robyn hitchcock, “underground sun,”
from: Ole! tarantula, 2006
“Stand in the water
with your red ‘n’ white bikini dots
Telling your daughter
This is where we are and what we’ve got
I know you’re there
I can relive you
Silhouetting on the golden sea
I feel with you
Even though I know
You’re not with me
Underground sun
Underground sun
I miss you
You lie so lonely
Listening to the silence of the graves
You don’t belong there
You belong down south among the waves
Underground sun
Underground sun
I miss you
One for the girl that went away
Two for the girl that went astray
Three is in between you
Underground sun
I miss you
I miss you
Underground sun
Underground sun
Underground sun
”
Built with the repeating fervor of its winning guitar riff, this song never stops taking off. I read somewhere that Mr. Hitchcock wrote it in response to a friend who had died of cancer. It seems he tries to conquer the full measure of his grief by anesthetizing it with volume. He creates an immense chorus of his own voices that make the song gain immensity. The tempo grows in passion, but the loss is bigger.
Painting by Mr. Hitchcock