The REAL meaning of SiG (take 2)

[sstevens@snap.ua.oz.au]

Hello Earth,

   A while ago I posted an article on the meaning of "Suspended in Gaffa".
I now know that it was completely wrong in every respect, but thanks for
the nice things that were said about it.

   This time I genuinely believe that I've got it right.  I've been
fiddling with this article for about a month now.  Each time I was ready to
submit it I held off, and then discovered a new bit of evidence to support
my argument.
   I might learn something tomorrow that either proves or disproves this
article, or I might find that someone has posted something like it before.
I don't care - I have to post this NOW, so that some sanity can return to my
life.


                  THE REAL MEANING OF "SUSPENDED IN GAFFA"
                  ----------------------------------------

   For completeness, and for those who don't know it, I should begin by
giving the accepted meaning of the song.  To quote Kate:

> The idea of the song is that of being given a glimpse of "God" --
> something we dearly want -- but being told that unless we work for it, we
> will never see it again, and even then, we might not be worthy of it.  Of
> course everybody wants the reward without the toil, so people try to find
> a way out of the hard work, still hoping to claim the prize, but such is
> not the case.  The choruses are meant to express the feeling of entering
> timelessness as you become ready for the experience, but only when you
> are ready.    (1982, KBC 12)

   I hope to show that Kate's explanation is more incomplete than incorrect.
In other words, I am not really accusing her of lying.  She just left out
the bit about AVOIDING MOTHERHOOD.
              ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

   Much of the evidence that I will present to support my argument comes
from the song's video on "The Single File".
   Kate was asked whether the video was a dance interpretation of her
explanation of the song (1985 MTV).  She responded by disparaging the
video, and the one for "There Goes a Tenner", saying that they were rushed.
   She avoided answering the question, because there are elements of the
choreography that lead to a quite different interpretation.  Perhaps she
revealed more in the video than she meant to, and I'm not only talking
about her navel.
   Anyway, I feel justified in using the video to support my argument.  As
Kate said:

> I think my performances help people understand the music better,
> especially the lyrical aspect    (1985, Musician)


   The video is set in a disused barn.  Outside there is a hurricane, but
inside years of dust have settled.  Kate is dressed in a costume resembling
a strait-jacket and much of her dancing involves running on the spot and
turning in circles.
   These elements all illustrate meanings of the phrase "suspended in
Gaffa" - namely being in a timeless place, encountering resistance to
movement or progress, and getting nowhere.

   The major obstacle to understanding the song is working out what "it"
and "have it all" refer to in the following lines:

         "But they've told us unless we can prove
          That we're doing it / we can't have it all"

         "He's going to wangle a way to get out of it"

         "Not until I'm ready for you, can I have it all"

   The video clarifies each of these lines.  It starts with Kate sitting on
the floor.  When she sings "He's going to wangle a way to get out of it,"
she holds up the forefinger of her right hand.  Then, when she sings "She's
an excuse" she makes a circle with the thumb and forefinger of her other
hand.  The timing of these actions with the words suggests that the finger
represents "He" and the circle represents "She".  To put it bluntly, the
finger and circle symbolise male and female genitalia.

   Instead of placing the finger through the circle, Kate moves them away
from each other.  This signifies an AVOIDANCE of sex or intimacy.  The "It"
that they are trying to wangle a way out of is sex.

   She goes on to sing "Unless we can prove that we're doing it, we can't
have it all".  How do you prove that you are having sex?  Short of a public
exhibition, this is done by the production of a child (I know this sounds a
bit coarse, but please persist with me).

   Further evidence that "It" relates to reproduction can be found in the
choruses, when Kate sings "Not until I'm ready for you, can I have it all".
The dancing is fairly explicit.  She brings her hand to her stomach, does
some intriguing belly-dancing, then pulls her cupped hands away from her
stomach, kisses the contents, and sets free a white butterfly.  This can
only illustrate childbirth.  She sings "Not until I'm ready for you, can I
have it all" to her unborn child. 

   So, she's been told that she can't "have it all" until she has children.
She obviously has a problem with this, because whenever she thinks about
having children her feet turn to mud.  In trying to "wangle a way to get out
of it" she is searching for alternatives that will give her the same
feeling of "having it all" as motherhood is supposed to give her.

   She already has something that fits the bill - her career.  Kate has
repeatedly said that she doesn't have the time to start a family while she
is still working:

> My career takes up so much time that children don't figure yet.
         (1985, What Kate Bush Did Next)

> ANY PLANS FOR A FAMILY?
> No, again, not yet.  My work takes up all my time.
         (1985, Conversation Series 1)

> I suppose I am quite maternal, and it's something I'd like one of
> these days.  A child is probably a lot like contemplating a world tour -
> mentally and physically exhausting.  I'm not sure I'm ready for one yet.
> I think for now I'll make do with one of my cats, thanks.
         (1990, Musician)

   She feels that she can't have both her career and a family.  Her work
is the reason that she gets suspended in Gaffa when she contemplates
motherhood.  As she has explained, "Gaffa" comes from "Gaffa tape", a tool
of her trade.  Being "suspended in Gaffa" is analogous to being caught up
in one's work.

        "I try to get nearer, / But as it gets clearer
         There's something appears in the way,
         It's a plank in me eye, / With a camel
         Who's trying to get through it"

   She tries to embrace the idea of motherhood, but her career gets in the
way.  Her feeling is that her work shouldn't stop her, so she accuses
herself of pride (noticing the mote in her brother's eye, but not the plank
in her own - and greed (it's easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a
needle than for a rich man to enter heaven).

   Whether the way is through motherhood or music, the final goal of
"having it all" is only briefly glimpsed: 

        "I caught a glimpse of a god, all shining and bright"

   Kate said that "god" refers to something we dearly want.  Only when we
reach "god" do we "have it all".  In a pre-Dreaming interview, she said
something very interesting on this same topic:

> All we ever look for - is God - in inverted commas - inasmuch as it's
> something you believe in.  Belief is motivation, and without that you
> don't do anything.  I mean, if your "God" is to have a husband and
> children, and you actually fulfill that... Many people don't see the
> thing they love and believe in as "God".  Most of us aren't happy,
> really, and it's only because our God isn't complete.
> AND WORK IS YOUR GOD?
> It is, really, yes, as everything in my life goes into my music.
            (1981 RM)

   Isn't it neat that she uses the "husband and children" example to
illustrate her point?  Perhaps she was writing "Suspended in Gaffa" at the
time.  She acknowledges that having a family might be some people's idea of
"god", but it isn't hers.  Her god is her work.

   In the above interview, Kate seems quite clear about what her "god" is.
The Kate who sings "Suspended in Gaffa" is different.  She is being
pressured into accepting somebody else's god, which is something she can't
do.  Eventually she decides that she "don't stand a chance of getting
anywhere at all".  She is one of those people that she mentioned, who are
lost and unhappy because their god isn't complete.

   How Kate REALLY feels about motherhood is none of my business, but I
hate to think of her giving up her career.  One thing is for sure.  If she
thinks having kids is like doing a world tour, she'll NEVER have them :-)


Selwyn Stevens
sstevens@crackle.ua.oz.au
University of Adelaide