Romeo Void-Warm in Your Coat [1992]

Romeo Void-Never Say Never [1992]
Back in the early 90’s I was in college and listening to music that seemed to represent my mood, thoughts and feelings! The Goth-new wave era had arrived in full force and Romeo Void was one of many groups that I heard on cd’s, in concert and over the air. They seemed to have only two widely popular and well played songs-Never Say Never and A Girl in Trouble-but despite this lack of superficial popularity they became quite popular in the groups that I was around.

I loved the music and the lyrics-both seemed to convey my dark feelings and I was attracted to the way the music flowed than the lyrics themselves for many of the songs I enjoyed. It wasn’t until years later when I was in grad school that I really began to look at the song’s lyrics and analyze what they meant or what they might be trying to say to the larger world and maybe even to us who listened to the music every day.

My thoughts recently have returned to Romeo Void’s cd “Warm in Ur Coat” which has strong lyrics in the songs “Never Say Never” and “A Girl in Trouble”. Both present what appears to be a very strong willed feminist who is living her life on her terms, but on further examination I’ve noticed what appears to be the subtle undertones of women being used and abused by society and they then are required to become self-sufficient and emotionally hard to survive.

In “Never Say Never” I wonder if this song makes reference to incest. We hear in the opening verse that “sun suit girls must be discreet” and I wonder if this is not a reference to a young women, a pre-teen, who is sunning herself outside in the back where her father could be watching. And the verse ends with the words-“Nursing their fathers locked inside. They masqueraded as his bride.” Is this a reference to a father having sex with his daughter? As the obvious metaphor of the father being locked inside-inside her? And only with your spouse are you to have sex so is the last line a reference to the daughter playing the wife? The next verse makes reference to an old man, who sounds homeless and sleeps outside covered in newspapers, but would be “warm in your coat”, and I’ll ask what coat that might be? When I first heard these lyrics I always thought of it literally-being sheltered in someone’s winter coat to stay warm. As I’ve gotten older I wonder if it doesn’t mean a woman’s personal coat that is made of hair and at times called furry. I’ll leave it at that so that this blog can remain PG-13 for the moment! Then there is the chorus that repeats the title-“I might like you better if we slept together…never say never!” And does this make reference of what the father says to his daughter or daughter to father? I suppose it’s open to interpretation.

Now when I listed to “A Girl in Trouble [is a temporary thing]” back when it came out I thought it was a bit of a pop-like song with lyrics that were a bit more upbeat but still quirky. I had thought that it made reference to any pretty girl who could just flash her smile and toss her hair and some guy with money would could bye and help her out. I think the lyrics paint quite a different picture which I’d not noticed until recently. The lyrics say that “she’s heard every line” and she has to save her tears for later when she can afford to cry, but for the moment she has to take care of business. She has to be strong and hard and go get it done. Further reflection on these lyrics indicates she’s a pretty girl and she’s been hit on by plenty of guys. But at least one of these guys may have had his way with her as she has something that is tearing her up inside and is making her want to cry, but she can’t allow herself to cry. I knew of two girls when I was in college who described events like this to me. They had boyfriends or a guy they were dating and they were physically intimate with the guy. During the relationship they became pregnant and the guy left her. They spoke of how they were in trouble, but were going to take care of it, or made reference to how they had business to take care of-before they could collapse and cry. I’m sure this scenario must have occurred many times on college campuses in the 80’s, 90’s and today as well. Pretty girls get in to trouble because they fall for a guy and his lines and then they become pregnant.

The lyrics to some of my favorite songs haven’t changed, but like life itself your perspective of things does change as you get older. Some things have more meaning, some less and others no meaning at all. A girlfriend who dumped me two years ago broke my heart at the time and made me wonder how I’d pick myself up. Two years later I sit and write about song lyrics and wonder why I ever dated her in the first place-and why I’d want to bother dating anyone again. Returning to the songs of my youth reminds me of how dark and jaded my outlook on life was and that I never thought I’d live as long as I have at this moment. I tried to live as much as I could and experience as much as possible thinking that life would be short. Now that I’m older and am old by my own definition during my youth I have a dark outlook on life but not so much that it will end soon, but more so that life doesn’t change. Those that were beautiful and had it all when I was young still do, and the beautiful still have a different life in the USA. Those who were not born with money or looks must work hard to make a living and try and find what happiness they can in the time that they are given. Perhaps the music of my youth can help me to find a smile-even if it is dark music!

Romeo Void-Never Say Never
http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/dodgeball/neversaynever.htm

Never Say Never-listen online
http://popup.lala.com/popup/504684693663463194

rhapsody-never say never
http://www.rhapsody.com/romeo-void/warm-in-your-coat/never-say-never/lyrics.html

rhapsody-a girl in trouble
http://www.rhapsody.com/romeo-void/warm-in-your-coat/a-girl-in-trouble-is-a-temporary-thing/lyrics.html

Monday, November 02, 2009