This is the last of 8 songs that I have found, as I have gone through all of the album threads on this "songs" part of the 'Tow, that has not yet gotten its own thread/discussion, and as with all the other 7 songs I have discovered to not have their own threads/discussions, surely enough I am completing my mission by starting a thread on this song as well.

At first listen, this song may sound almost as pointless as what is probably generally agreed upon as her worst or at least most pointless song "Lolita" (from Nine Objects of Desire).

However, I usually see more in a song after reading the lyrics as opposed to just listening to the song, and this time I think I saw a little more in the song than I've seen before. To put it bluntly, it's almost as if in some way SV is saying "quit wasting your time with pointless games", on one level, yet on another level it's almost like a meditation, and it reminds me of her interesting song "Predictions" from what I feel is her best album Days of Open Hand. Other thoughts/observations?

Also, I have to say that when I saw her in concert (only saw her twice, on back-to-back nights actually when she was in Florida during Spring/Summer 2003), on at least one of the nights, she performed this song and made it real fun by getting the audience to participate with choreographed claps. AND THE AUDIENCE WAS MORE THAN HAPPY TO OBLIGE AND DELIVERED QUITE SONICALLY VOLUMINOUS, CHOREOGRAPHED CLAPS! I'd like to be able to somehow insert those claps onto the song because they made an already fun, if lightweight, song even more fun.

Discuss -

-M

I wasn't quite interested in this song until I read a book called "Solitaire Mystery" by "Justin Gaarder". It's kind of philosophic song!!! (I suggest you to read that book!)
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And it also reminds me very much of the famouse song of Sting "The Shape Of My Heart!"

But sounds like Suzanne hasn't take it that seriously! :P

The key word is repetition!

there is memory in repetition. "compulsion makes you listen". suzanne has used the language of games before as metaphors: chess in "knight moves" or poker in "no cheap thrill". but, unlike the others, this is a solitary game, a rather fierce one-on-one between "you and your fate in a kind of check-mate".

"and you are your only competition". it's an existential song, with an intense wish for guidance running underneath it, and in that sense it can be put together with "predictions" and even "penitent".

love,
fátima

My theory: This song owes some inspiration to The Manchurian Candidate.  "Why don't you pass the time by playing a little solitaire?"

 

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The wind kicks up with the smell of rain
The kids are gone but the souls remain