Posted by Mike Hartnett on October 15, 1998 at 15:33:53:
In Reply to: Re: Meaning behind posted by Rodney Welch on September 24, 1998 at 05:50:15:
: No question Maggie is one of the best -- the same goes for "The Married Men"; there are songwriters out there who will never come up with a single line as good as "soloing in my travelling wedding band."
: A part of that song which always puzzled me is at the end:
: I know these girls
: They don't like me
: But I am just like them
: Picking a crazy apple off a stem.
: It wasn't until later that it made sense -- it's the singer's own self-serving take on her illicit affairs: she has impulsively picked a man, without much thought to his faithfulness, but then, so did his wife. The wife looking for a commitment and the adulteress looking for love are united in this: they chose foolishly. Quite a thought.
Yes, a beautiful bit of lyric writing. But as often with Maggie's work, the best of it eluded me for some time, and then revealed itself, after many listenings. Remember, after the
"picking a crazy apple off a stem" line, Maggie pauses for maybe 2 beats, and the finishes with
"...giving it to the married men"
The "it" referring to the apple, the singer in the guise of Eve, the original temptress in the Garden. These lines echo the imagery of the opening to "This Feminine Position", in which Maggie laments
"I've got the apple in me,
original cinnamon style"
Like a good Catholic babe, accepting her share of cosmic guilt. I tell you, Chicago has lost lustre now that my girl no longer appears at the Park West once a year. Must make a Pilgrimage to the east. In the meantime, thanks for the updates on shows, et al.