Re: Requesting info. about KaTe songs

[afcpeters@aol.com (AFC PeterS)]

In article <m0ptSSL-000BfFC@mercury.mcs.com>, jorn@mcs.com (Jorn Barger)
writes:

> > Under ice
> 
> A mood-piece about smothered emotions
>
> > Waking the witch
> 
>  The inquisitor tries to intimidate the healthy artist/witch into
> self- denial, but she clings to her heart's truth.
>
> > Jig of life
> 
>  The life instinct demands we go on, no matter what...?

I've always interpreted the entire second side of HoL as being about a
death/near-death, out-of-the-body experience. The songs represent various
phases of the experience, including the inability to communicate from the
"other side" (Under Ice), fighting accumulated negative (self-)judgment/guilt
(Waking the Witch) and the old woman she would grow to be demanding that the
young woman hold onto life, so that she (the old woman) could come into
existence (Jig of Life). Towards the end, she's pulled away towards the
heavens/hereafter, so far that she can hold up one hand and cover the entire
Earth in her field of vision (Hello Earth), but finally resolves that it's not
yet her time to die, and returns to her body, loving her friends and family -
and life - more dearly than ever for the experience. 

All the songs fit very easily into this storyline...which doesn't mean that was
Bush's intention. :) Still, I always thought it was rather obvious. Anyone else
get this?


Peter Stoller