Tanita Tikaram Twist In My Sobriety

All God's children need traveling shoes Drive your problems from here All good people read good books Now your conscience is clear I hear you talk girl Now your conscience is clear In the morning I wipe my brow Wipe the miles away I like to think I can be so willed And never do what you say I'll never hear you And never do what you say Look my eyes are ust holograms Look your love has drawn red from my hands !rom my hands you know you'll never be "ore than twist in my sobriety "ore than twist in my sobriety "ore than twist in my sobriety We ust poked a little pie !or the fun people had at night Late at night don't need hostility #he timid smile and pause to free I don't care about their different thoughts Different thoughts are good for me $p in arms and chaste and whole All God's children took their toll Look my eyes are ust holograms Look your love has drawn red from my hands !rom my hands you know you'll never be "ore than twist in my sobriety "ore than twist in my sobriety "ore than twist in my sobriety %up of tea& take time to think& yea #ime to risk a life& a life& a life 'weet and handsome 'oft and porky (ou pig out 'til you've seen the light )ig out 'til you've seen the light *alf the people read the papers +ead them good and well )retty people& nervous people )eople have got to sell

News you have to sell Look my eyes are ust holograms Look your love has drawn red from my hands !rom my hands you know you'll never be "ore than twist in my sobriety "ore than twist in my sobriety "ore than twist in my sobriety 'he is talking about whole bunch of people who believe in God& that they can't face with problems in this life& so they need to pray to him& in their minds to be somewhere else where they can be alone and talk with him& and for the people you say are good& like you cant see what is behind their mask& like don't udge the books by its covers& she is trying to say metaphorically that going to church or praying don't make you truly believer or a good man& that you are doing that only because you are in fear of God or to make your conscience clear& like i gone to church and now i can do whatever i want&not literally,I think that she is afraid to start to believe in God&and she is making herself atheist but she knows that deep inside she truly believe in him,'o she is saying i like to think i can be so willed and never do what you say,, #han we have you will pig out till you seen the light & she is telling all those people that they can believe but problem is that they will see the result of their believe far&far away in their life and maybe never& so it is like she gibe them&she thinks that you can't risk your life for believing& because at the end you will did God truly e-isted,I don't know can you understand what i am saying& i didn't know if i made a good sentences but i think you will get it,At the end whole summary is that she is e-pressing her like she is atheist and she will live like that because she don't want to risk her life& here&but at the end she knows in her heart that she truly believes in God& but she picked another side, !eni-Lon September 15, 2013 Don't forget this song was written in the late 80s. Recall Bob an !i ge ma"ing their massi#e $%etition.$ &si e' (h) i the) something abo*t snow in &frica+ ,t oesn't reall) snow in &frica. -owe#er, .anita's too smart for that. She's simpl) ma"ing her own political stance, personal feelings to an)one who will listen an with great iron), it's e#en incl* e in the song' nobo ) cares, their too wrappe *p in their own li#es. &n)wa), if this was act*all) a song abo*t a one night stan + .o e/trapolate it from that an create this+ .hat is p*re geni*s000 1r on the flip si e, ma)be it was literal. !a)be the two of them sat *p an tal"e abo*t politics *ntil the s*n rose. 2onetheless, her $sobriet)$ has nothing to o with alcohol. .hat's .11 literal for all the #er) complicate similies an metaphors. , thin" the $twist$ is a sort of $wa"e *p call$ to what's going aro*n her. 3i"e ta"ing time to rin" some tea an thin" abo*t what's R4&335 going on. 6inal answer+ 2o. 5o*'re not going to brea" 7twist8 me in "nowing what these people nee 7m) sobriet)08 , "now the) nee help0 %eople, forget )o*r selfish, s*perficial, garbage an e#en racism' $, on't care abo*t ifferent tho*ghts. Different tho*ghts are goo for me.$

,'#e str*ggle with these l)rics for )ears. &t first , tho*ght it was a lo#e song. .hen a now+ ,t's totall) clear to me+ &n the #i eo naile it. 9heers, .ar*oleson &pril 1:, 2013 ray killen wasn't far of,

iction, b*t

I think that at the begining she is talking about how everyone is trying to find something to make them happy& to fulfill them& to make them belive they are a /better person/, 0ut in all of that they are only thinking about themselves& aren't being aware of the crysis in the world& maybe even worse& being aware and don't care,1 pigging out2, 'he clearly was that aware person& but got of with all of the things civili3ed world can offer 1maybe changed for somebody2& and then started seeing clear again, 'he never was that egoistic person& and she never could become one& because the reality bothers her too much, 0eein"eon &pril 1:, 2012 My Interpretation:.he wor $twist$ has man) meanings, one being $a c*rle piece of orange or lemon *se to fla#o*r a rin"$. So $)o*'ll ne#er be more than twist in m) sobriet)$ sa)s' the ;o*rne) of m) life is blea", prim, proper, rea ing m) impro#ing boo"s an a#oi ing the temptation )o* re;ect b) force of m) will< , am imprisone in chastit) b) m) clear conscience< )o* were a brief interl* e, a small spot of fla#o*r b*t , ha#e seen the light an that is all )o* will e#er ha#e been to me. !elicity)ilchardon !arch 31, 2012 My Interpretation:, alwa)s tho*ght $sobriet)$ is not ;*st abo*t alcohol b*t abo*t being sensible an ma"ing the best choices for herself< an the $twist$ is e#iating from that path. So perhaps she normall) ma"es logical choices, b*t she's loo"ing bac" at a time she i something she wo*l n't normall) o. %erhaps she's tal"ing to someone who was #er) close to her once b*t isn't now, an wants them to "now that now she loo"s bac" at them, with etache c*riosit), as a small remin er of a time when she i something *n*s*al. B*t that's ;*st the chor*s0 &n no"t*rnelle's tho*ghts abo*t the religio*s imager) means ,'m s*re there's more to it than that. i"a)on !arch 1:, 2012 I also think that the music video gives some credence to my interpretation w4the 5esus imagery& the dust in the wind 1like the 6ansas song& that's /all we are/2& the gun hanging over the rearview 1when lots of people opt for rosary beads instead2, )lus the whole dreary grey landscape and cinematography convey a sense of detachment 7 isolation, nokturnelleon 2o#ember 13, 2010 My Interpretation:I think that this song is about atheism or agnosticism 7 the struggle to come to terms with what that means,,, how utterly devastating it could be to face4accept that disconnect& the isolation& guilt& depression& etc, that comes with renouncing your faith,

/All God's children need travelling shoes/ because life is long and hard, /All good people read good books 4 Now your conscience is clear,/ 'he's amidst a learning e-perience& being e-posed to new ideologies that are causing her to 8uestion life, #o assuage her guilt& she's trying to ustify it to herself by saying that /good people/ have a thirst for knowledge, #he chorus is about resentfully admitting that religion has become a hollow vessel, 'he's saying& /hey God 1or whatever *igher 0eing2& if you e-ist& thanks a lot for allowing me to do this to myself9/ /'weet and handsome 4 'oft and porky 4 (ou pig out 'til you've seen the light 4 )ig out 'til you've seen the light/, 'ome people say that religion is an opiate for the masses, 'he's saying that hypocritical& self:serving behavior doesn't discriminate against anyone, 'he's resentful of people who have learning e-periences that go in the opposite direction of hers :: starting out as a non: believer 7 then /seeing the light,/ 0ut whatever9 "usic articulates emotions 7 thoughts in a way that words often fail to do, 'ongs can mean ust about anything& depending on the ears4heart4mind of the listener, #hat's part of the beauty, nokturnelleon 2o#ember 13, 2010 I can tell you this& she stole the first line from "aya Angelou book titles the same; /All God's %hildren need #ravelling 'hoes/ ray<killeenon !a) 0=, 2010 Link It may mean something deep& it sure sounds that way 1what a voice92& but I *A#. the line about /pigging out,/ It sort of kicks out the mystery of the rest of the lyrics, !or me& anyway, Aspiring songwriters& take note= avoid silly idioms about animals in the middle of a cool song9 adamadmanon >an*ar) 01, 200: .his song clearl) capt*res a woman trappe an ca*ght in prostit*tion.$3oo" 5o*r lo#e has rawn bloo from m) han s$.$!5 e)es are ;*st holograms$. .he person concerne has become a robot, acting on instinct an ref*sing to let realit) pass her fragile tho*ghts.... hammeredon !arch 20, 2008 General Comment:well& it could be about > night stand,,,that?s the only e-planation which comes to my mind, 0ut I?d also love to know more,,, there must be some other meaning sisinkion &*g*st 2?, 200? tanita tikaram once claimed that it was about a one night stand that she had however im curious if there are other e-planations for this song carcaterraon !a) 28, 200? 'ongfacts@= (ou can leave comments about the song at the bottom of the page, #he beginning of the song& /All God's children need traveling shoes/ is the title of a book by the writer "aya Angelou, It is the fifth and last book of her autobiography series in which Angelou writes about her dream to return home as a black American woman to Africa and her subse8uent

emigration to Ghana, 'aid #ikaram= /I don't know why I used it but it sounded poetic and spiritual too me; the rest of the song is really about not understanding : when you're >A& you've got a very particular emotional relationship with the world& you feel very isolated& and everybody else is so distant and cold, And I think I was singing about not feeling anything or not being moved by things around, I think this is a strong feeling when you're ust after adolescence, #here is a very good film called -ea#enl) 9reat*res by a director from New Bealand& I don't know if you've seen it& it's about two girls that kill their mother,,, but it's not the murder that matters but their feelings and how you're feeling at that time, 0ut then it passes by,/ 18uote from an interview on )olish television2 In >CAC& Li3a "innelli covered the song for her album Visible Results& which was produced by #he )et 'hop 0oys, #anita told us that she is /deeply honored that Li3a "innelli sang that,/ 'he admitted that when "innelli recorded her version& she was younger and didn't /really appreciated who she was,/ 0ut now she's /a huge fan,/ #anita added that she thinks that "innelli& /understood the song in an American way&/ as /sobriety has a very specific meaning in America& about recovery& ,,, and alcohol,/ *owever as a 0rit& the word had a different connotation to her& meaning / ust to be very serious and sober in your behavior,/ 1'ee our interview with #anita #ikaram for more,2 #anita #ikaram is of "alaysian and Indo:!i ian parentage and is the sister of actor +amon #ikaram, *er debut album Ancient Heart was released when she was >C and was produced by +od Argent and )eter Dan *oote, It featured this song and her biggest $6 hit /Good #radition&/ which peaked at E>F, 'ubse8uent releases have failed to meet with similar commercial success, #his was #anita #ikaram's only $' chart entry peaking at EGH in the 0illboard "odern +ock chart, A bookish teenager who was especially fond of the work of the early GFth century poetical novelist& Dirginia Woolf& #ikaram's love of literature is evident throughout Ancient Heart, When we asked her what went though her mind when she wrote this song& #anita replied that /a lot of the imagery is very bookish&/ adding that it's a /kind of road song, It's a real song with a landscape& and you feel that someone is describing a landscape,/ #ikaram told the !ebruary >CCF edition of @ maga3ine that the song is& /about being too scared to get involved in things,/ #he song was accompanied by a sepia colored video& set in rural 0olivia& which was directed by Gerard de #hame, Ancient Heart remained in the top ten on the $,6, album chart for more than si- months, It was also an international hit& especially in Norway& where the L) remained at E> for >I weeks, It's actually an oboe& played by musician "alcolm "essiter, : 5orge& Lima& )eru #his song got a lot of play here in the 'tates& too :: don't know how it charted& but its haunting tone was e-tremely contagious, I find it irresistible, )erhaps the best use of an .nglish horn in a popular song :: although the only other one that comes to mind is& /I Got (ou& 0abe&/ by 'onny 7 %her 1>CJH2, K'omeone please correct me if either of these is actually an oboe :: they sound so similar :: but the .,*, is more mellow,L : !red& Laurel& "D