A Story in Two Keys Discussion Thread
Hi all, I'm starting this discussion thread before our live session. If any questions or thoughts come up while you're watching the videos, don't be shy – just drop them here and we can start talking about them now.
Looking forward to seeing you Friday!
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The replay of the live session is up on the program site now. I've also added two more items: the slide deck from the live session and an article that pursues the close reading to the end of the song.
I've also put together a few questions here that we might like to pursue in this discussion thread (or just for your own thought):
Choice vs. Possession
The narrator repeatedly references her having a “choice” — but what is he actually hoping she will choose? Is it him, or the life he represents?
How does the repeated emphasis on winning undermine or complicate the notion of choice?
Transactional Language
The line “when my ship comes in” is a well-known idiom associated with financial luck.
How does this line change the way we understand his motivation? Is he genuinely in love, or is he positioning himself as a future winner, with her as the prize?
How might this phrase reinforce the idea of transactional love, where affection is earned rather than mutually shared?
Waiting for Her to Wake Up
The narrator frames himself as waiting for her to “wake up” and “make up her mind.”
How does this language place him in the passive role while simultaneously setting up a dynamic where he’s ready to claim her once she “wakes up”?
What might this suggest about his perception of her agency?
Tough vs. In Love
The line “She’ll see I’m not so tough / Just because I’m in love” sets up a contrast between toughness and vulnerability.
What does this say about how he wants to be seen by her? Is he softening for her sake, or is he trying to present himself as something he thinks she wants to see?
How might this connect to the larger theme of performing identity to fit in with the “uptown” world?
And finally, one more line I'll put out here as a challenge to see if anyone else wants to do more close reading of the song.
The line: “I can’t afford to buy her pearls”
My question: What's the symbolic funciton of this line and buying her pearls?