Tori Amos - Cactus Practice

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Night of Hunters intro by tori

Cactus Practice

variation on: Chopin, Nocturne op. 9 no. 1

Lyrics by Tori Amos

Tori:
Maybe he and I

Anabelle:
Are like a pair of Suns
that are captured

Tori:
Maybe he and I are like a pair of Suns
that are captured

Anabelle:
Eternally linked into chasing
each other's spin

Tori:
Eternally linked into chasing
each other's spin
Bound by beliefs

Anabelle:
That have become steel cords

Tori:
Why the disharmony?
Let's re-sing my world
With a harmonic defiance I'll face this

Anabelle:
I'd like to induct you into
the drink of the cactus practice
Cactus

Tori:
Cactus?

Anabelle:
Practice

Tori:
Will you induct me into
the drink of the cactus practice?
Cactus

Anabelle:
Cactus

Tori:
Practice

Are you saying I'm

Anabelle:
Reactive but I can work with it Doll-face

Tori:
Every couple has their version of what they call the truth?
Every couple has their version of what they call the truth
Call all that lies

Anabelle:
beneath both stories

Tori:
back to my fire

Anabelle:
Embrace what you find

Tori:
With a harmonic defiance I'll face this

Anabelle:
It's time to induct you into
the drink of the cactus practice

Tori:
Cactus?

Anabelle:
Cactus

Tori:
Practice

Anabelle:
I'd like to induct you into
the drink of the cactus practice

Tori:
Cactus?

Anabelle:
Cactus

Tori:
Practice
Will you induct me into
the drink of the cactus practice
Cactus? CACTUS

Tori Quotes

Anabelle then shares her view of the couple and makes Tori aware that "Every couple has a version of what they call the truth." Anabelle tells Tori to call all that lies beneath both stories back to her own fire and to embrace the truth of what she finds. Anabelle has turned into her goose shape. Anabelle offers Tori an elixir of cactus to open up Tori's vision and her heart so that she can actually claim her part in this shattering separation from "Him." As with any elixir, it's job is to take the participant to a depth of feeling and understanding that they have not been able to achieve in the cold light of day. [Night of Hunters commentary - July 2011]

Anabelle is a changeling creature, a shape-shifting being, that's come out of nature. You do learn more about Anabelle as the story goes on. And she is duality, she is the hunter and hunted, in her fox form and her goose form. Tash was very much involved as Anabelle. When she and I discussed her involvement, she wanted to make sure that Anabelle had an affect on the woman, because Tash has said to me, "You know, grown-ups sometimes aren't very good listeners and children maybe know some things that could help grown-ups." Anabelle offering Tori the cactus elixir was to bring in a ceremonial, transformational element. And clearly the woman needed to grow very quickly and to open her mind up.

We don't necessarily know what happens to this couple. It's up to the listener to decide what happens. But I've chosen to believe that there is a possibility because the woman has decided to look at her part in things, and it seems like we're hearing his perspective as well. Where they both can acknowledge that they've wounded each other, then there's always hope. [NME - September 16, 2011]

I wanted to take this to a ritualistic place instead of an experimental and hallucinogenic place. Tash said, "You know, Mom, the song cycle's protagonist, Tori, needs a bop on the head or something -- maybe one of those pomegranate margaritas Dad makes." I said, "You know what, that's not far away from what we're doing." Tash understands Native American ritual and that it's very different from drug experimentation -- you approach it completely differently. I need to make it clear that we're not encouraging her to do that -- she just turned 11 last week -- because to approach that kind of thing it's not really rock'n'roll partying, it's more about reclaiming parts of her soul and pieces of herself have to die to make that happen. [Rip It Up - September 22, 2011]

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