Thursday, February 26, 2009

Origin of "Ribs of a Broken Umbrella"

Well, this came across my screen today, and I realize that there is room for a whole separate metaphor: the broken umbrella!

Bell X1 has released a new album and is going on tour starting March 12. According to the lyrics of the opening song--"Ribs of a Broken Umbrella":
"He wondered how close he'd ever been to her in this ebb and flow of the distance between us Maybe she got the same bus He left a trail of string wherever he went, when he was sleeping he tied it to his toe If she crossed it then he'd know But he knew that all was unraveling And he was bare, stripped of his skin Like the ribs of a broken umbrella Sticking out of a bin."
According to the same source, a romantic tale from a Polish-American elder in a New York City bar inspired Bell X1's Paul Noonan to write the song:
Noonan explains, "I met an old man in a bar in New York who had come to America many years before from Poland to seek a better life. He knew that a girl from his hometown had also made the journey west, and they had planned to meet in New York City. Her name was Liza. He had hoped to make her his wife, but he couldn't get in touch with her, and still carried a photograph of her in his wallet. He had lived most of his life in New York, and never married, always holding a candle."
The song is available for a Free Download, or you can buy the whole album.

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