Veruca Salt: Forsythia Meaning

Forsythia Lyrics

Writer:Nina Gordon, Album:American Thighs

Yellow baby, a yellow baby is a bad sign.
But I don't mind, I don't mind.
Ohhh, Forsythia.

Spider monkey, a spider monkey is a good lie.
But I don't know why.
Ohhh, Forsythia, oh-ohhh.

I...

1. PositronDecay

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   Dec 15th 2018 report

   "a yellow baby is a bad sign"(ln.1)
   Jaundice is a liver condition common in infants which turns the skin and eye-whites yellow. (bibliography entry 1) Parents who's children suffer from jaundice are encouraged to breastfeed and care for them frequently.
   
   The child is named after the bright-yellow flower forsythia, which highlight's her identity as sickly. Line 12 contrasts Forsythia with the other yellow flowers, the other, healthy children the narrator sees. Notably, the only meaning of forsythia in Victorian flower language is anticipation, on account of the fact that it blooms in early spring before the plant regrows its leaves (bibliography entry 2). This may point to the mother's hopes for her daughter to grow into a joyful, beautiful young woman.
   
   "Against her yellow, I'm no longer me." (ln. 15-16)
   Although she "doesn't mind" (ln. 2) caring for her daughter, the narrator feels the amount of effort involved limits her ability to express herself.
   
   I couldn't find any connection between this song and "a spider monkey is a good lie" (ln. 4) signifies, but I'm really curious. My best guess would be that the mother explains her overwhelmed life to the people in her life by saying Forsythia is a rambunctious kid. Please let me know if you have any ideas or find anything on what this might mean!
   
   Bibliography:
   
   https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/jaundice.html
   
   https://www.auntyflo.com/flower-dictionary/forsythia

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