Caught a Lite Sneeze
Tori Amos Lyrics
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Caught a lightweight lightningseed
Boys on my left side
Boys on my right side
Boys in the middle
And you're not here I need a big loan
From the girl zone
Tumbling down
Didn't know our love was so small
Couldn't stand at all
Mr St. John just bring your son
The spire is hot
And my cells can't feed
And you still got that Belle dragging your foots
I'm hiding it well Sister Ernestine
But I still got that Belle
Dragging my foots
Right on time you get closer
And closer
Called my name but there's no way in
Use that fame
Rent your wife and kids today
Maybe she will
Maybe she will caught a lite sneeze
Dreamed a little dream
Made my own pretty hate machine
Boys on my left side
Boys on my right side
Boys in the middle and you're not here
Boys in their dresses
And you're not here
I need a big loan from the girl zone
The song "Caught a Lite Sneeze" by Tori Amos is a melancholic, emotional ballad that has various interpretations. At first, the lyrics depict a sense of loneliness and abandonment with the absence of someone the singer needs in her life. She starts with "caught a lite sneeze, caught a lightweight lightning seed," which could mean something small and delicate that she's not able to grasp fully. Then, she mentions "boys on my left side, boys on my right side, boys in the middle, and you're not here" which shows that she's surrounded by men, but the one she needs is not there. The lyric "I need a big loan from the girl zone" implies that she needs something significant that only women can provide, such as emotional support or understanding.
As the song progresses, she speaks of a crumbling relationship. The line "didn't know our love was so small, couldn't stand at all" suggests that the singer was unaware that the love between her and her partner was fragile and easily destructible. The appearance of Mr. St. John is a bit cryptic, but it could imply a religious or spiritual relationship that isn't working out. The "spire" being hot and the "cells" not feeding could allude to a sense of desperation or hopelessness. She then mentions "that Belle dragging your foots," where Belle could be referring to the beauty that her partner is preoccupied with, which is the cause of their problems.
In the latter part of the song, the singer is waiting for someone to arrive, as she can feel them getting closer. It could be the same person she mentioned in the beginning who isn't there. However, when they do arrive, they can't enter. She then suggests, "maybe she will catch a lite sneeze," which indicates that this person might also need help but can't ask. The verse "Boys in their dresses and you're not here" is an interesting line that could reference people who are different or misunderstood. The song comes to an end with her still waiting for the person she needs.
Line by Line Meaning
Caught a lite sneeze caught a lite breeze
Feeling something small and insignificant, like catching a light sneeze or a light breeze
Caught a lightweight lightningseed
Feeling electrified by something that seems small and insignificant
Boys on my left side
Men in my life who have let me down
Boys on my right side
Men in my life who have hurt me
Boys in the middle
Men who have tried to control me
And you're not here I need a big loan from the girl zone
Feeling alone without someone significant and needing to rely on herself and her female community for support
Building tumbling down
The relationship falling apart
Didn't know our love was so small
Not realizing that the love she had for the person was insignificant
Couldn't stand at all
The relationship was too much to bear
Mr St. John just bring your son
Turning to religion to find meaning and redemption
The spire is hot
Feeling so conflicted that nothing feels right
And my cells can't feed
Feeling empty and hollow
And you still got that Belle dragging your foots
Feeling like the person she is addressing is still struggling with their past mistakes and poor decisions
I'm hiding it well Sister Ernestine
Covering up her true feelings to present a strong facade
But I still got that Belle dragging my foots
Feeling like she is still struggling with her own past mistakes and poor decisions
Right on time you get closer
Feeling the person she is addressing getting close again, despite everything that has happened
And closer
Feeling like they are getting too close for comfort
Called my name but there's no way in
Feeling like the person is trying to come back into her life, but she won't let them
Use that fame rent your wife and kids today
Feeling like the person is only coming back because they need something from her, suggested by the phrase 'rent your wife and kids today'
Maybe she will maybe she will caught a lite sneeze
Feeling like there is a possibility of something happening, but it is small and insignificant
Dreamed a little dream
Feeling hopeful, despite everything
Made my own pretty hate machine
Taking control of her own emotions, even negative ones
Boys on my left side
Referencing the same feelings as earlier
Boys on my right side
Referencing the same feelings as earlier
Boys in the middle and you're not here
Referencing the same feelings as earlier
Boys in their dresses
Suggesting how society tries to put people in boxes and restrict them
And you're not here I need a big loan from the girl zone
Repeating the earlier sentiment of needing to rely on herself and her female community for support
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: TORI ELLEN AMOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Sara Vos
"Caught A Lite Sneeze"
Caught a lite sneeze
Caught a lite breeze
Caught a lightweight lightning seed
Boys on my left side
Boys on my right side
Boys in the middle
And you're not here
I need a big loan from the girl zone
Building tumbling down
Didn't know our love was so small
Couldn't stand it all
Mr. St. John just bring your son
The spire is hot
And my cells can't feed
And you still got that Belle
Dragging your foots
I'm hiding it well Sister Ernestine
But I still got that Belle
Dragging my foots
Building tumbling down
Didn't know our love was so small
Couldn't stand it all
Mr. St. John just bring your son
Right on time you get closer and closer
Call my name
There's no way in
Use that fame
Rent you wife and kids today
And maybe she will
I said and maybe she will
Caught a lite sneeze
Dreamed a little dream
Made my own pretty hate machine
Boys on my left side
Boys on my right side
Boys in the middle
And you're not here
Boys in their dresses
And you're not here
I need a big loan from the girl zone
I need a big loan from the girl zone
Building tumbling down
Didn't know our love was so small
Couldn't stand it all
Mr. St. John just bring your son
Nathalie Wilson
Without scuba diving too much into the songThe meaning of a swan is grace, beauty, love, trust, and loyalty. Swan symbolism is also linked to inner beauty and self love. The swan is the first thing we see before we see a desolate hallway with dried up dead leaves and Tori laying on the floor while overlapping the scene we see some people in black moving around [which later are seen as mourning women at someone's funeral]. A ghostly Tori is then seen on a hospital gurney and there is meter (probably on a washing machine or something else), where the hand is flickering in between "Airway Pressure" and "H2O" [Water]. One need air and water to live....and potentially since she is getting neither she has died and the inner beauty and self-love that she might have had has died... Once we start getting into the lyrics of the song, it sounded like she is surrounded by boys ["and you are not here" if boys are EVERYWHERE...and she needs "a BIG loan from the 'girl zone'"]....then this implies, what she is looking for is a woman....maybe a woman that has the gace and beauty that the swan represents. The next stanza lyrically where Tori is saying
"I didn't know our love was so smallCouldn't stand at all
Mr St. John just bring your son"
This could be implying that the societal pressure to be straight and her and her lover's love could not stand the oppression of the world, hey Mr. St John....just bring your son so I can pretend because the love that I thought was grand buckled under pressure....and the dolls [or girls or both] was on a dump at the mentioned of bringing the "son" as well as the funeral that is depicting the end of a life/love.
And on and on lyrically, I see a lesbian overture and trying to hide it:"And you still got that Belle dragging your foots
I'm hiding it well Sister Ernestine
But I still got that Belle.....Use that fame
Rent your wife and kids today
Maybe she will
Maybe she will caught a lite sneeze
Dreamed a little dream
Made my own pretty hate machine"
The woman she is potentially in love with had succumb to society and married and has children....so she is then being facetious to the husband that she [Tori] could use some of her fame to rent the man's wife and kids from him....and this wife might caught "a lite sneeze" potentially a dalliance into lesbianism and Tori can't help but dream....but even if she has a little dream....she has the "hate machine" for society, for her lover that wasn't strong enough to resist society, and for herself for ever dreaming or loving because she is hurt and alone. Her innocence [young girl in the chair] and her inner beauty and self-love [swan] videographically is torn from her....at the end of the video we see that not even an echo of the ghost Tori is no longer on the hospital gurney and we see Tori almost naked and running down the hallway that has the dried up dead leaves and the hallway is on fire and ended on the note that their love was short and Mr. St John bring his son.
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Brandon Moore
A Sorta Fairytale
Suze
I listened Boys for Pele in repeat while reading LOTR. I was 13 yo, and got the book from my father (an all-time fan). It gave an extra-existential dimension to that treshold passing into the real world.
Ren Likes Red
1994
Michelle M
The absolute BEST of times!
Md. Helmi Bin Abdullah
In high school, felt alone even among friends ...
Cj White
The fact that this woman doesn’t have a single Grammy is a crime against humanity.
miss carbonara
@maniacal1 the nonsensical-ness is what I love about Tori Amos. All her songs are totally open to your own interpretation. I know when she writes them, she knows exactly what they mean to her. The gift to you is the freedom to make those nonsensical lyrics mean something to you personally, however that may manifest.
Fire Queen Tarot 1313
Facts!!
Emily Hall
Really? Not one? SMH