Meaning of RUTH Lyrics

[harvard!jerpc.PE!topaz!jer (Eric Roskos @ Home)]

Well, today I finally got the time to sit down and reread all
the previous comments on the lyrics for RUTH, and also to listen
to it several times.  However, after listening to it, I still
can't figure out how the song is about the solipsistic nature of
the art experience or something of that sort.

My mundane and superficial interpretation, which I thought of
after listening to it the first time, still makes more sense
than that (although a convincing argument for a better
interpretation could change my mind)... that this song is about
a woman jogging in the city, who runs by some construction
workers, who are up in the girders of a building under
construction, who begin shouting things at her the way
construction workers often shout things at women.  This makes
her angry and hurt, and she wishes they could exchange places so
that they could appreciate this.  She wishes she could go out
and jog "with no problems;" but she also wishes she could run up
the side of the building, where the men are safely sitting, and
confront them.

The lyrics puzzle me, though; is the first "it doesn't hurt me"
supposed to be a denial of the reality?  Since later she says,
"You don't want to hurt me, but see how deep the bullet lies."
Or is it supposed to reflect their mistaken sentiments, "Aw,
gee, it doesn't hurt her none."

See, this line "Tell me, we both matter, don't we?" suggests the
object-ification of women which such comments imply.  However, I
don't see how "You and me won't be unhappy" relates to this,
unless it means to suggest the relative unimportance of
attraction based on appearance which such comments also imply
(if it meant this, it would seem to be a sort of flaw to me;
since clearly people could be thus attracted and still unhappy. 
Or maybe it merely reflects another mistaken idea, like the "it
doesn't hurt her" one.).

There aren't many other lyrics to this song, so it's hard to
find much more in it, for me... but the reason I don't
understand how it might relate to the isolation between the
artist and the audience is that there is a sort of anger and
hostility there; what does "is there so much hate for the ones
we love," or the other suggestions of harm ("unaware that I'm
tearing you asunder") have to do with such a concept?  I would
think that a song about that subject would have a sad tone; I
think I could write such a song myself, but it would have
phrases denoting emptiness and isolation, and tonal echoes, and
so on, rather than this sort of angry sound.

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Shyy-Anzr: J. Eric Roskos
UUCP-Mail: vax135!petsd!peora!jer@jerpc.PE

"Well, I don't Think that the LORD Meant us to eat Charred
Caterpillars, no matter What condition of Stiffness they're in!"