PSYCHEDELIC TRANCE

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A Whiter Shade of Pale

Procol Harum

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We skipped the light fandango
turned cartwheels 'cross the floor
I was feeling kinda seasick
but the crowd called out for more
The room was humming harder
as the ceiling flew away
When we called out for another drink
the waiter brought a tray
̴
And so it was that later
as the miller told his tale
that her face, at first just ghostly,
turned a whiter shade of pale
She said, 'There is no reason
and the truth is plain to see.'
But I wandered through my playing cards
and would not let her be
one of sixteen vestal virgins
who were leaving for the coast
and although my eyes were open
they might have just as well've been closed
̴
She said, 'I'm home on shore leave,'
though in truth we were at sea
so I took her by the looking glass
and forced her to agree
saying, 'You must be the mermaid
who took Neptune for a ride.'
But she smiled at me so sadly
that my anger straightway died
̴
If music be the food of love
then laughter is its queen
and likewise if behind is in front
then dirt in truth is clean
My mouth by then like cardboard
seemed to slip straight through my head
So we crash-dived straightway quickly
and attacked the ocean bed

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This was a hit song by the band Procol Harum in 1967. We hear two verses from their recording but the lyrics originally had four which they include in some of their performances. All four verses were so eloquently written that I had to include them here. I already heard this many times before but I only got to listen closely after I was asked to include it in my playlist. There are many interpretations of this song but to me it’s like having a mind altering experience to escape the gore of reality- being transported to a psychedelic place of instant gratification- then coming back to senses, to an even uglier truth that one would all the more want to escape from- and so the cycle goes- and it goes on…and on- until you can no longer recognize what’s real- until it becomes impossible to crawl up from the grave that was once your refuge. The melody to this song is soothing and the words- beautiful and haunting: profound- just the way I like it.