you for a while

Music and Lyrics by: Tori Amos

Instrumentation: Vocals, Acoustic and Electric Pianos, Drums, Bass, Acoustic and Electric Guitar, Programmed Keyboard, Rat Pedal, Background Vocals.

Category: Angst—straight up

Brief Summary: One thing is for sure. Somebody went and PISSED Tori off before she wrote this powerhouse song. If one were to guess, this “somebody” just might be every jerk that crossed her path from ages 5 to 18. At its basest level, Precious Things paints the picture of a young person desperately trying to fit in, realizing that its not that easy, fun, or (eventually) worthwhile, and suffering emotionally while she figures it out. The chorus “These precious things, let them bleed, let them wash away, let them break their hold on me” suggests that the person in the song (Tori and those she represents) wants to fit in certain posh sectors of society, be it middle school cliques or the music industry, but hates herself for this desire. She wishes it would all just go away, leave her, never to return. And, as a side note, some of Tori’s most impressive piano work is highlighted in Precious Things.

Tori’s Comments: (taken from the Little Earthquakes songbook) “Heavily into the sandman comics by now, the nights were late, candles all over the house dripping where they would. Wax is a bit more fun to play with that bubble gum. The doors were open by now. I could resist but there’s always air suction.”

Fan Comments/Interpretations: Some fans theorize that Precious Things is about obsessing over someone so much so as to lose one’s virginity to that person, but as it turns out the person didn’t really feel the way you thought they did. Not only that, but the shame, guilt, and (of course) anger that falls out from this horrific but poignant event. Others take this a step further and, rather than viewing it in terms of a single event, viewing it as a series of events–i.e. a girl who has a habit of “giving herself up” to those that use her, leave her, or otherwise cause her to feel shame. Most agree that the lyrics distill down to pure, hard-core teenage angst, particularly centered around obsessional, unrequited love.

China2Ny’s Comments: One of my faves off LE (who am I kidding…the are all my faves!). I remember going to a high school football game where the cheerleading team came out during halftime and had the nerve to do a routine to “Precious Things.” My friends were freaked out when I balled like a baby. I was both sickened and hurt that a group of girls who had shunned me for such a long time had the audacity to shake their little behinds to my Tori song! Especially one so representative of my feelings toward them. What a disturbed 15-year-old I was!