Nunca sospeché que grúas, bulldozers y otras máquinas de construcción pudiesen esconder una potente carga poética hasta que me las encontré entre las letras de dos de mis canciones favoritas.

“They’ll need a crane”- They Might Be Giants (1988)

Una triste, enigmática e irresistible canción que parece relatar una demolición emocional de tal calibre que requiere una grúa (con su cadena y su bola).

Love sees love’s happiness
But happiness can’t see that love is sad
That love is sad
Sadness is hanging there
To show love somewhere something needs a change
They need a change

(Estribillo:)

They’ll need a crane, they’ll need a crane
To take the house he built for her apart
To make it break it’s gonna take a metal ball hung from a chain
They’ll need a crane, they’ll need a crane
To pick the broken ruins up again
To mend her heart, to help him start to see a world apart from pain

Lad’s gal is all he has
Gal’s gladness hangs upon the love of lad
The love of lad
Some things gal says to lad aren’t meant as bad
But cause a little pain
They cause him pain

(Estribillo)

Don’t call me at work again no no the boss still hates me
I’m just tired and I don’t love you anymore
And there’s a restaurant we should check out where
The other nightmare people like to go
I mean nice people, baby wait,
I didn’t mean to say nightmare

Lad looks at other gals
Gal thinks Jim Beam is handsomer than lad
He isn’t bad
Call off the wedding band
Nobody wants to hear that one again
Play that again

(Estribillo)

They’ll need a crane, they’ll need a crane
They’ll need a crane, they’ll need a crane
They’ll need a crane, they’ll need a crane
They’ll need a crane, they’ll need a crane
They’ll need a crane

“Death of Ferdinand de Saussure”- Magnetic Fields (1999)

Para intentar entender el amor te serán de más ayuda  Holland-Dozier-Holland (los compositores de Motown) que la lingüística de Saussure. No puedes estudiar orquídeas con un bulldozer.

I met Ferdinand de Saussure
On a night like this
On love he said
«I’m not so sure
I even know what it is
No understanding
No closure
It is a nemesis
You can’t use a bulldozer
To study orchids»

He said…
So we don’t know anything
You don’t know anything
I don’t know anything
about love
But we are nothing
You are nothing
I am nothing
Without love

I’m just a great composer
And not a violent man
But I lost my composure
And I shot Ferdinand
Crying «it’s well and kosher
to say you don’t understand
but this is for Holland-Dozier-Holland»

His last words were
We don’t know anything [etc]
His fading words were 
We don’t know anything [etc]