you for a while

Music and Lyrics by: Tori Amos

Instrumentation: Vocals, Acoustic Piano (Bosendorfer), Hammond Organ, Bass, Saxaphone

Brief Summary: The revival of the feminine in modern day religion is one of Tori Amos’ favorite topics. She really brings her message home in Muhammad My Friend. She has said that she was inspired to write this song after singing “Away in a Manger” while attending a Christmas service with her parents. She had caught herself asking, “So, yeah, there is a baby boy in that manger but who is it that is going to take care of him? A woman.” She decided, then, to have a chat with Muhammad, the prophet who is praised for his knowledge of the law.

Tori’s Comments: “I wanted to know why the blueprint of the Magdalene was not passed down. What was passed down was the whore that wiped Jesus’ feet. We skipped the whole phase of the woman–having sexual desire, wisdom, passion. Being an equal to Jesus.”

Fan Comments/Interpretations: We all struggle with interpreting Muhammad My Friend, but some of the smarter of us have ventured guesses–i.e. it emphasize the need for investigations into the importance of the feminine in religion. As an example, Tori points out that Moses burning bush ain’t got nothin’ on Pele’s (the volcano goddess’) fire. One fan, on an interp forum, pointed out that the “place in the pope’s rubber robe” indicates that Tori believes that people, when afraid, turn to religion blindly. For the most part, however, fans were too stricken with Maynard’s performance on the NY video to focus too long on an interpretation.

China2Ny’s Comments: Muhammad My Friend made me very happy because when I bought my Boys for Pele songbook, the intro was one of the easier ones to play.