#(( and when good ol' bonejangles started singing ))

[niightravcns]

Remains of the Day but it's Dorian singing to try and distract Eliza.

[mocacheezy]

Okay so, I saw a gif of Mike Johnson's and Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, and decided to rant about it because the song left quite an impression and even challened my view on the dying and death when I was very young, in the sense of not fearing ehat is to come.

It is also a very self-indulgent take on the whole song being something more than just a catchy tune to move the plot along.

(gif seen thanks to @halloweenskellington, do check the blog out if you want some more halloween goodies)

[ID: a black and white looping gif of Victor Van Dort being swayed by two dapper skeleton characters, as they sing along to a musical number. He looks disturbed, afraid even. The subtitles read "Die, die, we all pass away. But don't wear a frown because it's really okay." /EndID]

Summary: The chorus of the jazz song that serves as introduction of Emily (the corpse bride), is not meant to be taken as depressing or dismissive of death itself, but serves as a way of comforting Victor (and perhaps the viewer) with the ineviatability of death.

The lyrics aren't exactly "positive". I mean when is death portrayed as something positive, unless refrenced by someone who wants to die, or someone who is struggling to the point that death "would be kinder" than the struggle of living?

But here's the thing: Victor is NOT dead.

He does not want to die, he didn't plan on coming to the Land of the Dead, or having his whole belief of afterlife challenged like this. It was all a misunderstanding due to a series of unfortunate events regarding wedding vows!

So we have a protagonist that is among the dead - but not by his choice.

The gif at the start of this post is only half of the chorus lyrics. In full, the message is:

The jazz music number is an introduction of our titular character, Emily, sung by a skeleton Bonejangles. Its main purpose is to explain to a - terrified and confused - Victor, who she is, since Emily didn't know where to start, simply saying that "it's a long story."

And what a story it is.

Die, die, we all pass away

But don't wear a frown 'cause it's really okay

You might try and hide

And you might try and pray

But we all end up the remains of the day

... Not exactly winning any hopeful points yea?

It's a catchy song, and the lively music helps with the heaviness of the main lyrics. The chorus also can either help with lifting the mood or not... Depends on the kind of viewer you are.

Now 5 year old me was pretty scared by good ol' Bonejangles here, even if I was the one that begged my parents to buy this movie for me, so I can't really remember what my emotions were while watching, but there was certainly an impact.

The musical number ends with the lyrics of how Victor proposed to Emily, and fullfilled her vow of how she'll "wait for her true love, to come set her free."

Now to the residents of the Land of the Dead, the ending of this song is on a hopeful, happy note. Of course it does, Emily is engaged and will finally be married, getting her happy ending despite her untimely demise all those years ago!

But, if we look at it from the perspective of Victor; he is shaken by his very sudden awakening among the dead, especially by the way he was brought here - that scene is absolutely chilling - he has every right to be terrified out of his mind.

And there is so much to be done among the living; he is supposed to be wed the next day, it is his duty as the only son, to save his parents from bankrupcy with this arranged marriage, and yet somehow he butchered the vow rehearsal and then managed to succesfully propose to a corpse!

He is also very reserved due to his upbringing and skittish, so being included in the dance routine and being spun around by his unintented bride surely didn't lessen his anxiety and terror at the whole situations. The grim lyrics of the chorus sung by such lively rowdy corpses was clearly overwhelming with how he flees at the end.

But the chorus was supposed to achieve the opposite!

The chorus, if we highlight the lyrics -

Die, die, we all pass away.

But don't wear a frown, cause it's really okay.

You might try and hide,

And you might try to pray,

But we all end up the remains of the day.

- is meant to bring comfort to the shaken groom. Don't worry, we - humans, communities, civilizations, every living being - all die.

No one is alone in death, just as no one is alone in life. No need to worry about it.

The fear of the unknown is one of the main reasons why people fear death. The fear of being alone in whatever follows.

It didn't work as intended, but the message can be comforting, once you pay attention to the lyrics and think about them for a while.

So, in case of Victor Van Dorf, a terrified newcomer among the dead (despite not being deceased himself) and accidental vow full-filler, this chorus WAS meant to be taken as a source of comfort, provided by people who know that their life and death aren't all that much different (and they actually seem happier and more free in death, among interesting people who are not so uptight and stuffy about their "life").

Also it really is a damn good song.