Heracles' trip
by @ayais
Liner Notes
Heracles (Hercules in Rome) was a total he-man. Vanquished everyone. But, then, Mad Dust was thrown into his eyes, he went on a 'trip' and killed his own children.
I'm writing some of the music (and I'll be in the stage band) for All Our Tragic, a compilation of 32 Greek tragedies that's going to be staged in April and May at the Idiom Theater in Bellingham. The play lasts about 10 hours and has multiple intermissions for snacks, dinner, dessert, peeing, and socializing. I'll be posting more as they pop out.
Lyrics
Dust in his eyes Ever the hero He fights demons and dragons You are demons and dragons He slays you
Don’t speak his name Life’s a dream to him He gives way to the madness You his children are demons He slays you He slays you
Comments
A chilled song about killing - wistfully homicidal, the slide guitar is like the whistling while he 'works' - it's a wonderfully economical song. The theme has parallels with Nordic beserkers consuming fly agarics before battle (though I don't know if that's a legitimate theory any more).
Nobody threw mad dust into the eyes of hercules. hera sent Lyssa, goddess of madness, to afflict him with temporary, insanity, during which he killing his wife and kids. thinking them to be demons, which they were not. . where did you hear about this mad dust?
All Our Tragic is by Sean Graney. It's a compilation of the Greek tragedies, and is written without gods as characters. Graney has Eurystheus step in to blow the dust in Heracles' eyes.
A 10 hour play?! Ok … Your song is a continuation of your Billionär‘s song.to me Just from another angle! The repetitions of ‚he slays you‘ gives it a bit of a horror mood!
Very cool! I love the choice of story with the style of music. It reminds me of “O Brother Where Art Thou?” With the southern style of music and Greek mythology.
Thanks! You're so right about O Brother ... hadn't thought of that at all ... enter subconscious!
Congrats on the theater project. Enjoying the minimal accompaniment and the up-frontness of the vocal. First time I've heard a song about Heracles! Unique.