Skin - (April 23, 2002) So I had Natalie Merchant's Ophelia album on repeat, and had let play through a couple-three times before gradually one song really got its hooks into me: My Skin. It just has such a great ebb-and-flow and suitably vague lyrics that it just called out to be collaged to (not to mention listened to all day!). And so was born this series of three inter-related pieces. Each contains lyrics from the song, and I decided to repeat certain supporting images among them, kinda like a melody repeating itself with variations, or verses with parts that are similar to previous verses and parts that are new. The title and the song in general imply a certain closeness and intimacy to me, so I decided to try to establish that mood in the collages too, by only using screen shots with indirect gazes as well as the more obvious bare shoulders & bittersweet caresses. Doing it in 3 pieces also allowed me to get a lot of lyrics in there without having to make them tiny (at least in the individual versions). The main font used was "Vivaldi" with supporting honors going to the ever-lovely Scriptina. The textured background uses a grunge brush from aircrash.nu over a magnified & blurred portion of one of Spike's oriental rugs. All in all, unlike my last collage, I'm very pleased with how this one turned out. I especially like the soft look I got by applying noise-median on a luminosity mask of each face, and then sharpening & darkening the inverse luminosity mask, and blending in some grainy texture. Here are the full lyrics to the song:
My Skin (track 5 on Ophelia)
Natalie Merchant
Take a look at my body
Look at my hands
There's so much here that I don't understand
Your face-saving promises
Whispered like prayers
I don't need them
'Cause I've been treated so wrong,
I've been treated so long
As if I'm becoming untouchable
Well, contempt loves the silence, it thrives in the dark
With fine winding tendrils that strangle the heart
They say that promises sweeten the blow
But I don't need them, no I don't need them
I've been treated so wrong,
I've been treated so long
As if I'm becoming untouchable
I'm a slow-dying flower
In the frost-killing hour
Sweet turning sour and untouchable
I need the darkness, the sweetness, the sadness, the weakness
Oh I need this
I need a lullaby, a kiss goodnight, angel, sweet love of my life
Oh I need this
I'm a slow-dying flower
Frost-killing hour
The sweet turning sour and untouchable
Do you remember the way that you touched me before
All the trembling sweetness I loved and adored
Your face-saving promises
Whispered liked prayers
I don't need them
I need the darkness, the sweetness, the sadness, the weakness
Oh, I need this
I need a lullaby, a kiss goodnight, angel, sweet love of my life
Oh, I need this
Well is it dark enough
Can you see me
Do you want me
Can you reach me
Oh, I'm leaving
Better shut your mouth, and hold your breath
You kiss me now, you catch your death
Oh, I mean this
Oh, I mean this