Kradam, The Rock Opera: Act II, Scene 1
Act II, Scene 1We open with both Adam and Kris feeling miserable, but there is hope by the end of the first scene.
Sleepwalker and From the Ashes "Sleepwalker" was written by Ryan Tedder, but Adam's recording is significantly different from the original demo. Most importantly, the original has a verse about how the singer knows that the relationship is over that is not in Adam's version.
Click to view"Sleepwalker" and FTA are another pair of songs that look like they are part of the same conversation (Kris is Red; Adam is Blue). In fact, it was the discovery of the conversation between these two songs that got me thinking that all of the songs together might tell a story.
I saw a picture of you
Hanging in an empty hallway
I heard a voice that I knew
And I couldn't walk away
It took me back to the end
Of everything
I taste it all I taste it all
The tears again
I hate it when the light goes from your eyes
And there's nothing I can say to make it better
I walk around and I feel so lost and lonely
I just wander around
With my eyes wide shut because of you
I'm a sleepwalker
It's like I can't even feel
After the way you touched me
I'm not asleep but I'm not awake
After the way you loved me
But you just said you lost your way
Like you'd forgotten how to dream awake
I can't turn this around
I keep running into walls that I can't break down
It's crazy after everything we've planned
How it feels like we are never going to get there
Could we be most afraid of what will save us
Break down to find out what we're really made of
You're everything that I want
But you don't want me (Or maybe it's really "But I can't have you.")
If it's true love that's keeping us alive
Could we find a way to fight this war together
If we're standing on the edge
Hold on when it crashes
Could we rise up from the ashes
Let me out of this dream
Don't be scared, just close your eyes
We don't ever have to say goodbye
Well it's alright
It's alright
Voodoo
A lot of people believe that this song was written about Adam's friend Drake, since he's Cajun. I, obviously, disagree, since I think all of Adam's songs are part of story about his relationship with Kris.
"Voodoo" may be the most cryptic of the songs in this story, although Adam says that the song is "...pretty self-explanatory. It's basically about somebody casting a spell on you with their charm."
Some lines, such as I try to leave but I have to stay and I'm just like a doll/That the pins keep pushing into might indicate that Adam is having trouble escaping an unhealthy relationship. On the other hand, Adam says at the end that he doesn't want to leave. This might make the song seem kind of confusing.
My guess is that some of the words and phrases in the song are actually metaphors. For instance, "Moonshine on the bayou," I suspect, does not mean moonlight shining on the backwaters. I found a strong candidate for an alternative meaning in kind of a roundabout way. "Moonshine," I already knew, is a slang term for illicit alcohol. When searching for "bayou" in the Urban Dictionary, I found an entry for "Bayou Bob." Intrigued, I googled "Bayou Bob." Here's what I found
Quote:
A rattlesnake rancher (Bayou Bob) who had more than 400 bottles of vodka containing snakes seized last week said the contraband is an "ancient Asian elixir" used purely for medicinal purposes and not bootlegged booze as law enforcement contends....
...."It's almost a spiritual thing," Popplewell told the paper, saying he caters to the Asian community and that the liquid is used for wellness and stability. He likened the concoction to cough syrup.
Therefore, I think that "Moonshine on the bayou" may be about the magical "potion" that has made Adam enchanted with his lover. But it's not an evil potion; rather, it's an elixir that brings wellness and stability.
The first two lines of Verse 2 are Swamp sings over the bazaar/Snake bites, aligning stars. (Note: Apparently Adam tweeted the lyrics as "Swamp sings of love bizarre." I've listened multiple times though and I'm pretty sure it's "over the bazaar." That's how most lyrics sites have it. I think Adam must have been rushing. He got some other lines wrong, too) "Aligning stars" is likely a euphemism for an event being destined by the universe. Upon googling "Snake bites symbolism," I found that snake bites in dreams often symbolize a flash of insight or wisdom. I think, then, that Adam is saying here that something gives him a flash of insight, a sign, that he and Kris are meant to be together. That "something" is likely "Swamp sings over the bazaar." But what the heck does that mean?
According to Wikipedia (can you tell yet that I'm a research junkie?) one possible meaning for "bazaar" is a song by the Canadian rock band The Tea Party called "The Bazaar." The lyrics are available here The lines that stand out for me are please my friend no matter what she sees/tell my lover to come back to me
silence swimming in a pool of dreams
beneath its depths the forgotten streams
above, the city of the evening star
behind its walls, the grand bazaar
as she walks through its endless maze
cursing those who mistrust her ways
please my friend no matter what she sees
tell my lover come back to me
doorways spilling out their sombre light
casting shadows that will raid the night
along the alleys of her ruling fears
walk the visions that will cause her tears
lying still as she wills her glance
through the eyes of a charmers trance
please my friend no matter what she sees
tell my lover come back to me
If "the bazaar" refers to the song by The Tea Party, then I am betting that "Swamp sings over the bazaar" means that Adam hears something called "Swamp" at the same time, or around the same time, that he hears "The Bazaar." I considered the musician Swamp Dogg and the song "Swamp," by The Pretenders, but neither of those possibilities seemed quite right. However, check out the song "Swamp" by Tool.
My warning meant nothing.
You're dancing in quicksand.
Why don't you watch where you're wandering?
Why don't you watch where you're stumbling?
You're wading knee deep and going in.
You're wading knee deep and going in.
This bog is sticking, these things are getting locked in.
'Cause you're a stupid, belligerent f**ker.
This bog is thick and these things are getting locked in.
'Cause you're a dumb and belligerent f**ker.
I hope it sucks you down. down...down...down...
Put all of this together, and I think you get that Adam hears "The Bazaar" and "Swamp" at the same time and sees it as a sign that he is, sinking into a swamp, "wandering" in the wrong direction, and that he needs "to return" to his lover.
What all of this means is that I don't believe that "Voodoo" is at all about trying to escape a manipulative, seductive lover. It's about Adam realizing that he will not be able to escape the pain and frustration of the circumstances surrounding this relationship--the voodoo pins-- because he can't not be with Kris. They are destined to be together.
Phew! So why all of this intense analysis of "Voodoo." Well, a) because it's fun and b) because Kris talks about the same thing in "Bring it Back!"
Update:
It has come to my attention that quite a few people have decided that I'm totally bsc for interpreting "Voodoo" for being about Kris. So, I've decided to try again, this time without any obscure references as part of the interpretation. I really appreciate the help that amproof gave me by showing how I needed to solidify my argument. So, here you are.
Moon shine on the bayou
I've given my interpretation of this verse before, and I promised no obscure references this time. =)
Love shrine
From Wikipedia, "A shrine... is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped" Source
Presumably, then, a "love shrine" has to do with the awe, respect, and veneration of a lover. Whom do we know who looks at Adam with awe, respect, and veneration? Brad? Quite possibly, though there aren't too many photos of Adam and Brad actually looking at each other. Drake? Ummm... Kris? Well, let's see...
break the taboo
Adam isn't the kind of person who has all that many taboos. So what taboo would he actually care about breaking? How about having an affair with someone who's closeted and married?
I wanna know what's in your potion
Bound by total devotion
Who looks at Adam with total devotion? Oh, that's right...
I was lookin' for love all over
You're the hunter and I'm your prey
Adam is used to being the pursuer, the "hunter" in a relationship. It takes him by surprise that someone would be chasing him. Who would be chasing after him? Hmmm...
I'm a little pawn still in your game
And you ignore my advances
I turn my head and I look away
But I can't control my eyes around you
You're on the run and I'm chasing you
It feels like war with all your glances
I'm just a boy without a clue
And I can't control following you
(Source)
Now I'm lost in a love hangover
I try to leave but I have to stay
Adam seemed just fine about his breakup with Drake, so I don't see how this refers to Drake. It is possible this is about Brad; we don't know much about why that relationship ended or how messy the breakup was.
This part could also easily be about Kris. Why would Adam try to leave Kris? Well, because Kris is married. Again, Adam has issues with "breaking the taboo" of being involved with a married man.
'Cause it's voodoo voodoo voodoo (under your spell)
Contrary to popular belief, voodoo is not a form of black magic. It is considered by many to be an actual, legitimate religion. From Wikipedia:
"The core beliefs of Louisiana Voodoo include the recognition of one God who does not interfere in people's daily lives and spirits that preside over daily life. Spiritual forces, which can be kind or mischievous, shape daily life through and intercede in the lives of their followers" Source
Again, from Wikipedia, "The word voodoo comes from the word vudu, the Dahomean “spirit”, an invisible mysterious force that can intervene in human affairs.”
In other words, it is an invisible, mysterious, spiritual force that is binding Adam to his lover, and this force might very possibly be good.
(Did Adam ever feel this strongly about Drake?)
Swamp sings over the bazaar
There's a lot of uncertainty about the exact words Adam is even saying here, so, moving along.
Snake bites, aligning stars
"Aligning stars" is likely a euphemism for an event being destined by the universe. As for snake bites, again, from Wikipedia, "Unlike the Judeo-Christian image, the Voodoo serpent represents healing knowledge and the connection between Heaven and Earth." So, in the context of voodoo, a snake bite could be a metaphor for receiving healing knowledge. Outside the context of voodoo, snake bites in dreams often symbolize a flash of insight or wisdom. So, either way, "snake bites" here likely represent wisdom, insight, knowledge, etc.
My interpretation of this line, therefore, is that Adam receives some kind of sign, a flash of insight, that he is destined to be with his lover
(Do you think that Adam feels he is destined to be with either Brad or Drake?)
I'm in rapture there is no cure
No sanctuary from your allure
I agree that these two lines could refer to the ecstasy of making love. Another interpretation, however, is that, again, Adam can't get away from his lover, for "there is no cure" for his love for that person. He can't stop himself from loving him.
'Cause the voodoo you do
Is all that you can do
To make me into your fool
'Cause when you do voodoo
I'm just like a doll
That pins keep pushing into
According to Wikipedia:
Contrary to popular belief, Voodoo dolls are usually used to bless instead of curse. The purpose of sticking pins in the doll is not to cause pain in the person the doll is associated with, but rather to pin a picture of a person or a name to the doll, which traditionally represents a spirit. The gris-gris is then performed from one of four categories: love; power and domination; luck and finance; and uncrossing" Source
In other words, It's very possible that Adam sees the voodoo, the spiritual connection to his lover, as a blessing rather than as a curse. Moreover, perhaps these voodoo pins are not even causing pain; rather, they are pinning Adam to his lover.
So every time I try to break this trance
I'm almost afraid I'll miss my chance
To be bewitched, bothered by you
I just gotta say I want your hex
I don't want to live without your hex
I'm so obsessed with your sexiness
amproof has suggested that "bewitchced, bothered by you" is a reference to the song "Bewitched, Bothered, & Bewildered," by Pal Joey. She writes, "It's a song about a person under a lover's spell and perfectly happy in being so. I think Adam using a portion of the phrase here not only helps to show that he is actually pleased (if a little in over his head) about the voodoo he's under, but also feeling a touch of the innocent romantic about it, too." Source
So, all this time, Adam has been singing that he wants to get away from his lover, but he can't. Now, he admits here that he, in fact, doesn't truly want want to get away. He's very happy being with this person.
Again, it seems unlikely that this is about Drake; Adam seemed to be fine with ending his relationship with Drake. It could be about Brad, but, from the little Adam has revealed about his relationship with Brad, it seems that Adam was likely the one who ended things because he wanted a more committed relationship than Brad did. Unless Adam has since changed his mind, he did ultimately want to get away from Brad.
So, that leaves Kris as a good candidate for whom Adam is addressing in this song.
Bring it Back The opening piano music of "Bring it Back" echoes the chorus of Voodoo. In fact, they are the exact same chords Ebm Cb Abm Ebm
In "Voodoo" Adam says that he knows now that it's wrong to be apart from Kris because they are meant for each other. In "Bring it Back," Kris responds in agreement. He sings Forgive my mouth/For not letting you walk away.... Tell me that you believe/What fate has been telling me
The line I forgot what love is gives us a hint that Kris is partly to blame for their separation.
The line At sundown on the freeway/Is no place for goodbyes is a bit mysterious. I suspect that it refers to the line in CLYG about being at the end of the road.
Continue to Act II, Scene 2