Fronted by Projekt Records' Sam Rosenthal, the band's line-up has changed significantly over time. The current lineup has Rosenthal on programming, guitar and keyboards, Jon DeRosa ( Aarktica) on vocals, and Henrik Meierkord on strings. The most notable former members of the band are Brian Viglione (The Dresden Dolls) on percussion, guitar & bass, and vocalists Athan Maroulis (ex-Spahn Ranch), Nicki Jaine, and long time vocalists, Oscar Herrera & Elysabeth Grant.
The style of Black Tape for a Blue Girl is generally described as "gothic", though their long catalog of music does not often gel with all of the contemporary standards of gothic music over time. The lyrics are by Rosenthal himself and explores powerful emotions of love, vulnerability, isolation, loss, jealousy, and passion.
Tell me you've taken another
Black Tape for a Blue Girl Lyrics
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I decry their foolish belief: "A lover should be hidden like a treasure".
They talk of duty when there only should be questions of pleasure.
I toss their commandments asunder, "thou shall not desire that thy wife is coveted..."
Yet there is a painful joy.
Take my hands, look in my eyes, tell me you've taken another.
I look up to her with ecstatic burning eyes like a martyr. Crawling on bloodied knees.
I no longer separate the shame from the pleasure it arouses.
I no longer separate the shame from the pleasure it arouses.
What feeling could be more pure than betrayal by she who he loves?
Take my hands, look in my eyes, tell me you've taken another.
Do you know this joy of being betrayed and left like a dog?
Do you know this joy of being betrayed and left like a dog?
The lyrics to Black Tape for a Blue Girl's "Tell me you've taken another" are intense and emotionally charged, exploring themes of love, jealousy, betrayal, and pleasure. The singer is wrestling with their desire for their partner and their conflicting feelings about that desire.
At first, they reject the idea that a lover should be hidden away like a treasure, instead advocating for pleasure over duty. They embrace their desire, tossing away societal commandments against coveting their neighbor's wife. But even as they revel in their pleasure, they acknowledge the pain that it brings.
The chorus finds them inviting their partner to take their hands and tell them they've taken another. This feels like a paradoxical request - why would someone want to hear such a thing? But perhaps it's a way for the singer to explore the limits of their own desires, to know where the line is drawn.
The second verse dives deeper into the singer's psyche, exploring the relationship between shame and pleasure. They describe themselves as crawling on bloodied knees, no longer able to separate the painful shame of betrayal from the pleasure it arouses. They seem almost to worship their partner, elevating them to a martyr-like status.
The final lines of the song are a challenging question to the listener. "Do you know this joy of being betrayed and left like a dog?" they ask, implying that there is a perverse pleasure to be found in this kind of emotional turmoil. But perhaps they are also warning against the dangers of desire unchecked, the way it can lead us down dark and painful paths.
Overall, "Tell me you've taken another" is a complex and challenging exploration of desire and the conflicting emotions it can bring up. It's a haunting and atmospheric song, carried by ethereal vocals and lush instrumentation.
Line by Line Meaning
And yet the fever burns and I live with this ideal of eyes upon her flesh, taking what is mine.
Despite my connection to her, I am tormented by the desire to possess her physically and keep others from having her.
I decry their foolish belief: "A lover should be hidden like a treasure".
I reject the idea that a lover should be kept secret and not shared with others.
They talk of duty when there only should be questions of pleasure.
Society emphasizes duty and responsibility in love when we should really focus on the pleasures it brings.
I toss their commandments asunder, "thou shall not desire that thy wife is coveted..."
I ignore societal norms that say I shouldn't desire my wife to be desired by others.
Yet there is a painful joy.
Despite the conflicting emotions, there is still a strange pleasure in desiring and possessing my wife.
Take my hands, look in my eyes, tell me you've taken another.
Confirm my suspicion that you have betrayed me by taking another lover.
I look up to her with ecstatic burning eyes like a martyr. Crawling on bloodied knees.
I am willing to suffer and sacrifice for her, even as I am consumed by desire and jealousy.
I no longer separate the shame from the pleasure it arouses.
I have lost my ability to distinguish between shameful and pleasurable feelings in my obsession with her.
What feeling could be more pure than betrayal by she who he loves?
There is a twisted purity in the pain of being betrayed by the one you love.
Do you know this joy of being betrayed and left like a dog?
Have you ever experienced the bizarre pleasure of being betrayed and abandoned by a lover?
Contributed by Elena W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sam Rosenthal
on All my lovers
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