Ophelia (album)

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Ophelia is the title of a 1998 album, film, and song by Natalie Merchant. Merchant seems to see Shakespeare's Ophelia as a figure encompassing many important feminine archetypes. The album and film explore several of these.

Track listing

"Ophelia"
"Life is Sweet"
"Kind & Generous"
"Frozen Charlotte"
"My Skin"
"Break Your Heart"
"King of May"
"Thick as Thieves"
"Effigy"
"The Living"
"When They Ring the Golden Bells"

The final track includes a string arrangement of "Ophelia" arranged by Gavin Bryars.

++Lyrics++

Natalie Merchant "Ophelia"

Ophelia was a bride of god

A novice Carmelite

In sister cells the cloister bells

Tolled on her wedding night

Ophelia was a rebel girl

A blue stocking suffragette

Who remedied society

Between her cigarettes

Ophelia was a sweetheart

To the nation overnight

Curvaceous thighs

Vivacious eyes

Love was at first sight...

Ophelia was a demigoddess

In pre war Babylon

So statuesque a silhouette

In black satin evening gowns

Ophelia was the mistress to a

Vegas gambling man

Signora Ophelia Maraschina

Mafia courtesan

Ophelia was a circus queen

The female cannonball

Projected through five flaming hoops

To wild and shocked applause...

Ophelia was a tempest cyclone

A god-damned hurricane

Your common sense

Your best defense

Lay wasted and in vain

Ophelia'd know your every woe

And pain you'd ever had

She'd sympathize

And dry your eyes

And help you to forget...

Help you to forget...

And help you to forget...

Ophelia's mind went wandering

You'd wonder where she'd gone

Through secret doors

Down corridors

She'd wander them alone

All alone...

(fade to different spoken languages)

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