The Story Behind "Love Knife, Revised"

Back on November 20^th I posted the song “Love Knife” I wrote with my old band Social Fallout. When I took an Introduction to Creative Writing course at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee I submitted the original lyric form of the song as one of my poetry submissions. The problem with that is that rhythm works different in lyrics set to music than it is in poetry. If you knew the melody for the song, than the rhythm worked, for those that weren’t familiar with the song it didn’t quite work.

At the end of the semester we had to take at least one fiction and one poetry piece and revise it for a final portfolio. I opted to renovate “Love Knife” for the portfolio. It turned out to be a difficult process. I don’t consider myself a poet, although I do occasionally dabble in the form. I had a hard time trying to figure out the rhythmic scheme I wanted to utilize. Stanzas 2, 4, and 6 were the first to come together. Stanzas 1, 3, and 5 came together when I determined what would remain on the first line.

I used the opportunity to also try to flesh out the message of the poem. I still didn’t want to hit the reader over the head with a message, but I didn’t want to make sure that it’s understood.  

Love Knife, Revised

He says, “I need you my dear for now

till the end of time. You are my strength,

you are my love.” The kiss he gives her

lights up the night; from his coat he pulls

a knife and slits her throat. I see it

through the rose colored windows

through the rose colored windows

through the blood stained windows.

Corpse in the tub

drenched in her blood.

The shower’s on

to make her clean;

prepared for hell.

Empty her veins,

she feels no pain.

Have I lost my

mind is on fire, should I turn away.

The very image before me hits

me like a freight train. I try to look

from the horror before me, but I

find myself turn to her on the floor.

This sight starts my mind racing;

yes, my mind is still racing.

I’m anticipating!

What should I do?

My life has changed;

I know the truth.

Where should I go?

Drama unfolds

this scene’s not done,

I’ll just stay here;

my show for one.

He says, “I needed you dear to make

me whole,” and from my voyeur chair I

can’t help feeling cold. Beside the tub

he drops to his knees to kiss her dead

lips, my heart drops wanting one more hit.

Why do I want to see death?

Do I need to see death?

I need to see death.

His job now done:

the body clean

he leaves the scene,

this scene serene,

walks out the door.

I just want more.

We all want more,

We all want more.

The Story Behind "Love Knife"

“Love Knife” is one of my favorite songs that I wrote with Social Fallout. The music is heavy and the concept itself is heavy. A little too heavy for some people, apparently. My former instructor in Creative Writing (one of my favorite instructors) Colleen Abel, tried to lead the class to a feminist discussion on this song. I submitted it as a poem, which was already problematic, but the focus turned to the feminist qualities of the song since the person accosted is a female. That’s not what the song is about though.

The original idea for the song came from reality TV. I don’t watch reality TV, and I didn’t watch it then, because I’d rather patronize television that features talented individuals (particularly shows that are written by real writers), but I was interested in the idea of voyeurism. The idea of the social obsession with voyeurism still intrigues me, and it might be a concept that invades my stories in the future. In reality, aren’t all stories really about seeing into another person’s life without actually having to deal with them? That’s a large part of what this song is about. This is one of only two Social Fallout songs that actually did not come from personal experience in some way.

In the end Colleen was proven wrong by the students in the class who did not feel that the song was in any way an insult to feminist ideals. I did end up rewriting it as an actual poem, but I’ll save that for another day. I’ll detail what I updated then, but I will say here that I kept the voyeurism concept of murder with the same characters. Below you can find the music for this song.

Btw, I should say that the title of this song came from Tenacious D, particularly HBO episode where Jack and Kyle first meet Lee and describe him as “...love knife material...”

Love Knife

He says, "I need you my dear

For now till the end of time

You are my strength, my love divine."

He pulls her close in a kiss that lights up the heavens

He pulls a knife from his coat and slits her throat

I see it all through the rose colored windows

The rose colored windows

The blood stained windows

Corpse in the tub

Drenched in her blood

The shower's on where she fell

To make her clean for Hell

Empty her veins

She feels no pain

What's your next line

Have I lost my

Mind is on fire should I turn away

I feel the punch of a train

As blood pumps through my veins

I reach for the door

But turn back to see once more

I pull myself from the torn

To view her on the floor

It's at this sight that my mind is still racing

My mind is still racing

I'm anticipating

He says, "I needed you dear

To make me whole,"

While inside

I'm left feeling cold

He drops to his knees

To kiss her lips

My heart hits the floor

Wanting one more hit

It's at this time that I ask myself

Why do I need death

I need to see death!

The body's now clean

This scene so serene

He walks out the door

And I'm left wanting more!