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Pygmalion

from Pygmalion by Emperor Gum

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about

In the original Greek tale, Pygmalion is a sculptor who is unattracted to real women. He makes a statue who he falls in love with and a god takes pity on him and makes it real. Its been adapted many times, a common troupe added is that the animated statue then rejects him.

We're approaching the point where creating a robotic paramour is going to become a reality, and its seems rather shallow and selfish to create a being solely to worship you. So we gave the inventor the quandary of creating something for him to admire that he can't make love him back whilst making it worthy of adoration.

The guitar riff was lifted from an abandoned song we had lying around, something we should probably do more often so good ideas don't go to waste. There's a melancholic warmth to the final version that I rather like.

-Yeates

lyrics

Go!

The first thing you should know
Is I tried to find the perfect girl
But in small noise and nervous smiles
I never found one to interest me
Uh-oh

Maybe its just me?
But flesh and blood never fascinated
They say you'll meet someone in time
But I've grown sick while waiting

Its strange, a melancholic thing
To be young and know its not a matter of time
Life is short and I resolved
To search for you in blueprints and designs

I gave you nerves, tiny steel wires
That route up to your fragile core
So you can reach the world at large
And I hope you find more than me

So I built you, a custom piece
A clockwork girl for a mortal man
Tell me, when I turn you on
Will there be a spark inside waiting for me

When I see the thoughts you leave behind in code
I wonder if you know

That I write your every thought
Program your every move
Make you crash when I'm away
I could make you a false synthetic heart
A shallow weight to hold you down
But I'd have you be more than a slave
No

I made you to adore, but won't force
A reflection in your cold and perfect form
The inherent fault in my design
So live your function and be more than what there was before

credits

from Pygmalion, track released March 18, 2013
music & arrangement by Cin & Yeates
lyrics by Yeates
Cin: soprano clarinet, melodica
Juni: keyboard, synth
Yeates: vocals, bass guitar
recorded & mixed by Cin: Nerves mix [2.0]

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Emperor Gum Cheltenham, UK

Classically influenced alternative rock music created in direct spite of pop conventions.

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