Salem
Lyrics and music by Alex Waters
You cast a spell in the shape of devotion
You dug your grave at the floor of the ocean
I could not cut you from the chains you made
You called it love, it was jealous possession
You were familiar with the blackest obsession
I cut you out, but you still find a way
Ever since I met you I’ve been cursed
Ever since I left you I’ve felt worse
I’ve been cursed
You wore a blank, cold, lifeless expression
Your give-and-take was a vicious confession
I tried to heal you but your heart is sick (sick!)
You bound yourself to the pull of the moonlight
Your soul was lost and you burned in a half-life
The clock struck midnight at the hour of the witch (witch!)
Ever since I met you I’ve been cursed
Ever since I left you I’ve felt worse
My silent screaming deepens
I'm scared to sleep, 'cause
Ever since I met you I’ve been cursed
I’ve been cursed
(I know what you are)
(Ever since I) met you I’ve been cursed
Ever since I left you I’ve felt worse (I’ve felt worse)
Can I be saved? I'm praying
But you still remain, 'cause
Ever since I let you, I’ve been cursed
I’ve been cursed
(I know what you are)
Case File: AP01
This track marks Circa 1996's debut, and with it, one of the group's most common themes: occult practice that permeates romantic connection. "Salem" is one of the few surviving "original Circa" songs, although only an unmastered Mp3 demo remains from its earliest form. That first demo, titled "Hex-Girlfriend," appears to follow a character resembling Natalya Varley's "Pannochka" in the Soviet horror movie "Viy" (1967), back when Circa 1996 was still conceived primarily as a project about films.
As the lyrics evolved, Waters added the whispered interjections and altered the final chorus rather than simply repeating it: this would soon become a hallmark of C96's lyricism.
The song's title, "Salem," also provides useful biographical information: references to the Witch Trials of 1692 appear constantly in Circa 1996's demo material, and Waters spent time in the historic Witch City as a child. It's unclear if that's where he's originally from.