Il Ne Reste Qu'a Chanter: Difference between revisions
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== Lyrics == | == Lyrics == | ||
{{Lyrics| | {{Lyrics| | ||
Three mirrors hang on | Three mirrors hang on a wall. | ||
Obeying and breaking the law. | |||
You can think of them as portraits | You can think of them as portraits | ||
As you inspect your face | As you inspect your face. | ||
You can even think | You can even think 'That’s all'. | ||
Or you might suppose there is more | Or you might suppose there is more: | ||
That no mirror can | That no mirror can dictate | ||
What is bound to leave no trace. | |||
The silvered slab can have no say | |||
In what it may reflect | In what it may reflect. | ||
It does not look away | It does not look away. | ||
So take your eye off what it | So take your eye off what it sees— | ||
The passing | The passing everyday— | ||
And make the effort to detect | |||
The glassy surface | The glassy surface. Say | ||
What you see when it frees | |||
Itself of the world’s contingency. | |||
There are three mirrors on a wall, | |||
They may vary in size | They may vary in size | ||
But not a whole lot | But not a whole lot. | ||
Call the possible variants (a), (b), (c) | Call the possible variants (a), (b), (c), | ||
Any of these may be | Any of these may be | ||
In one of two states we’ll call | |||
Covering the | (1) and (2), depending whether or not | ||
The distortion created | An imperfect plane has been placed | ||
Covering the mirror’s flat surface. | |||
For a set of three mirrors | The distortion created | ||
(a), (a), (a), | Is not at all great | ||
(a), (a), (b), or (a), (a), (c), | There’s no drama for the eye. | ||
(a), (c), (c), or (a), (b), (c) | For a set of three mirrors; | ||
There are eight | |||
Possible configurations, (a), (a), (a), | |||
Now we say | Or (b), (b), (b), or (c), (c), (c), or (a), (a), (b), or (a), (a), (c), | ||
So that for a | Or (a), (b), (b), or (a), (c), (c), or (a), (b), (c). | ||
We may have state or condition (1), (1), (1), or | And there are fifty six combinations | ||
(1), (2), (1) | In which they may be distorted or flat. | ||
(2), (2), (2), | Now we say | ||
(2), (1), (1) | That a flat mirror is a (1), | ||
And an imperfect one a (2). | |||
So that for a set that’s (a), (b), (c), | |||
We may have state or condition | |||
(1), (1), (1), or (1), (2), (1) or (1), (1), (2), | |||
Or (1), (2), (2), or (2), (2), (2), | |||
Or (2), (1), (2), or (2), (2), (1), | |||
Or (2), (1), (1). | |||
If we have three dimensions | If we have three dimensions | ||
(a), (a), (b), they can appear | (a), (a), (b), they can appear | ||
In state or condition (1), (1), (1), | In state or condition (1), (1), (1), | ||
(1), (1), (2), or (1), (2), (2), | Or (1), (1), (2), or (1), (2), (2), | ||
(2), (2), (1), | Or (1), (2), (1), or (2), (2), (1), | ||
Or (2), (2), (2). | |||
And similarly | And similarly | ||
For (a), (b), (b), (a), (a), (c), (b), (b), (c) | For (a), (b), (b), (a), (a), (c), (b), | ||
(a), (a), (c) | (b), (c), (a), (a), (c) and (b), (c), (c). | ||
For (a), (a), (a) we may have | For (a), (a), (a) we may have | ||
(1), (1), (1), or (1), (1), (2), | (1), (1), (1), or (1), (1), (2), | ||
(2), (2), (2). | Or (1), (2), (2) or (2), (2), (2). | ||
And similarly | And similarly | ||
For (b), (b), (c) and (c), (c), (c). | For (b), (b), (c) and (c), (c), (c). | ||
That is what you could see. | |||
That is what you could see. | |||
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== Interpretations == | == Interpretations == | ||
*The title comes from a Samuel Beckett quote: "Quand on est dans la merde jusqu’au cou, il ne reste plus qu’à chanter" ("When you're in deep shit, all you have left to do is sing") | *The title comes from a Samuel Beckett quote: "Quand on est dans la merde jusqu’au cou, il ne reste plus qu’à chanter" ("When you're in deep shit, all you have left to do is sing"). The quote is portrayed more literally in "[[Igor Zabel's Song]]" | ||
*It shares a title with a 2006 [[Art & Language]] exhibition that featured mirror and [[Karaoke Bar|karaoke pieces]] | |||
== References == | == References == | ||
Latest revision as of 08:23, 16 October 2023
Lyrics
Three mirrors hang on a wall. Obeying and breaking the law. You can think of them as portraits As you inspect your face. You can even think 'That’s all'. Or you might suppose there is more: That no mirror can dictate What is bound to leave no trace. The silvered slab can have no say In what it may reflect. It does not look away. So take your eye off what it sees— The passing everyday— And make the effort to detect The glassy surface. Say What you see when it frees Itself of the world’s contingency. There are three mirrors on a wall, They may vary in size But not a whole lot. Call the possible variants (a), (b), (c), Any of these may be In one of two states we’ll call (1) and (2), depending whether or not An imperfect plane has been placed Covering the mirror’s flat surface. The distortion created Is not at all great There’s no drama for the eye. For a set of three mirrors; There are eight Possible configurations, (a), (a), (a), Or (b), (b), (b), or (c), (c), (c), or (a), (a), (b), or (a), (a), (c), Or (a), (b), (b), or (a), (c), (c), or (a), (b), (c). And there are fifty six combinations In which they may be distorted or flat. Now we say That a flat mirror is a (1), And an imperfect one a (2). So that for a set that’s (a), (b), (c), We may have state or condition (1), (1), (1), or (1), (2), (1) or (1), (1), (2), Or (1), (2), (2), or (2), (2), (2), Or (2), (1), (2), or (2), (2), (1), Or (2), (1), (1). If we have three dimensions (a), (a), (b), they can appear In state or condition (1), (1), (1), Or (1), (1), (2), or (1), (2), (2), Or (1), (2), (1), or (2), (2), (1), Or (2), (2), (2). And similarly For (a), (b), (b), (a), (a), (c), (b), (b), (c), (a), (a), (c) and (b), (c), (c). For (a), (a), (a) we may have (1), (1), (1), or (1), (1), (2), Or (1), (2), (2) or (2), (2), (2). And similarly For (b), (b), (c) and (c), (c), (c). That is what you could see.
Chronology
Sighs Trapped by Liars 
- Elisa Randazzo - vocals
Interpretations
- The title comes from a Samuel Beckett quote: "Quand on est dans la merde jusqu’au cou, il ne reste plus qu’à chanter" ("When you're in deep shit, all you have left to do is sing"). The quote is portrayed more literally in "Igor Zabel's Song"
- It shares a title with a 2006 Art & Language exhibition that featured mirror and karaoke pieces
References
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| Related | |