Recordings of the Middle East

Released 08th May 2009


Other music by the Middle East
here.











Recently I did an interview with one of The Middle East's band members about their song 'The Darkest Side."
Guitarist and vocalist Robin Jones wrote the song and this is what she had to say about the lyrics.


What is meant by the metaphor Love, is the air in your mothers lungs, and what significants does it have in the overall meaning of the song?

The metaphor love, is the air in your mother's lungs is used in the opening line of the song as it is telling a story. It gives the opening image of a mother who is dependant on love and thrives on this love to get through day by day. It is the only thing getting her through the hard life she has found herself trapped in. I wrote this song out my own life experiences and so the lyrics have a more personal depth to them. The metaphor is linked to the line 'plastic bags and the panadol was out'. This sentence is meant to give the image of suicide. The lyrics are written about my mother who would have committed suicide if it weren't for the love she had felt for my siblings and I. My mother also knew the emotional damage a suicidal parent could cause as her father had when she was only 9. She lived out of love and guilt and this is what the song is about.


What is the deeper meaning of the word Love used in the song and who is it directed at?

In this song the word love is used not so much in the context of two people in love but the love that is felt between brothers, sisters and parents. Love is a deep connection to their other family members. This connection forces them to do things that they wouldn't have done if they did not have to consider other people. There is several example of this throughout the lyrics in the song. One of these are in the line that I talked about in the previous question. Love for other family members is what stops the mother from committing suicide. If she were in a situation where committing suicide would only affect herself she would have probably gone through with it. The other example is in the line Love, is a sold Gibson 335. This is talking about the love a father feels for his wife and children. It drives him to work harder and give up his dream to keep his family alive. In the lyrics it expresses the struggle that he is going through trying to pay for daily expenses such as the electricity bill. This is what meaning the word brings to the lyrics.


The use of the language device personification is used in the first line of the chorus. Do you think that the use of this device is affective and how does the lyrics relate to the general theme of the song?

I think that the lyrics in this song are written in a way that makes them open to many different interpretations. Some people see the chorus as a reference to religion though I did not intend the lyrics to have this meaning. This is why the meaning of the line 'and it's the darkest side of my heart that dies when you come to me,' can be seen from several different angles. Everyone has their own interpretation. The meaning that the lyrics carry for me is that when someone loves and is dependant on another it helps them become a better person. These lyrics again relate to my mothers situation. The love she felt for her children is what made the darkness of her heart soften. As she had been through so much as a child and after the abuse of her father the only thing that could even slightly take away the pain that she felt was her love for us and knowing that she was needed. I used the language device of personification to give the audience the image of this. I think that the use of this is quite successful as it ties in with the general theme of the song, which is the love and sacrifice for ones family.


What do you think makes your audience grasp a more personal and emotional response? Do you think you have done this successfully?

When I wrote the lyrics for this song it was easy to write it on a deeper and more meaningful level because it was a story that I could connect with. I grew up with an emotionally unstable mother, and know the consequences that can be brought with having an abusive childhood. My mother was brought up in a family with a schizophrenic sister and father. All her families time, money and energy was poured into them. In result her sister and her suffered from malnutrition and their father committed suicide when she was 9. Not all of the listeners of this song would know the context behind the song and yet still find their own personal connection to the song. This is why I think the song is successful because people can relate to it on so many different levels.


The comparison of love and a sold Gibson 335 is a metaphor used in the first verse. Why did you use the image of a sold guitar and how doe this define meaning in your lyrics?

I used the image of a sold Gibson 335 because it represents what a father had to loose to take care of his family. He could have perused other dreams such as music, things he loved but knew that looking after his family would always have to come first. In context of the whole song the next line 'And your father’s dream died that night. Just to keep that electricity on," shows the struggle that he went through having to give up his dreams. Choosing between his own desires and his family. Love is what compels him to save his family, not wanting them to live in poverty. This is how the image gives the lyrics meaning and shows the importance of a fathers love.

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