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Song, Morphine what is it about?

claudiadoina said:
These are the song sheets for Morphine handwritten by Michael.
Fascinating, don't you think?
You can read his struggle between the lines.
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Wow...Thanks for posting this....What a superb songwriter he was....This song and its lyrics are VERY powerful, haunting and insightful...A song that only Michael Jackson can write...Straight from the heart and soul...
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for posting, Claudiadonia! It's definitely great to see the original draft! It's in essence the most pure adaptation of the song--even more revealing than the recorded song itself--since it's all raw stuff from Michael's mind. Wow!
 
I've always interpreted the more relaxed portions of the song (re: lay back, relax, etc.) to be the drug itself pleading with the user or tempting the user, saying everything will be all right. Or, perhaps it's an enabler/pusher saying these things.....
 
^The drug being used is obviously one found in medical facilities and not a street drug, hence the title "Morphine," and the references to Demerol, neither of which are commonly used, street/recreational drugs, so I always interpreted that part as a doctor speaking, especially with the "Did you hear what the doctor said?" spoken part earlier in the song.
 
What a thread you guys have here... This is really interesting. Thank you for the interpretations and for the sheets of Michael's handwriting, all I can say is...Wow. This really opened my eyes about the song.
 
oceanborn said:
What a thread you guys have here... This is really interesting. Thank you for the interpretations and for the sheets of Michael's handwriting, all I can say is...Wow. This really opened my eyes about the song.
Click to expand...

Indeed...We need MORE threads on this...His LYRICS...His messages...His ART...
 
Wow, I have to agree... Mikage that was an amazing interpretation. How long did it take you to write this? :D
 
^I no longer recall. Probably about 20 to 30 minutes. I multitask a lot, so I don't know how much time I spent actually writing the piece.
 
Interesting topic, as I have been wondering about the same things ever since the album came out. For some reason I find it hard to listen to the song. Michael always wrote about very personal things. Maybe this gets a bit too close for me.

Mikage, thank you for the great piece you wrote. I couldn't agree more and it mostly puts down in words what I've always thought about the song as well.

I think for me this song shows Michael's struggles in life. Not only with the use of drugs, of which I'm sure he hated and didn't want to. But I can't think of how high the pressure would have been for him, the pain he must have had at times, physical and psychological.
To me this song is more painfull then Tabloid Junkie, Leave me alone or other songs like that.
For some reason I just can't listen to it without getting incredibly sad and emotional (and I'm really not an emo wreck haha).
 
there is point int it:

there is a "SHE" doing morphine or a "HE"?
it seems to be both:

"Trust in me
Just in me
Put all your trust in me
She doin’ morphine
Go on, baby"



"He’s trying hard to convince her
To give him more of what he had"


"Demerol, Demerol
Oh my, he’s got his Demerol"



despite all the complication and the weridness of the song... i dig this song.
 
Honest question here, hope nobody minds me asking -

This thread's got some great, thoughtful, intense interpretations of the lyrics of this song, but...almost all of the analysis points to how the song focuses on his "drug addiction", right? Soooo, uh...well, why is/was there always so much fuss made whenever anybody called MJ a "drug addict"...? If we go by the real, raw lyrics of the song, it does make him seem like someone battling a "drug addiction"...yeah?

I just don't understand because so many people here on this forum have greatly enforced and literally shoved it down our throats by repeating over and over again that "Mike was NOT a drug addict". Which one is it? He was or he wasn't? The lyrics paint a different story from what is being insisted upon. Again, hope nobody gets offended.

Peace. :)
 
Beautiful song, the bridge is AMAZING! :D

It's a shame such brilliant songs like this, Is It Scary etc will never be heard or given recognition by the general public or media :(
 
ForeverKOP said:
Soooo, uh...well, why is/was there always so much fuss made whenever anybody called MJ a "drug addict"...? If we go by the real, raw lyrics of the song, it does make him seem like someone battling a "drug addiction"...yeah?

I just don't understand because so many people here on this forum have greatly enforced and literally shoved it down our throats by repeating over and over again that "Mike was NOT a drug addict".
Peace. :)
Click to expand...

Well, I can only speak for myself, so here is how I see it. The term "drug addict" in my personal belief conotes somebody hooked on recreational drugs and done so by free choice to get high and party- Street drugs, illegal drugs , etc. I believe there is a difference between "recreational drugs and pain medication prescribed by doctors. Yes they are both drugs, but the big difference is the reason for their usage and how you obtain them.

Michael was always emphatically against drugs period. In fact, from what I have read he refused to take any pain medication after he suffered severe burns on his scalp. After insistence by the doctors he finally succumbed to the medication. We know it is very easy to be dependent on these pain medications, and so he did back in the early 90's after all the scalp surgeries he had.

I think this song is about his experience with the dependency at the time which would make sense since it was probably written and recorded around the time he was experiencing it or was treated for it.

I really believe he struggled with his strong beliefs against drugs and the fact that he became dependent and had to take pain medications for many of his illnesses.

On further thought the agressive verses I think may have been directed at himself in a way and also at others who take drugs. Maybe that's why the mixed pronouns, SHE and HE in some verses. He seems mixed up as to who his anger is directed. I think he may have hated himself for succumbing to these drugs and he feels guilty and bad about his struggles, but also it is important for him to make ppl aware to stay away from them as they are dangerous.

Again, I am one of those fans that don't believe Michael was a "drug addict". He did at one time become dependent on pain medication that is a fact, but to me it still does not mean he was a "drug addict".

Maybe I am splitting hairs here, but I think there is a huge difference between someone that uses drugs for partying and one who uses drugs for legitimate medical pain.

Just my humble opinion about the matter.
 
@tricia, good post. Regarding the "He / she's taking morphine" line, it rather seems to me he wanted to express his anger about the horribleness other (also female) people need to take drugs, I mean his anger this addiction happened to him and them.

Regarding the "drug addict" thing, I agree, fans are probably upset when MJ is generally called a drug addict, even though there were times he was addicted to it.
 
I believe this song is like a conversation. But to more then 1 person. Doctors, family, maybe close friends. It sounds like he doesn't get why he got hooked on it, as it was given by doctors who should take care of him. People near him maybe confronting him with his drug use. A real struggle is going on in that song.

We'll keep guessing I think, but it's good to see that this thread has a normal discussion about it. And I can understand why some fans get upset when Michael is called a drug addict. I always rather say he had a drug dependency, which was surely created by doctors who were treating him.
 
Really makes sense what you said, Tricia07. On the rush here, can't further add anything except that I share your thoughts, including the conclusion you made.
 
Remington Steele said:
As the news yesterday popped up that Dr. Murray's lawers issued a statement Klein gave Michael Demerol in the last 3 months of his life, I had to think of this song again (especially this line "Demerol, oh god he's taking Demerol").

I recall Dr. Klein saying in a Larry King interview that he was using the anesthetic Demerol in "filling in" or building up (I don't recall the actual words) Mike's face in preparation for the O2 concerts.
Click to expand...
 
Great thread this. I cannot believe I haven't read it earlier?!

Very good and interesting intrepedation of the lyrics Mikage Souji - Thank you so much

thank you for the handwritten lyrics Claudiadoina - the raw draft gives a nice impression of Michaels thoughts while writing

nice statement Tricia70 - I get your point.

Thank you all for making this thread such an interesting read!
 
Morphine- finding out about it

Hello guys, I'm brand new to these forums, but I really hope there'd be someone who would like to help me :)

So, the fact is, I was trying to translate the song Morphine to my own language when realized that the versions of the lyrics for this song on different sites does not match with each other.
To be able to translate correctly and to analyse the song in its depth, I just put myself into listening to the song like a hundred times, row-to-row.

It was a huge work, still, there are places where I'm not sure about the correct version, so I'd be curious about your opinion, plus, I'd like to ask a native speaker of English (preferably American in case there are words and/or idioms that are used only in the US) to explain me some of the expressions that are so hard to find in dictionaries and any other place.

I personally think Morphine is a "key song" of Michael's, and I'd like to understand the most possible of it.
If I would be mistaken, and it's still a song like others, at least I'd realize that there's no mistery.

So, help me if you can, please!
 
Re: Morphine- finding out about it

Hi.. :waving:
Here is some infomation on "Morphine" the lyrics and audio and the "Elephant man" loop - A great insight about the meaning as well. Hope that this helps you out?

Official lyrics for Morphine

He got flack, baby
Kicked in the back, baby
A heart attack, baby
I ain't your rival!

A hot fix, honey
He dug the ditch, baby
Ya make me sick, baby
So unbeloved!

I felt the swine, baby
All down the line, darling
Uncage your God, baby
So unbeloved!

A hot fuss, baby
He want the buzz, baby
Another drug, baby
You're so deserving!

Chorus:
Trust in me
Trust in me
Put all your trust in me
You're doing Morphine!

You got a place, baby
Kicked in the face, baby
He hate your race, baby
You're not the liar!

Just ad lib, baby
Your dog's a b.itch, baby
You make me sick, baby
You talk survival!

She never cook for me
She never bump, baby
I've gotten what, baby?
You're just a rival!

A razor blade, Daddy
Right up your leg, baby
You're throwing shade, Daddy
So undeserving!

Chorus:
Trust in me
Trust in me
Put all your trust in me
You're doing Morphine!

Relax, this won't hurt you
Before I put it in
Close your eyes and count to ten

Don't cry, I won't convert you
There's no need to dismay
Close your eyes and drift away

Demerol, demerol
Oh god, he's taking demerol
Demerol, demerol
Oh god, he's taking demerol

He's trying hard to convince her
To give him more of what he had
Today he wants it twice as bad

Don't cry, I won't resent you
Yesterday you had distrust
Today he's taking twice as much

Demerol, demerol
Oh god, he's taking demerol
Demerol, demerol
Oh my, his god is demerol
Oh...

Ya got s.hit, baby
Your dog's a b.itch, baby
Ya make me sick, baby
You are a liar

You shoot the game, Daddy
Deep in the vein, baby
You're called a Saint, baby
You're so beloved!

Chorus:
Trust in me
Trust in me
Put all your trust in me
You're doing Morphine!

You just sit around
Just talking about it
You're taking Morphine!

You just sit around
Just talking about it
You're taking Morphine!

You just sit around
Just talkin' nothin' about it
You just sit around
Just talking about it
You're taking Morphine!

You just sit around
Just talkin' nothin'
And taking Morphine!

You're talking Morphine!
Morphine!
You're taking Morphine!
Morphine!
Morphine!



Alternative lyrics before MJ changed some lines:
RR0910_446_lg_full.jpg



Morphine
(Backgrounds)
[mp3]http://www.box.net/shared/static/kxll8zy09c.mp3[/mp3]
http://www.box.net/shared/static/kxll8zy09c.mp3
BOTDF-logo.png

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j5ftqf.jpg


[mp3]http://www.box.net/shared/static/c3u9akhu5q.mp3[/mp3]

http://www.box.net/shared/static/c3u9akhu5q.mp3


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michael Jackson: Man in the Music, Part 2 (Morphine)

[This is Part 2 of a series exploring Michael Jackson the artist through his albums and songs. The following excerpt is taken from Chapter 5 of Man in the Music: An Album by Album Guide to Michael Jackson]

People often struggle with allowing artists to grow and evolve. For Bob Dylan it was considered sacrilege by many to pick up an electric guitar; for the Beatles, the shift from sentimental love songs to social statements and psychedelia caused them to lose, in some people's minds, their initial charm and mass appeal. For Michael Jackson, the conventional wisdom meant every album post-Thriller that didn't sound or sell like Thriller was considered a failure; this, in spite of the fact that some of his most significant and challenging work came later. Call it the curse of expectational stasis.

Still, for those who gave Blood on the Dancefloor: HIStory in the Mix a serious listen, it was an impressive record indeed. Containing just five new songs, the album is considered an artistic breakthrough by some. "His singing on the first five tracks of new material has never been so tormented, or audacious," wrote Armond White of Village Voice. "'Blood on the Dancefloor' has the vitality of an intelligence that refuses to be placated. . .[It] is a throwdown, a dare to the concept of innocuous Black pop." In a 1997 review, The New York Times' Neil Strauss concurred: "There is real pain and pathos in these new songs... Jackson's pain is often the world's merriment, and this is probably true of his new songs, which fret about painkillers, sexual promiscuity and public image. In many of them, Jackson seems like the elephant man, screaming that he is a human being... In keeping with Jackson's darker mood, the music has grown more angry and indignant. With beats crashing like metal sheets and synthesizer sounds hissing like pressurized gas, this is industrial funk... Creatively, Jackson has entered a new realm."



In the gritty, haunting "Morphine," Jackson tackles a subject he never had before: drug addiction. To a relentless, industrial funk beat, the singer lashes out in visceral bursts of anger, aggression, and pain. "Is truth a game daddy," he screams out at one point. "To win the fame baby/It's all the same baby/You're so reliable." The rage and disappointment, combined with its ear-assaulting sound (music critic Tom Sinclair described it as "alternating Trent Reznor-style sturm und clang with Bacharachian orchestral pomp"), make for a jarring listening experience, particularly for those accustomed to the breezier melodic pop of Off the Wall and Thriller (though it should be noted that songs like "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" and "Billie Jean" were already beginning to uncover the complexity, paranoia and pain represented in these later tracks). But "Morphine" is best viewed as an experiment -- both sonically and lyrically -- in representing the experience of physical/psychological pain as well as its temporary release via narcotic pain relievers like demerol and morphine (both of which Jackson has been reportedly addicted to, on and off, since the early Nineties).

This experience is also brilliantly conveyed in the song's form: About mid-way through the track, the grating beat subsides, symbolically representing the pacifying effect of the drug. "Relax, this won't hurt you," Jackson sings soothingly from the perspective of the drug.

[Click here and scroll down to "Morphine" to listen. The interlude begins at approximately the 2:48 mark]
http://myplay.com/audio_player/michael_jackson/195/288993/288994?allowBrowsing=1

Before I put it in

Close your eyes and count to ten

Don't cry

I won't convert you

There's no need to dismay

Close your eyes and drift away

Demerol

Demerol

Oh God he's taking demerol

Demerol

Demerol

Oh God he's taking demerol

He's tried

Hard to convince her

To be over what he had

Today he wants it twice as bad

Don't cry

I won't resent you

Yesterday you had his trust

Today he's taking twice as much



Demerol

Demerol

Oh God he's taking demerol

Demerol

Demerol

Oh God he's taking demerol

These verses are perhaps some of the most poignant (and tragic) Jackson has ever sung. Beyond the literalness of the drug itself is Jackson's persistent yearning to escape from pain, loneliness, confusion, and relentless pressure. In this brief interlude he beautifully conveys the soothing, seductive, but temporary release from reality. There is a sense of pleading, of desperation, before the high abruptly ends, and the listener is slammed back into the harsh world of accusations and anguish. Sputnik Music described this musical sequence as a "moment of absolute genius." The song, written and composed entirely by Jackson, is one of his most experimental and brilliant creations. It is a confession, a personal intervention, a witness, and a warning.

[Note: This analysis of "Morphine" was written before Michael Jackson's death. It becomes all the more tragic given reports that narcotics like demerol and morphine may have contributed to his passing.]
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-vogel/michael-jackson-man-in-th_b_221797.html
(Copyright by Joseph Vogel, from Man in the Music: An Album by Album Guide to Michael Jackson)

Perhaps you can work with this. :)
:heart:
souldreamer7
 
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Re: Morphine- finding out about it

souldreamer7 said:
Hi.. :waving:
Here is some infomation on "Morphine" the lyrics and audio and the "Elephant man" loop - A great insight about the meaning as well. Hope that this helps you out?
Click to expand...

Oh, thank you, this was really a great help :)
May I ask, where these lyrics are actually from?
When listening to different versions, I realized that this was the one that seemed most correct, however at some parts I'm still not sure that what I hear matches with what is written in it.
But I guess this is just normal when it's an MJ song.

I guess I'll continue searching some facts about the song,

and guys, it would be really a huge help if someone helped me with some expressions in these lyrics.
There are some I hardly can translate, and that cannot be found in a dictionary.

Do I have to say, I don't want to make a fake translation telling "that's what Michael says", when it's actually something he'd never say in life?

I have trouble with lines such as "your dog's a b*tch baby", "I felt the swine baby", "he dug the ditch baby", and with some others too.
So, help me, please :) Write me here or write me a PM.
Thanks.
 
Hello. :waving:
This is a song by Michael Jackson that I was always intrested in as well and have researched it so much esp. after his passing even more since the media wanted to present it as only being about drugs in which it is not only about drugs.
Those are the official lyrics. Also, if you look at Michael's hand written lyrics in my above post,you can see where he wrote "Go dig your ditch,baby" & "Your dogs a B.itch" I felt the same way back when I read first heard the lyrics & years after...but when I got a hold of a booklet lyrics sheet with these lyrics and listened they are the correct lyrics.
Lyrics 100% confirmed from the Taiwanese lyrics sheet. It's all correct while every other site still has the incorrect ones that make little sense.
Although the You v/s Ya maybe be 'different' as in it could be You,Ya, or sometimes He, She,
But these are in fact the correct lyrics. Yes.. It's just how MJ sings - his pronounces have always been somewhat 'hard' to understand.but if you Listen closely you'll see that it's correct.
I'm American and I could help you. I think that I've provided in this thread a lot of information & insight to this song. :flowers:

More of MJ's hand written lyrics of "Morphine"
RR0910_452_lg_full.jpg


Some thoughts on "Morphine"

The fan versions all over the internet are wrong on several lines. These make more sense, lyrically. These lyrics reveal his battle with drug addiction and how he feels he shouldn't be an addict as he's so beloved which he sings. He's sarcastic in parts and is personifying the Mythical God of Sleep, Morpheus whose name is known as Morphine today. That's why the orchestral part is in the middle and the oohhh represents another drug induced hit followed by the inner world battles between being human and being the unrealistic star. It's not really a call for help, but subtly about the dangers of fame, addiction and stigmas.
The 'Morphine' shout is the choir. The Andrae Crouch singers don't appear anywhere else in the song, I don't think.

Heres the explaining of the meaning of Morpheus...
Morpheus (Greek: Μορφέας, Μορφεύς, "he who forms, shapes, moulds", from the Greek morphe) is the Greek god of dreams.

Morpheus has the ability to take any human's form and appear in dreams. He is the son or brother of Hypnos, the god of sleep. Nyx (the goddess of night) is his mother/grandmother. The servants of Hypnos — the Oneiroi — are rulers of visions, and also include Phobetor (also known as Icelus), and Phantasos.

Morpheus is spoken of in the Metamorphoses of Ovid. It is also believed that in the iliad he is spoken of as "Dream." He is also referred to in Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene (1590). He sleeps on an ebony bed in a dimly lit cave, surrounded by poppy flowers. According to Ovid, Morpheus concentrated on the human elements of dreams, his brothers Phobetor and Phantasos being responsible for animals and inanimate objects, respectively.

Morpheus sends images of humans in dreams or visions, and is responsible for shaping dreams, or giving shape to the beings which inhabit dreams. Phobetor made fearsome dreams (etymologically related to "phobia" from the Greek φόβος "fear"). Phantasos produced tricky and unreal dreams (hence "fantasy", "phantasmagoria", etc.). Together these attendants of Hypnos rule the realm of dreams. Morpheus also had special responsibility for the dreams of kings and heroes. For these reasons Morpheus is often referred to as "Morpheus the Greek god of dreams" in superiority to his brothers.

The drug morphine (once "morphium") derives its name from Morpheus based on its dream-inducing power.
the line "Uncage your god" is meant as in the sense that the drug Morphine is teh user's god and dictates their every mood or action. In this sense, Morpheus controls them and sends them into a dream-like state which is very potent. The pull of the drug is emphasised which if you saw such a scene with your eyes would create mixed feelings for you - literally.

Michael is basically stressing Mankind has no dignity when under the unfluence of a drug that is now your god. That's not all he says as all the put downs throughout the track belong to a judgemental society that has no sense of dignity either because they love to strip others of their own humanity.

The 1980 film The Elephant Man directed by David Lynch explores this in depth - I love this movie for it's undeniable depth. The Elephant Man fights back against society - "I am not an elephant...I...AM...A...MAN!"

A similar sense is conveyed in Morphine - society must stop seeing drug junkies as something inhuman if we are to hope to eradicate any need for people to abuse any kind of drug, prescription or illegal.

There is real pain and pathos in these new songs... Jackson's pain is often the world's merriment, and this is probably true of his new songs, which fret about painkillers, sexual promiscuity and public image. In many of them, Jackson seems like the elephant man, screaming that he is a human being... In keeping with Jackson's darker mood, the music has grown more angry and indignant. With beats crashing like metal sheets and synthesizer sounds hissing like pressurized gas, this is industrial funk... Creatively, Jackson has entered a new realm.

:heart:
souldreamer7
 
Last edited:
Hi.. :waving:
Here is some infomation on "Morphine" the lyrics and audio and the "Elephant Man" loop - A great insight about the meaning as well. This is a song by Michael Jackson that I was always intrested in as well and have researched it so much esp. after his passing even more since the media wanted to present it as only being about drugs in which it is not only about drugs.
Those are the official lyrics. Also, if you look at Michael's hand written lyrics in the first hand written lyrics pic.,you can see where he wrote "Go dig your ditch,baby" & "Your dogs a B.itch" I felt the same way (note sure) back when I read first heard the lyrics & years after...but when I got a hold of the lyrics sheet with these lyrics and listened they are the correct lyrics.
Lyrics 100% confirmed from the Taiwanese lyrics sheet. It's all correct while every other site still has the incorrect ones that make little sense.
Although the You v/s Ya maybe be 'different' as in it could be You,Ya, or sometimes He, She,
But these are in fact the correct lyrics. Yes.. It's just how MJ sings - his pronounces have always been somewhat 'hard' to understand.but if you Listen closely you'll see that it's correct.
I think that I've provided in this thread a lot of information & insight to this song. :flowers:


You can find the information I provided on this subject posted here: http://www.mjjcommunity.com/forum/threads/116691-Morphine-finding-out-about-it
As well.

Official lyrics for Morphine

He got flack, baby
Kicked in the back, baby
A heart attack, baby
I ain't your rival!

A hot fix, honey
He dug the ditch, baby
Ya make me sick, baby
So unbeloved!

I felt the swine, baby
All down the line, darling
Uncage your God, baby
So unbeloved!

A hot fuss, baby
He want the buzz, baby
Another drug, baby
You're so deserving!

Chorus:
Trust in me
Trust in me
Put all your trust in me
You're doing Morphine!

You got a place, baby
Kicked in the face, baby
He hate your race, baby
You're not the liar!

Just ad lib, baby
Your dog's a b.itch, baby
You make me sick, baby
You talk survival!

She never cook for me
She never bump, baby
I've gotten what, baby?
You're just a rival!

A razor blade, Daddy
Right up your leg, baby
You're throwing shade, Daddy
So undeserving!

Chorus:
Trust in me
Trust in me
Put all your trust in me
You're doing Morphine!

Relax, this won't hurt you
Before I put it in
Close your eyes and count to ten

Don't cry, I won't convert you
There's no need to dismay
Close your eyes and drift away

Demerol, demerol
Oh god, he's taking demerol
Demerol, demerol
Oh god, he's taking demerol

He's trying hard to convince her
To give him more of what he had
Today he wants it twice as bad

Don't cry, I won't resent you
Yesterday you had distrust
Today he's taking twice as much

Demerol, demerol
Oh god, he's taking demerol
Demerol, demerol
Oh my, his god is demerol
Oh...

Ya got s.hit, baby
Your dog's a b.itch, baby
Ya make me sick, baby
You are a liar

You shoot the game, Daddy
Deep in the vein, baby
You're called a Saint, baby
You're so beloved!

Chorus:
Trust in me
Trust in me
Put all your trust in me
You're doing Morphine!

You just sit around
Just talking about it
You're taking Morphine!

You just sit around
Just talking about it
You're taking Morphine!

You just sit around
Just talkin' nothin' about it
You just sit around
Just talking about it
You're taking Morphine!

You just sit around
Just talkin' nothin'
And taking Morphine!

You're talking Morphine!
Morphine!
You're taking Morphine!
Morphine!
Morphine!

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Alternative lyrics before MJ changed some lines:
RR0910_446_lg_full.jpg



Morphine
(Backgrounds)
[mp3]http://www.box.net/shared/static/kxll8zy09c.mp3[/mp3]
http://www.box.net/shared/static/kxll8zy09c.mp3
BOTDF-logo.png

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

j5ftqf.jpg


[mp3]http://www.box.net/shared/static/c3u9akhu5q.mp3[/mp3]

http://www.box.net/shared/static/c3u9akhu5q.mp3


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An article with insightful perspective on the meaning of "Morphine"
Michael Jackson: Man in the Music, Part 2 (Morphine)

[This is Part 2 of a series exploring Michael Jackson the artist through his albums and songs. The following excerpt is taken from Chapter 5 of Man in the Music: An Album by Album Guide to Michael Jackson]

People often struggle with allowing artists to grow and evolve. For Bob Dylan it was considered sacrilege by many to pick up an electric guitar; for the Beatles, the shift from sentimental love songs to social statements and psychedelia caused them to lose, in some people's minds, their initial charm and mass appeal. For Michael Jackson, the conventional wisdom meant every album post-Thriller that didn't sound or sell like Thriller was considered a failure; this, in spite of the fact that some of his most significant and challenging work came later. Call it the curse of expectational stasis.

Still, for those who gave Blood on the Dancefloor: HIStory in the Mix a serious listen, it was an impressive record indeed. Containing just five new songs, the album is considered an artistic breakthrough by some. "His singing on the first five tracks of new material has never been so tormented, or audacious," wrote Armond White of Village Voice. "'Blood on the Dancefloor' has the vitality of an intelligence that refuses to be placated. . .[It] is a throwdown, a dare to the concept of innocuous Black pop." In a 1997 review, The New York Times' Neil Strauss concurred: "There is real pain and pathos in these new songs... Jackson's pain is often the world's merriment, and this is probably true of his new songs, which fret about painkillers, sexual promiscuity and public image. In many of them, Jackson seems like the elephant man, screaming that he is a human being... In keeping with Jackson's darker mood, the music has grown more angry and indignant. With beats crashing like metal sheets and synthesizer sounds hissing like pressurized gas, this is industrial funk... Creatively, Jackson has entered a new realm."



In the gritty, haunting "Morphine," Jackson tackles a subject he never had before: drug addiction. To a relentless, industrial funk beat, the singer lashes out in visceral bursts of anger, aggression, and pain. "Is truth a game daddy," he screams out at one point. "To win the fame baby/It's all the same baby/You're so reliable." The rage and disappointment, combined with its ear-assaulting sound (music critic Tom Sinclair described it as "alternating Trent Reznor-style sturm und clang with Bacharachian orchestral pomp"), make for a jarring listening experience, particularly for those accustomed to the breezier melodic pop of Off the Wall and Thriller (though it should be noted that songs like "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" and "Billie Jean" were already beginning to uncover the complexity, paranoia and pain represented in these later tracks). But "Morphine" is best viewed as an experiment -- both sonically and lyrically -- in representing the experience of physical/psychological pain as well as its temporary release via narcotic pain relievers like demerol and morphine (both of which Jackson has been reportedly addicted to, on and off, since the early Nineties).

This experience is also brilliantly conveyed in the song's form: About mid-way through the track, the grating beat subsides, symbolically representing the pacifying effect of the drug. "Relax, this won't hurt you," Jackson sings soothingly from the perspective of the drug.

[Click here and scroll down to "Morphine" to listen. The interlude begins at approximately the 2:48 mark]
http://myplay.com/audio_player/michael_jackson/195/288993/288994?allowBrowsing=1

Before I put it in

Close your eyes and count to ten

Don't cry

I won't convert you

There's no need to dismay

Close your eyes and drift away

Demerol

Demerol

Oh God he's taking demerol

Demerol

Demerol

Oh God he's taking demerol

He's tried

Hard to convince her

To be over what he had

Today he wants it twice as bad

Don't cry

I won't resent you

Yesterday you had his trust

Today he's taking twice as much



Demerol

Demerol

Oh God he's taking demerol

Demerol

Demerol

Oh God he's taking demerol

These verses are perhaps some of the most poignant (and tragic) Jackson has ever sung. Beyond the literalness of the drug itself is Jackson's persistent yearning to escape from pain, loneliness, confusion, and relentless pressure. In this brief interlude he beautifully conveys the soothing, seductive, but temporary release from reality. There is a sense of pleading, of desperation, before the high abruptly ends, and the listener is slammed back into the harsh world of accusations and anguish. Sputnik Music described this musical sequence as a "moment of absolute genius." The song, written and composed entirely by Jackson, is one of his most experimental and brilliant creations. It is a confession, a personal intervention, a witness, and a warning.

[Note: This analysis of "Morphine" was written before Michael Jackson's death. It becomes all the more tragic given reports that narcotics like demerol and morphine may have contributed to his passing.]
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-vogel/michael-jackson-man-in-th_b_221797.html
(Copyright by Joseph Vogel, from Man in the Music: An Album by Album Guide to Michael Jackson)

More of MJ's hand written lyrics of "Morphine"
RR0910_452_lg_full.jpg


Some thoughts on "Morphine"

The fan versions all over the internet are wrong on several lines. These make more sense, lyrically. These lyrics reveal his battle with drug addiction and how he feels he shouldn't be an addict as he's so beloved which he sings. He's sarcastic in parts and is personifying the Mythical God of Sleep, Morpheus whose name is known as Morphine today. That's why the orchestral part is in the middle and the oohhh represents another drug induced hit followed by the inner world battles between being human and being the unrealistic star. It's not really a call for help, but subtly about the dangers of fame, addiction and stigmas.
The 'Morphine' shout is the choir. The Andrae Crouch singers don't appear anywhere else in the song, I don't think.

Heres the explaining of the meaning of Morpheus...
Morpheus (Greek: &#924;&#959;&#961;&#966;&#941;&#945;&#962;, &#924;&#959;&#961;&#966;&#949;&#973;&#962;, "he who forms, shapes, moulds", from the Greek morphe) is the Greek god of dreams.

Morpheus has the ability to take any human's form and appear in dreams. He is the son or brother of Hypnos, the god of sleep. Nyx (the goddess of night) is his mother/grandmother. The servants of Hypnos — the Oneiroi — are rulers of visions, and also include Phobetor (also known as Icelus), and Phantasos.

Morpheus is spoken of in the Metamorphoses of Ovid. It is also believed that in the iliad he is spoken of as "Dream." He is also referred to in Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene (1590). He sleeps on an ebony bed in a dimly lit cave, surrounded by poppy flowers. According to Ovid, Morpheus concentrated on the human elements of dreams, his brothers Phobetor and Phantasos being responsible for animals and inanimate objects, respectively.

Morpheus sends images of humans in dreams or visions, and is responsible for shaping dreams, or giving shape to the beings which inhabit dreams. Phobetor made fearsome dreams (etymologically related to "phobia" from the Greek &#966;&#972;&#946;&#959;&#962; "fear"). Phantasos produced tricky and unreal dreams (hence "fantasy", "phantasmagoria", etc.). Together these attendants of Hypnos rule the realm of dreams. Morpheus also had special responsibility for the dreams of kings and heroes. For these reasons Morpheus is often referred to as "Morpheus the Greek god of dreams" in superiority to his brothers.

The drug morphine (once "morphium") derives its name from Morpheus based on its dream-inducing power.
the line "Uncage your god" is meant as in the sense that the drug Morphine is teh user's god and dictates their every mood or action. In this sense, Morpheus controls them and sends them into a dream-like state which is very potent. The pull of the drug is emphasised which if you saw such a scene with your eyes would create mixed feelings for you - literally.

Michael is basically stressing Mankind has no dignity when under the unfluence of a drug that is now your god. That's not all he says as all the put downs throughout the track belong to a judgemental society that has no sense of dignity either because they love to strip others of their own humanity.

The 1980 film The Elephant Man directed by David Lynch explores this in depth - I love this movie for it's undeniable depth. The Elephant Man fights back against society - "I am not an elephant...I...AM...A...MAN!"

A similar sense is conveyed in Morphine - society must stop seeing drug junkies as something inhuman if we are to hope to eradicate any need for people to abuse any kind of drug, prescription or illegal.

There is real pain and pathos in these new songs... Jackson's pain is often the world's merriment, and this is probably true of his new songs, which fret about painkillers, sexual promiscuity and public image. In many of them, Jackson seems like the elephant man, screaming that he is a human being... In keeping with Jackson's darker mood, the music has grown more angry and indignant. With beats crashing like metal sheets and synthesizer sounds hissing like pressurized gas, this is industrial funk... Creatively, Jackson has entered a new realm.

:heart:
souldreamer7
 
Re: Morphine- finding out about it

Oh, souldreamer7, thank you so much for this wonderful post and analysis!
It's absolutely helpful, all the information and opinion you gave.
By the way, I do agree with you at many points.
For example, even though English is not my native language, and so I don't understand the whole of the lyrics (yet) I could figure out it was not all about drugs, nor a cry for help.
At least, this is my opinion.

I do care a lot about this song, because it's honesty is just so brutal.
I really should buy the BOTTF album, since I don't have one yet,
There seem to be such great songs on it, I absolutely love when singers sing about the problems or the phenomena of these days, and so I'm crazy about both Morphine and Superfly sister, which also shocked me (in a good way) quite a bit when hearing first.

I'll keep just keep on analysing myself and if I find something interesting, I'll tell you. ;)
 
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