BOC: Imaginos - One more interpretation

[John A. Swartz]

All this *Imaginos* stuff has gotten me to thinking - and in the spirit
of how we don't know the extent of how the *Imaginos* story might
permeate through various other BOC songs, I give you an interpretation
of one of the final songs in the *Imaginos* cycle, "Burnin' For You".  ;-)

>Home in the valley
>Home in the city
>Home isn't pretty
>Ain't no home for me

>Home in the darkness
>Home on the highway
>Home isn't my way
>Home I'll never be

This is clearly referring to the young Desdinova before leaving New
Orleans in 1829.  The "valley" might be the Mississippi river valley
which ends at the delta in the "city" of New Orleans.  Or, this just may
refer to the fact that young Desdinova is a traveller, and always on the
road (from New Hampshire to Texas and New Orleans are locations we know
about) "Home isn't my way - home I'l never be."


>Burn out the day
>Burn out the night
>I can't see no reason to put up a fight
>I'm living for givin' the devil his due
>And I'm burnin', I'm burnin', I'm burnin' for you
>I'm burnin', I'm burnin', I'm burnin' for you

Hmm... there's lots of references to fire here (of "unknown origin"?),
but of course most of the Imaginos story is laced with referenced to
water, not fire.  Well, hell is often referred to as a "lake" of fire,
with it's victims "drowning" in it. (side note:  Albert Bouchard has
mentioned that the first three albums were BOC's attempts to "describe
hell" - and we know that *Secret Treaties* is sort of a glimpse of
*Imaginos*)  This gets back to Imaginos being reborn after his
"drowning" on the oysterbeds.  "Givin' the devil his due" no doubt
refers to the "one deal is what we made" in the song "Blue Oyster Cult"
- and since it is his destiny, there is "no reason to put up a fight".

So, whether Imaginos is an agent of Les Invisibles via drowning and
rebirth in water, or an agent of Satan via drowning and rebirth in fire,
he does so presumably out of free will, but seeing no better
alternative.  Is that really a choice?  You decide.


>Time is the essence
>Time is the season
>Time ain't no reason
>Got no time to slow

It would appear that in Imaginos' world, time is both everything ("time
is the essence") and nothing ("time ain't no reason").


>Time everlasting
>Time to play B-sides
>Time ain't on my side
>Time I'll never know

"Time to Play B-sides" - an obvious reference to Imaginos "singing songs
that no-body knew" (as we all know, nobody plays the b-sides on those
vinyl 45s)


>Burn out the day
>Burn out the night
>I'm not the one to tell you what's wrong and what's right

This reinforces the idea that Imaginos is there to present humanity with
challenges, but not to make the ultimate decisions as to which way is
right or wrong.  He's just there to set the wheels in motion.

>I've seen suns that were freezing and lives that were through
>And I'm burnin', I'm burnin', I'm burnin' for you
>I'm burnin', I'm burnin', I'm burnin' for you

Ah, the reference to "when the sun grew false as it always does".  Yet,
still Desdinova "burns" for someone.  This must be a reference to "Susie
Dear" - perhaps ultimately Imaginos failed in his mission as so many do
- because of the lust over a woman.

See, even the supernatural types make the same mistakes as we lowly humans...

"And the joke's . . . On YOU!"

;-)