Orpheo Looks Back Lyrics

And there are places we must go to
To bring these hollow words on back from
You must cross a muddy river
Where love turns to love turns to fear
They say you don't look
There's only one way
On back from on back from here

They say you don't look
They say you don't look cause it'll disappear

And our eyes they keep on strainin'
As if to see what lies behind them
Through the shells of empty buildings and great columns of glass

They say you don't look
They say you don't look
Cause it'll drive you mad
And if it drives you mad
If it drives you mad
It'll probably pass

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About

Genius Annotation

This song refers to the most famous Greek myth of Orpheus. In this myth, Orpheus’s wife, Euridice dies. Orpheus is very heartbroken, so he goes to Hades in the Underworld and, through playing music, convinces Hades to let Euridice return to the overworld. Hades agrees that Orpheus can take Euridice back with him, but on the condition that he not look back at her until they are out of the Underworld. As in any myth, Orpheus can’t resist, so he looks at Euridice and thus she is doomed to remain in the Underworld. So, “Orpheus Looks Back.”

The end of the song seems to be playing with the protagonist (orpheus) and his own psyche’s conflict and subsequent convincing of orpheus to turn around, “if it drives you mad it’ll probably pass”.

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