Sunday, July 01, 2007

Gloomy Sunday

Sunday is gloomy, my hours are slumberless
Dearest the shadows I live with are numberless
Little white flowers will never awaken you
Not where the black coach of sorrow has taken you
Angels have no thought of ever returning you
Would they be angry if I thought of joining you?
~ original lyrics by Rezso Seress (1933),
~ English translation by Sam Lewis (1936)
A Sunday invested in embracing the porcelain throne and the other joys of a sudden attack of gastroenteritis can turn a person's thoughts morbid. The legend of the song "Gloomy Sunday" is that it is a suicide song. Whenever it is played, so the legend goes, waves of suicide follow. The composer's girlfriend is reported to have killed herself after hearing the song. The song was banned in Hungary, Great Britain, and the United States. The YouTube embed is the classic Billie Holiday recording.

If I have to feel miserable, I want to share it.

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