Time for a musical interlude.  “True” stories of life are veined with tragedy.  Music is our “gift of the gods,” a respite from care.

Whenever I hear this song I am haunted by the tune and lyric.  The attraction between male and female gender is exciting and terrifying.  Certainly hormones, the primal reproductive drive is always at work.  Add the temperamental difference between male and female.  Then there are the differences of upbringing, and circumstances of birth families.  What a hair-ball of complexity.  If blessed with the smile of fortune, nothing less than a life time is enough to reconcile recalcitrant elements into something artful.

This song by Soft Cell, released in 1981 captures the risk and the opportunity of our scenario.  Enjoy!

Initially I thought the indistinct, unfocused video might be a mistake.  Yet, is not every detail of a intimate relationship surrounded by a penumbra of mystery?  We cannot know all that we and another bring into the relationship.

“Tainted Love”

Sometimes I feel I’ve got to
Run away, I’ve got to
Get away from the pain you drive into the heart of me
The love we share
Seems to go nowhere
And I’ve lost my light
For I toss and turn, I can’t sleep at night

Once I ran to you (I ran)
Now I’ll run from you
This tainted love you’ve given
I give you all a boy could give you
Take my tears and that’s not nearly all
Tainted love (oh)
Tainted love

Now I know I’ve got to
Run away, I’ve got to
Get away, you don’t really want any more from me
To make things right
You need someone to hold you tight
And you think love is to pray
But I’m sorry, I don’t pray that way

Once I ran to you (I ran)
Now I’ll run from you
This tainted love you’ve given
I give you all a boy could give you
Take my tears and that’s not nearly all
Tainted love (oh)
Tainted love

Don’t touch me, please
I cannot stand the way you tease
I love you though you hurt me so
Now I’m gonna pack my things and go

Tainted love (oh)
Tainted love (oh)
Tainted love (oh)
Tainted love (oh)

Touch me, baby, tainted love
Touch me, baby, tainted love
Tainted love (oh)
Tainted love (oh)

Tainted love
Tainted love

by Gloria Jones