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Old 05-14-2003, 05:54 PM
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Default The lion rules Miranda...

My guess would be that this is an amalgam of traits in women who Lindsey has known, or it is a fictional tragic starlet kind of character. In either case, it's someone who doesn't quite live in the real world; someone who may be present in a situation without really being there with you in coversation; someone who finds intense pleasure in, but ultimately is drowning in her own fantasies & self-absorption; someone who is ruled by the need for love & attention without being able to accept any kind of real intimacy.

I'm particularly fond of this verses --

She sticks the camera right into her arm
Anything to forget what the trouble's about
It causes her pain
That's part of the charm
She's down for the count, then finally out

It's a wonderfully drawn image of someone who needs attention in such a way that it's, in essence, the drug that she injects to get high. Of course she also comes crashing down when it's over. The onlooker can both pity and marvel at the sometimes painful efforts she'll put into these endeavors.

She sees her face in another magazine
And the walls all close in as the fancy takes flight
Can't stand to be loved
But she loves to be seen
She slips down headlong into the night

It evokes the image of a woman fascinated by her own fame. Indulgences in it don't seem to quench her thirst as much as it sends her reeling ever faster into fantasies bigger and better. The fantasy of being adored by anonymous throngs takes over, pushing out any attempts by anyone in her life who may truly want to know and love her.

And then all at once the sun starts to rise
She sees her father holding her down
Oh, the daylight is poison to her eyes
She slips down the shade and lets herself drown

Slipping "headlong into the night" in the verse above seems to represent a time when reality drops away entirely and she can indulge the fantastic. The daylight would seem to represent the stark realities of her life confronting her, which she's unwilling and unable to deal with.

And for the chorus:

Miranda is taking the stars down
A little something to call her own
But the lion still rules Miranda
And Miranda is always alone

The lion could represent all sorts of things that haunt a person. I tend to see it as a neediness, an insecurity that drives Miranda to continually seek more of everything to excess as she tries to fill whatever void exists. But that hole always drains faster than she can fill it, so Miranda continually awakes to find herself alone and again on her quest for "a little something to call her own."

The song paints a sad woman, but it's not exactly a sad song. You're not really sure what's going to become of her. She's somewhat like Mary Lee Jones from Lindsey's first solo album. But there is a certain pluck in her to appreciate, a fascination with her journey, and a certain empathy for her misguided quest.

I really dig this song.
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