you for a while

Music and Lyrics by: Tori Amos

Instrumentation: Vocals, Acoustic Piano, Sampled Strings, Backgrounds, Guitar, Bass, Drums, Keyboard.

Category: Diary, Angsty

Brief Summary: Tori tells us a story (well, its obviously her story, as all songs on Little Earthquakes are) of a young woman making her way in the world after deciding to stand on her own–a sort of Crucify Part 2. This girl is finding out that it isn’t as easy to stand on her own, still dealing with residual guilt and pressures from others to fit in a certain mold, and learning how to be a woman…all at the same time. But, one thing is for certain…”one day she’ll be her own.”

Tori’s Comments: (taken from the Little Earthquakes songbook) “The beginnings were composed on an old upright piano in Virginia. It’s horribly out of tune which is one of the things I love about it. The chorus was written but thats about it. I threw it down on tape and forgot about it. Months later I was cleaning the house (truly a happening) and was throwing tapes away. Eric intercepted this one out of a pile. I was chopping onions in the kitchen he brought it in and said ‘listen’–I did.”

Fan Comments/Interpretations: Scanning forums and other Tori lyric sites, I’ve gathered that most Tori fans see the girl in “Girl” as a burned-out doormat–a girl of indeterminable age deciding that she is through with putting others first, obeying orders, and fulfilling the dreams of her family. Fans find the imagery of this song most enjoyable and poignant. Lyrics like, “We’ll I’m not seventeen but I’ve cuts on my knees…Falling down as the winter takes one more cherry tree” are often interpreted within the context of Tori’s rape experience given references to the “taking of” a “cherry.” Others interpret “cherry tree” as “friendship”–Tori having been betrayed by many friends over the course of her young life. Other images, such as castles burning in her heart are often interpreted as the “death of the inner child,” i.e. a fairytale youth. Some of the more obscure lyrics have been tackled by avid Tori Amos fans. For instance, “A pill to my dots” is said to refer to DOT therapy, a form of therapy in which the entire treatment team watches the patient take their medication. This seems especially correct given the continued reference to “white coats.”

China2Ny’s Comments: Its hard to speak on one Little Earthquake song in particular…I tend conceptualize the entire album as a whole. Girl stands out as a favorite, though. So much in fact, that “She’s been everybody else’s girl, maybe one day she’ll be her own” was my high school yearbook quote (although it was never printed for some reason!). Any Tori fan will agree; there is nothing like belting out “Calling my baby, calling my baby, calling my baby, callin…” at the top of your lungs. This is the climax of this song…a song that mirrors Crucify to an extent. But Girl depicts more vulnerability, which I find most truthful and validating.