Mr. Skeleton

Album: Pandora's PlayHouse (2020)
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Songfacts®:

  • Symbolism abounds on Sananda Maitreya's Pandora's PlayHouse album, and the skeleton is a powerful symbol. What's it mean? He explained in a Songfacts track by track:

    "You can say that I'm a cross and bones kind of guy. I've always been drawn to the symbolism. I'm a Pisces, and we're some symbolism loving bitches. As a Christian, I am aware that the origins of the cross and bones was meant to signify that Christ was hung on the cross on a hill composed of other graves, a place of skulls. A boneyard. A cross atop bones.

    So, early Christian organizations used the symbol of the skull and bones to mark their turf and their products, their brotherhood. The Edwardians took to using skulls as 'objet d'art' symbolizing the mortality of all and the wise use of one's time. Because we all, whoever we are, will still wind up looking like this!

    The great master essayist Michel de Montaigne felt that to live totally, one must embrace death as a constant companion. Not out of fear of death, but of appreciation for life. I've always adored the writings of Montaigne but f--k that! Mr. Skeleton, don't you come and dance with me! I don't care what the skull and bones means, I give a s--t about esoteric writings. Just keep that skinny-ass skeleton away from me and my family. I'm not ready to die yet, there are still too many people left for me to piss off before I depart this mortal coil, this emerald realm. And we can talk about the rest, later."
  • Maitreya released a lyric video for this song in April 2020 that was directed by Luciano Boschetti - live-action videos were out of the question because of coronavirus. The song appeared in March 2021 on his album Pandora's PlayHouse.
  • As he does in a few places on the album, Maitreya slips in some Italian: "la vita è più bella," which means "life is more beautiful." He married an Italian (Francesca Francone) in 2003 and later became an Italian citizen.

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