Born Kimberley Tyler Rhodes but called "Happy" since infancy, she legally changed her name to Happy Tyler Rhodes at the age of 16. The title of her 1987 album has provided a name to what some have begun to call "Ecto" music.
There are several You Tube vids of Happy and, if you want to sample the 'two-voices-in-one' phenomenon, then her stunning version of Peter Gabriel's 'Here Comes the Flood' should be a pleasing introduction.
Possessed
Happy Rhodes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Analyzed, crucified
Caught on Satan's wing
Angels of night
Vultures in flight
I've a love for the fatal things
All these and many more
Float within my lobes
Colors dancing
Blood-red oozing
From liquid strobes
Come see the visions
Come feel the pain
Of sores that never heal
And then my friend
Well, maybe you'll see
How my world's
Become unreal
Kissing the night
And cursing the morning
Must be a crime
Dismembered
From the faith of youth
And doing my time
Culture-shocked eyes
That hide the fears
Eroded cheeks
From acid tears
Where every smile
Escapes from my face
To seek refuge
In a happier place
And my mind
It screams to be free
And to find the structure
My mind
It screams to be free
From what's possessing me
Now don't hate me if I break under the strain
The lyrics of Happy Rhodes's song "Possessed" paint a picture of an individual who is struggling with their inner demons. The first line, "Ooh don't hate me if I break under the strain," sets the tone for the rest of the song. The singer is asking for understanding and compassion from the listener, as they navigate the dark and difficult aspects of their psyche. The line "Analyzed, crucified, caught on Satan's wing" suggests that the singer feels trapped and tormented by their own thoughts and emotions, and that they may feel as though they are under attack from outside sources.
The next few lines describe the singer's fascination with "fatal things," which could be interpreted as a desire for self-destruction or a willingness to confront difficult and taboo topics. The following stanza is a description of a hallucinatory experience, with "colors dancing" and "blood-red oozing" suggesting a surreal and disturbing atmosphere. The singer invites the listener to experience these sensations with them, to "feel the pain" and "see the visions."
The final stanza describes the aftermath of this experience, with the singer feeling disillusioned and displaced. They describe themselves as "culture-shocked" and "dismembered from the faith of youth." However, they also suggest that there is some hope for them to recover and find a happier place. The repetition of the line "And my mind it screams to be free" emphasizes the urgency of this struggle, and suggests that the singer is still fighting to overcome the forces that are possessing them.
Line by Line Meaning
Ooh don't hate me if I break under the strain
Please don't despise me if I falter due to the immense pressure I'm facing.
Analyzed, crucified Caught on Satan's wing
Stranded and tormented, feeling like a victim of evil forces.
Angels of night Vultures in flight I've a love for the fatal things
I'm drawn to dangerous objects and entities that some may regard as corrosive.
All these and many more Float within my lobes Colors dancing Blood-red oozing From liquid strobes
I'm vividly imaginative and often experience terrifying, hallucinatory episodes in my mind.
Come see the visions Come feel the pain Of sores that never heal And then my friend Well, maybe you'll see How my world's Become unreal
Join me and witness my delusions and magnified sufferings. Perhaps this will help you understand how I perceive my reality to be implausible.
Kissing the night And cursing the morning Must be a crime Dismembered From the faith of youth And doing my time
I'm trapped in a cycle of nocturnal debauchery and loathing the sobering day that comes. These tendencies conflict with what I believed in my younger days, and now I must accept the consequences of my choices.
Culture-shocked eyes That hide the fears Eroded cheeks From acid tears Where every smile Escapes from my face To seek refuge In a happier place
Having seen so much of the world and its unexpected horrors, I'm now perpetually apprehensive. My complexion has eroded due to the tears that always seem to accompany my emotional pain, and my attempts to smile are futile because I always long to escape to a more contented state of mind.
And my mind It screams to be free And to find the structure My mind It screams to be free From what's possessing me
What I truly want is mental liberation, and to find a way to traverse the tumultuous chaos of my mind. There is something that has a hold on me and I'm desperate to break free.
Contributed by Lucy P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.