Calumny

GateandGarden · #1 09-23-2005, 09:39 AM

Forgive me if y'all have already analyzed the hell out of this and I missed it. I'd be especially sorry about that because there's nothing I like more than analyzing the hell out of something.

I can't figure out why she uses this word in what sounds like a nice, sweet love song. I came across it while reading Hamlet, and it wasn't all that nice. According to dictionary.com, it means "A false statement maliciously made to injure another's reputation" or "The utterance of maliciously false statements; slander" I believe the origin is Biblical, and a Catholic website I read said that in some cases, a calumny is a mortal sin. And if I understand what I'm reading, Calumny is also a character in the Bible. (?) It seems to be an allegorical thing like in Everyman--there's Calumny, Jealousy, etc. Someone correct me if I have that all wrong.

So, why the song?

Gailh · #2 09-23-2005, 09:53 AM

I'm not so sure it is a nice, sweet love song.

It's got a gentle feel to it but the words sound quite harsh.

"My love sits like a curse"

"Testing out our love, proving that it's gone"

Although she didn't write it I think it returns to the theme of some of her older songs which sound (to me) like she's very needy. I don't care how you behave but please don't leave me.

Just my view.

Gail

GateandGarden · #3 09-23-2005, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gailh

I'm not so sure it is a nice, sweet love song.

It's got a gentle feel to it but the words sound quite harsh.

"My love sits like a curse"

"Testing out our love, proving that it's gone"

Although she didn't write it I think it returns to the theme of some of her older songs which sound (to me) like she's very needy. I don't care how you behave but please don't leave me.

Just my view.

Gail

After I wrote that post, I was thinking of those same lyrics you posted like, Hmmmmm. You may be right. Maybe it's this kind of thing like she knows it's a sin (or a curse upon her) to love this person but she does it anyway because she can't help it. But when it comes to choice of sin-related words to use, I can't see why she would use this one because the definition doesn't really apply either way, IMO. Of course I know Dan wrote it, not her.

Gailh · #4 09-23-2005, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GateandGarden

After I wrote that post, I was thinking of those same lyrics you posted like, Hmmmmm. You may be right. Maybe it's this kind of thing like she knows it's a sin (or a curse upon her) to love this person but she does it anyway because she can't help it. But when it comes to choice of sin-related words to use, I can't see why she would use this one because the definition doesn't really apply either way, IMO. Of course I know Dan wrote it, not her.

On some radio interview she did she said the word meant deceit or treachery - I haven't got a dictionary with me because I'm at work but according to the Word Thesaurus some related words are: slander, lies, slur, smear, libel, denigration. So maybe its meaning in this context is to do with lying.

Gail

**jbrownsjr** · #5 09-23-2005, 11:25 AM

i heard her also say it's like little lies or deceits

macfan 57 · #6 09-23-2005, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gailh

I'm not so sure it is a nice, sweet love song.
It's got a gentle feel to it but the words sound quite harsh.
Gail

I agree.

I think it's a beautifully written song. What's interesting is that Dan didn't write this very recently. He wrote it back in the mid 1990's & he didn't write it specifically for her. But, it still fits on the album just perfectly. It's kind of funny. When I first saw the track listing for the album, I'd never even heard of the word "Calumny". Someone here on the Ledge looked it up. This song turned out to be my favorite song (of many) on the album.

GateandGarden · #7 09-23-2005, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by macfan 57

...Someone here on the Ledge looked it up. This song turned out to be my favorite song (of many) on the album.

Oh, this has already been discussed? Do you know what thread and all? I looked but I couldn't find where it was discussed.

macfan 57 · #8 09-23-2005, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GateandGarden

Oh, this has already been discussed? Do you know what thread and all? I looked but I couldn't find where it was discussed.

It's somewhere on the Rumours forum about the time when the track listing became known. This was before there was a Christine forum. I'm not sure how much it was discussed. I know I asked what the word "Calumny" meant, since I'd never heard of it. Someone then posted the definition. That's about it, as I remember it.

GateandGarden · #9 09-23-2005, 03:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by macfan 57

It's somewhere on the Rumours forum about the time when the track listing became known. This was before there was a Christine forum. I'm not sure how much it was discussed. I know I asked what the word "Calumny" meant, since I'd never heard of it. Someone then posted the definition. That's about it, as I remember it.

Oh, okay. I hadn't even thought to look in the Rumours forum; I had forgotten that there was a time when there was no Christine forum. I'll go look for that just to see what it says. Thanks.