K T Tunstall ~ Suddenly I See

Every time I hear this song, I feel empowered! It's beautiful

Nearly two years ago, I did some ruminating on the concept of "face is a map of the world." It began with a query on the phrase as it appears in 30 Seconds From Mars' song, From Yesterday. I posted the note to all of my FB friends, and there was only one response, from the friend who had recommended the band and the song to me anyways. His easy exit out of the discussion was that it changes with the mood you are in when you listen to it. I can call that a valid point, especially after many of my seemingly non-chalant posts on here. I went on, though, in the comments with my interpretation of K T Tunstall's song, Suddenly I See, and its use of "face is a map of the world." My comments follow:

I like your ideas. Yes, they're good. The thing about many lyrics and other forms of art is that they change so quickly based on your moods or what somebody has made you think about. To deny that fact would put you into the same characte...r as the scientist I left arguing about Star Trek with in the Eatery - now there was a close-minded scholar!

I don't know that everyone can have on their face a map of the world, but perhaps the guy in the song represents everybody. By that, I mean, he could be any one in the world: "He's a stranger to some" (we don't all know ourselves) "and a vision to none" (who want to be Mr. Ordinary?)

The question then becomes: Who is this guy? I think he must be a traveller, as he "can never get enough .... of this world." But in the same instance, he could be the devil because "On a mountain he sits, not of gold but of sin...He'll decide when he's done with the innocent."

The answer to this new question alters the answer to the first...

The phrase is also in K T Tunstall's "Suddenly I See":

Her face is a map of the world
Is a map of the world
You can see she's a beautiful girl
...She's a beautiful girl
And everything around her is a silver pool of light
The people who surround her feel the benefit of it
It makes you calm
She holds you captivated in her palm

Suddenly I see (Suddenly I see)
This is what I wanna be
Suddenly I see (Suddenly I see)
Why the hell it means so much to me

I feel like walking the world
Like walking the world
You can hear she's a beautiful girl
She's a beautiful girl
She fills up every corner like she's born in black and white
Makes you feel warmer when you're trying to remember
What you heard
She likes to leave you hanging on her word

Chorus

And she's taller than most
And she's looking at me
I can see her eyes looking from a page in a magazine
Oh she makes me feel like I could be a tower
A big strong tower
She got the power to be
The power to give
The power to see

Chorus

Once again, we have the reference to travelling. "I feel like walking the world / Like walking the world." The phrase has changed slightly though, from "on his face" to the literal image of "her face is." I think both lines are aiming for ...the same sort of imagery, though.

This song is much lighter, yet in both I am drawn to the character being sung about...perhaps merely because they are being sung about. I think there's something more to it than that. I hate to call a mango an orange, but there is something to be said about nasel-gazing; if it's an orange, we should not call it a mango. When you compare it to the other one, I cannot help but be reminded of the feminization of angels in the 17th century and wonder when the devil became masculinized? But that has nothing to do with her face being a map of the world, unless you follow the belief that to be human is to sin and to sin is human; therefore as part of the world, we are all sinners.

I think the phrase, on it's own, does refer to wisdom. This person has seen the world. You can tell just by looking at their face. In "From Yesterday," this wisdom is something to be scared of, but that is not inherent in the line in que...stion. In "Suddenly I See," this wisdom is something to be drawn towards, and I think that is important to the line. The former is much more negative about this wisdom, perhaps because it is a darker tune. Perhaps also because the wisdom is kept to himself rather than shared with "the people around her" who "feel the benefit of it."

I don't know. It's interesting to think about. Perhaps I should have done literature rather than history....

Now, I think this is the perfect song for my February resolution - be more me, less wishing to be me.