a lot harder for me to examine men and see where they are wanting rather than examine myself and my sisters. Of course, some of that may come from living in a predominantly male household for the last 30 years!;-}
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