Abracadabra's lyricism (what does it mean to you?)

[PartySick 147,932]

Yes I'm making another thread, cry about it  

Abracadabra is so cleverly written and I wanna make a space just to appreciate the thought that went behind the writing here and any thoughts or feelings it may invoke in us  

Here are the lyrics (thanks for posting them @Ladle Ghoulash):

Spoiler

[Intro]
(Rah)
Abracadabra, abracadabra (Ha)
Abracadabra, abracadabra
Abracadabra, abracadabra (Ha)
(Yeah)

[Verse 1]
Pay the toll to the angels
Drawing circles in the clouds (Ooh)
Keep your mind on the distance
When the devil turns around (Ooh)

[Pre-Chorus]
Hold me in your heart tonight
In the magic of the dark moonlight (Oh)
Save me from this empty fight
In the game of life
Like a poem said by a lady in red
You hear the last few words of your life
With a haunting dance, now you're both in a trance
It's time to cast your spell on the night

[Chorus]
"Abracadabra, amor-oo-na-na
Abracadabra, morta-ooh-ga-ga
Abracadabra, abra-oo-na-na"
In her tongue she said, "Death or love tonight"
 

[Post-Chorus]
Abracadabra, abracadabra
Abracadabra, abracadabra
Feel the beat under your feet, the floor's on fire
Abracadabra, abracadabra

[Verse 2]
Choose the road on the west side
As the dust flies, watch it burn (Ooh)
Don't waste time on a feeling
Use your passion, no return

[Pre-Chorus]
Hold me in your heart tonight
In the magic of the dark moonlight (Ooh)
Save me from this empty fight
In the game of life
Like a poem said by a lady in red
You hear the last few words of your life
With a haunting dance, now you're both in a trance
It's time to cast your spell on the night

[Chorus]
"Abracadabra, amor-oo-na-na
Abracadabra, morta-ooh-ga-ga
Abracadabra, abra-oo-na-na"
In her tongue she said, "Death or love tonight"
 

[Post-Chorus]
Abracadabra, abracadabra
Abracadabra, abracadabra
Feel the beat under your feet, the floor's on fire
Abracadabra, abracadabra

[Bridge]
Phantom of the dance floor, come to me
Sing for me a sinful melody
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah (Rah)

[Chorus]
"Abracadabra, amor-oo-na-na
Abracadabra, morta-ooh-ga-ga
Abracadabra, abra-oo-na-na" (Ah)
In her tongue she said, "Death or love tonight" (Rah)
"Abracadabra, amor-oo-na-na
Abracadabra, morta-ooh-ga-ga
Abracadabra, abra-oo-na-na"
In her tongue she said, "Death or love tonight"

A couple takeaways for me:

- 1 - 

Abracadabra, amor-oo-na-na
Abracadabra, morta-ooh-ga-ga
Abracadabra, abra-oo-na-na"
In her tongue she said, "Death or love tonight

So, obviously, the "amor" and the "morta" refer to the "death or love", spoken in French, or "her tongue", but I have to wonder if there's more behind "morta-ooh-ga-ga" than her just trying to get another "ga ga ooh la la" moment  

I wonder if it's subtle symbolism to her "killing" a version of herself? The way she's spoken about Disease and Mayhem lends to the idea of inner conflict, kinda borrowing the "my head is full of broken mirrors" idea from Happy Mistake with a splash of 911's "my biggest enemy is me" energy.

To me, someone whose personality is heavily influenced by trauma responses and dark moments, it makes me think of her kinda combatting that part of her personality and "killing" the traumatized version of herself? Not sure how to describe it and I'm definitely reaching but that's the funnest part of songs like this!  

- 2 -

Choose the road on the west side
As the dust flies, watch it burn (Ooh)
Don't waste time on a feeling
Use your passion, no return

I absolutely LOVE this bit  It just immediately felt like a bit of an unintentional callback to Americano's "we can marry on the west coast" line.

For me, California is my chosen home and a place I hope to move to ASAP to escape this hellhole state of Florida  the "west" in my eyes represents the chance to heal, freedom, a disconnect from things that constantly reopen scars. 

And the fires that scorched so much of the area that immediately feels like home every time I visit...that definitely comes to mind for "watch it burn" but...idk, it feels more like a "let it burn and watch how we endure". A message of strength?

This is a very hopeful and positive set of lyrics in a haunting jam  

- 3 -

I'm taking this from @Shadow as he mentioned it in the mod chat

What is the literal meaning of abracadabra?

"I create as I speak."

Tracing its roots back to the third century AD, abracadabra is believed to have originated from the ancient Aramaic language spoken in Mesopotamia where the phrase 'avra kedabra' was used, which translates to 'I create as I speak'.

I CREATE AS I SPEAK  I take back EVERYTHING I said about this title being dumb 'cause that is probably THE most Gaga thing ever. Speaking her own reality.

Overall, this song gives so much raw power. It's the spirit of The Edge of Glory, the defiance of Born This Way (album), the volume of ARTPOP, the heart of Joanne (Gaga herself, thank you).

Sh*t it...it might be her best dance song, guys  

But I've rambled long enough, share what you're getting from Abracadabra  

[FATCAT 59,261]

[Verse 1]
Pay the toll to the angels
Drawing circles in the clouds (Ooh)
 

====

I can literally see them circling overhead in my minds eye. Such an amazing first verse.

[PartySick 147,932]

Just now, FATCAT said:

[Verse 1]
Pay the toll to the angels
Drawing circles in the clouds (Ooh)
 

====

I can literally see them circling overhead in my minds eye. Such an amazing first verse.

It kinda gives me skywriter vibes  

And like...to expand on that, the author in me wants to draw out a metaphor of looking at these otherworldly (biblically accurate) beings far above shaping the sky into messages  

Like a mix of actual biblical lore, a dash of psychology, and the alien's from Arrival  

[PartySick 147,932]

Omg it has been so long since I've felt this kind of spark with a Gaga track

[Juanne 405]

Death or love tonight, little monsters duality between "Abra sparks that feeling inside me" vs "Anyone not feeling Abra" And that's okay, Gaga came prepared

[PartySick 147,932]

1 minute ago, Juanne said:

Death or love tonight, little monsters duality between "Abra sparks that feeling inside me" vs "Anyone not feeling Abra" And that's okay, Gaga came prepared

Sure! Art is subjective so let's celebrate that

[ManMan 894]

finally lyrics with 'gaga' & foreign words is BACK!!! 

[MadArchitect 624]

Something about the first verse and prechorus makes me think that gaga is narrating and creating imagery of a near death experience where she was fighting for her life, ultimately she had to choose to let go and give up, or keep fighting for love and life, that's what the phrase "death or love tonight" makes me think, ultimately she resolves in choosing love i think, Abracadabra being the spell to have passion and fighting for her life.

It's kind of like the story of the 911 music video but told from another perspective.

Edited 4 hours ago by MadArchitect

[PartySick 147,932]

Just now, MadArchitect said:

Something about the first verse and prechorus makes me think that gaga is narrating and creating imagery of a near death experience where she was fighting for her life, ultimately she had to choose to let go and give up, or keep fighting for love and life, that's what the phrase "death or love tonight" makes me think, ultimately she resolves in choosing love i think, Abracadabra being the spell to have passion and fighting for her like.

It's kind of like the story of the 911 music video but told from another perspective.

Oh my god I love this interpretation, I can totally see it 

[River 107,574]

Just one correction, it's Latin not French 

[Scri 825]

22 minutes ago, River said:

Just one correction, it's Latin not French 

It would be proper Latin if the morta was with the capital M (as in "Morta", one of the Parcae), but since it's lowercase, it's Italian (as in "dead", adj./p.p. for female singular, like "muerta" in Spanish). Maybe you were thinking of "mortua" (from Latin morior)?

EDIT: Obv I'm talking about grammar, not Gaga's idea, as I don't know if she thinks that's Latin or whatever
A proper use of Morta is in Noctes Atticae of Aulus Gellius, when he says: "Tria inquit nomina Parcarum sunt: 'Nona', 'Decuma', 'Morta', et versum hunc Livii, antiquissimi poetae, ponit ex Ὀδυσσείᾳ: quando dies adveniet, quem profata Morta est."

Edited 4 hours ago by Scri

[SHALLOW 15,946]

3 minutes ago, Scri said:

It would be proper Latin if the morta was with the capital M (as in "Morta", one of the Parcae), but since it's lowercase, it's Italian (as in "dead", adj./p.p. for female singular, like "muerta" in Spanish). Maybe you were thinking of "mortua" (from Latin morior)?

But amor is latin. In italian it's amore. So most definitely latin

Edited 4 hours ago by SHALLOW

[Scri 825]

Just now, SHALLOW said:

But amor is latin

Not only, it's also an apocope for the Italian Amore (as in the famous Dante's line Amor, ch'a nullo amato amar perdona). But again, I don't know what Gaga meant to say there: if she thinks that's Latin, she's wrong

[River 107,574]

3 minutes ago, Scri said:

Not only, it's also an apocope for the Italian Amore (as in the famous Dante's line Amor, ch'a nullo amato amar perdona). But again, I don't know what Gaga meant to say there: if she thinks that's Latin, she's wrong

Ooh Dante, I want to read a proper translation one day, do u think the song follows anything from the divine comedia?

[Killa 16,190]

Yeah She used amor cause of its 2 syllables instead of 3. Its ancient italian no biggie. 

Abra oo na?

Amor morte abra??

Ora?? As in now

Or Just mumbojumbo as in Abra from abracadabra lol

Edited 4 hours ago by Killa