This is a song by Emily Saliers of the Indigo Girls, released on their album Shaming of the Sun. Of this song, Emily said, "It's actually two songs that were put together. And i wrote it on electric guitar, which is the first time i've ever written a song on electric guitar. I just came up with the opening chord riff and wound the song around it. It's two sections - one is about the relationship that's totally screwed up, the other is from a dream that actually our bass player Sara Lee had and told me about - and so I put the dream in with the other reflections for the song, and it just came out as it is. It's a lot more obscure that i typically write.
"As far as production goes, Sara Lee wrote the string part for that and arranged it. It's really the only big string section we have on the record. There's a lot of electric guitar and layered percussion tracks and things like that. It's a big song, in terms of musical production. It's really different than anything we've ever done."
From the magazine Creative Loafing: Amy's turn came on Caramia, the swooning, arching love song with the five violins, two violas and two cellos - a song whose harmonies were written by Amy. But when they recorded it, Emily asked Amy to do "Things I wouldn't even think of, that wouldn't occur to me to do," Amy recalls. "she said to me, 'I think that note might not be right, can you do this instead.' or, 'I think that might be a little too harsh.' or, 'I didn't want your voice to stick out that much, can you try singing back a little bit.' " but don't mistake this for a compromise: "Emily produces her own songs and I produce mine. We take direction from each other. And there's a lot of things she challenged me on this time." And vice-versa? "It's stuff that's inside us both but it's not what we would naturally do."
Many fans think that Caramia is sort of a sequel to Mystery; Emily has said that both were about "a really fucked up relationship."
Caramia
caramia
blank notebook and a back pocket fade
you used to mock me
sometimes i would cry
when i was home later
cause you hurt my feelings
why why why
(why why why)
you said write it down in your notebook
my wanna be harriet the spy
and some say your genius
(genius)
is in your madness
(madness)
will you get better
(will you get better)
and then will you leave us
(will you leave us)
how you mixed with the darkness
at such a young age
(until in your chemistry)
until in your chemistry
(silence and violence)
silence and violence
(silence and violence)
turned silence to rage
(turned silence to rage)
ah
why are dreaming this
one shoe off
and a bridge to cross over
and where is your taxi fare
are you left by yourself
or left by your lover
(are you left by your lover)
for three nights straight now
i dream i kept both of my shoes
but i've forgotten my lines
and i've misplaced my cues
and there's a sea full of faces
and a show to go on
but i'm struck mute at entrance
with nothing to draw from
there were the secrets
the big bang and the bigger joke
you seem to know all of them
that's why injustice makes you red with choke
yeah but you love like you're desperate
you don't know what love is
(if there was one thing)
and i thought if there was one thing i could give you
one thing i could give you
(if there was one thing)
well maybe it was this
the head on the bed board
(sadness)
the anguished repeat
(sadness)
the sweat of our sadness
(sweat of our sadness)
and the twist of the sheets
(twist of the sheets)
i don't want whats best for you
where will i be when you've found it
(where will i where will i)
you know i pray a lot about these bad feelings inside
(where will i where will i be)
i can't pray my way through or around it
hey
why are dreaming this
one shoe off
and a bridge to cross over
(and a bridge to cross over)
and where is your taxi fare
are you left by yourself
(are you left)
or left by your lover
(by yourself)
for three nights straight now
(left by your lover)
you know i keep both of my shoes
(i've got bad feelings inside)
but i've forgotten my lines
(i can't pray through)
i've misplaced my cues
(i can't pray my way around it)
and there's a sea full of faces
and a show to go on
i'm struck mute at entrance
with nothing to draw from