Underside

by māsa

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about

We took inspiration for this song from the folktale 'The Fisherman and His Wife'. As told by the Brothers Grimm, a foolish woman is granted three wishes by a flounder fish, but her wishes are shallow and materialistic, and no good comes of it. We chose to flip the narrative: in our version, the woman befriends the fish. They are both oppressed by society: the woman limited by gender roles, and the fish by the poisoning of the sea. The “Underside” is an imagined space. It represents both the psychological darkness of the repressed woman, and the often unseen evil of humanity’s impact on the oceans.

lyrics

What should I find
On the edge of the brine
But something I shouldn’t have
The eels glisten and slip through the door
The blackest of casing, leathery pores

Gutting and cutting
Bones in my lap
As I haul in the nets and the traps.

I know you’re waiting on the Underside
On the Underside of the boat
I know I’m going to the Underside
To the Underside, but don’t

Watch me lose my virtue
My fall from grace
Among the mermen and the milkmaids
You’ll be waking up
You’ll coming up
You’ll be swimming up
As they seed the clouds
And it rains down silver

What should I do
In the interlude
Now I’m through the door
The underbelly of the cloud
A sickly marble shroud
You’ll find no answers in this drugged up fishing town

A beastly bird weaves
Between the web
As I haul in the traps and the nets

I know you’re waiting on the Underside
On the Underside of the boat
I know I’m going to the Underside
To the Underside, but don’t

Watch me lose my virtue
My fall from grace
Among the mermen and the milkmaids
You’ll be waking up
You’ll coming up
You’ll be swimming up
As they seed the clouds
And it rains down silver

Oil in the eyes
Of the flounder as it dies
But it comes alive
On the Underside
It will come alive
On the Underside.

credits

released July 1, 2022
Written, recorded and produced by māsa.
Cello by Heather Truesdall.
Mixed by Tristan Powell.
Artwork by Lou Smith.

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about

māsa UK

Alt-folk duo, FKA Currer Bell.
Sisters, harmonies, storytelling.

masaband.com

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