you for a while

Music and Lyrics by: Tori Amos

Instrumentation: Drums, Bass, Guitar, Bose & Vocals

Brief Summary: Northern Lad, on the surface, appears to be about a strained relationship, one in which one person (let’s say Tori) is not quite sure if this guy is the “one” (”But I feel something is wrong, I feel this cake just isn’t done”) but doesn’t really want to let him go either. So, in order to keep things status quo, she attempts to be something she is not, i.e. a guitar instead of a piano. At one point, though, toward the end of the song, “Tori” (or anyone who relates with the Tori character) begins to find herself again, stating “Well, if you could see me know…its time to turn the page.”

Tori’s Comments: “It’s very much about thinking you were loved for who you were, and realizing you weren’t and realizing maybe you don’t love yourself. The line, ‘I guess you go too far when pianos try to be guitars’ is just about never being enough. I felt that with my instrument sometimes, wanting to be Jimmy Page. You can only be you. A lot of times it’s never enough for people.”

Fan Comments/Interpretations: There are a lot of people in this world who feel like they are trying to be someone they are not in order to please someone special in their life. About 60% of those people identify with Northern Lad. And about 30% of those people post on song interpretation forums. Some other fans postulate that the “northern lad” is Tori’s Mark, and that this song represents the reservations she had prior to getting married. Others think the northern lad is Eric Rosse, and that this song is sort of a “Baker Baker” part deux.

China2Ny’s Comments: Tori is usually pretty sparse with the potty words. The “f**ing cold” line cuts life a knife in this diddy though…you just don’t expect it.