Voodoo and Bring it Back
Voodoo "Voodoo" may be the most cryptic of Adam's songs, even though Adam says that the song is "...pretty self-explanatory. It's basically about somebody casting a spell on you with their charm."
Some lines, such as I try to leave but I have to stay and I'm just like a doll/That the pins keep pushing into might indicate that Adam is having trouble escaping an unhealthy relationship. On the other hand, Adam says at the end that he doesn't want to leave. This might make the song seem kind of confusing.
My guess is that some of the words and phrases in the song are actually metaphors. For instance, "Moonshine on the bayou," I suspect, does not mean moonlight shining on the backwaters. I found a strong candidate for an alternative meaning in kind of a roundabout way. "Moonshine," I already knew, is a slang term for illicit alcohol. When searching for "bayou" in the Urban Dictionary, I found an entry for "Bayou Bob." Intrigued, I googled "Bayou Bob." Here's what I found
Quote:
A rattlesnake rancher (Bayou Bob) who had more than 400 bottles of vodka containing snakes seized last week said the contraband is an "ancient Asian elixir" used purely for medicinal purposes and not bootlegged booze as law enforcement contends....
...."It's almost a spiritual thing," Popplewell told the paper, saying he caters to the Asian community and that the liquid is used for wellness and stability. He likened the concoction to cough syrup.
Therefore, I think that "Moonshine on the bayou" may be about the magical "potion" that has made Adam enchanted with his lover. But it's not an evil potion; rather, it's an elixir that brings wellness and stability.
The first two lines of Verse 2 are Swamp sings over the bazaar/Snake bites, aligning stars. (Note: Apparently Adam tweeted the lyrics as "Swamp sings of love bizarre." I've listened multiple times though and I'm pretty sure it's "over the bazaar." That's how most lyrics sites have it. I think Adam must have been rushing. He got some other lines wrong, too) "Aligning stars" is likely a euphemism for an event being destined by the universe. Upon googling "Snake bites symbolism," I found that snake bites in dreams often symbolize a flash of insight or wisdom. I think, then, that Adam is saying here that something gives him a flash of insight, a sign, that he and Kris are meant to be together. That "something" is likely "Swamp sings over the bazaar." But what the heck does that mean?
According to Wikipedia (can you tell yet that I'm a research junkie?) one possible meaning for "bazaar" is a song by the Canadian rock band The Tea Party called "The Bazaar." The lyrics are available here The lines that stand out for me are please my friend no matter what she sees/tell my lover to come back to me
silence swimming in a pool of dreams
beneath its depths the forgotten streams
above, the city of the evening star
behind its walls, the grand bazaar
as she walks through its endless maze
cursing those who mistrust her ways
please my friend no matter what she sees
tell my lover come back to me
doorways spilling out their sombre light
casting shadows that will raid the night
along the alleys of her ruling fears
walk the visions that will cause her tears
lying still as she wills her glance
through the eyes of a charmers trance
please my friend no matter what she sees
tell my lover come back to me
If "the bazaar" refers to the song by The Tea Party, then I am betting that "Swamp sings over the bazaar" means that Adam hears something called "Swamp" at the same time, or around the same time, that he hears "The Bazaar." I considered the musician Swamp Dogg and the song "Swamp," by The Pretenders, but neither of those possibilities seemed quite right. However, check out the song "Swamp" by Tool.
My warning meant nothing.
You're dancing in quicksand.
Why don't you watch where you're wandering?
Why don't you watch where you're stumbling?
You're wading knee deep and going in.
You're wading knee deep and going in.
This bog is sticking, these things are getting locked in.
'Cause you're a stupid, belligerent f**ker.
This bog is thick and these things are getting locked in.
'Cause you're a dumb and belligerent f**ker.
I hope it sucks you down. down...down...down...
Put all of this together, and I think you get that Adam hears "The Bazaar" and "Swamp" at the same time and sees it as a sign that he is, sinking into a swamp, "wandering" in the wrong direction, and that he needs "to return" to his lover.
What all of this means is that I don't believe that "Voodoo" is at all about trying to escape a manipulative, seductive lover. It's about Adam realizing that he will not be able to escape the pain and frustration of the circumstances surrounding this relationship--the voodoo pins-- because he can't not be with Kris. They are destined to be together.
Bring it Back The opening piano music of "Bring it Back" echoes the chorus of Voodoo. In fact, they are the exact same chords Ebm Cb Abm Ebm
In "Voodoo" Adam says that he knows now that it's wrong to be apart from Kris because they are meant for each other. Adam sings, I try to leave but I have to stay. In "Bring it Back," Kris responds in agreement. He sings Forgive my mouth/For not letting you walk away.... Tell me that you believe/What fate has been telling me