Ballad of Cursed Anna

This week's piece of psychoanalysis is sung by Rob Winder:

"This song is not a traditional song, but it has got woods in it, and a witch, so that’s alright then.

It was written by Jonathon Kelly, and appears on his album “Twice Around the House” (1972) along with such other gems as “Sligo Fair” and “Madeleine. Over the years, he has performed with, or been associated with many great artists, ranging from Eric Clapton, through the Bee Gees, Pink Floyd to Queen. I believe that Tommy Steele once performed a version of the Ballad of the Cursed Anna on TV.

I love the rhythms of this song, but, as with all great ballads it is the storyline which grabs me most. It is stark and simple, yet at the same time it resonates with so much in the way of folklore and fairy tale motifs. All around the world you will find tales of scary woods that contain magical or dangerous creatures and places – Hansel & Gretel’s gingerbread house, Baba Yaga’s house of bones, even Teddy Bears’ picnics, all must be approached with caution – and Kelly’s woodland is no different. The protagonist here throws caution to the winds, and pays a heavy price.

He also fits the picture of Jung’s archetype of The Innocent, who desires paradise / home, is happy, is naive, and is something of a romantic or dreamer. Jung also ascribes to The Innocent a fear of being punished for doing something bad or wrong, and we are told right at the outset that our man has just been released from prison, but doesn't know why he was there. The song ends with him being sentenced to a kind of imprisonment from which he may never be freed.

Anna is of course a succubus, the immortal seductress who gains her power by draining men of their souls. She is a Siren, she is Circe, she is Delilah. Like all good myths, it is a never ending story: the cycle of the foolish young man, gaining experience then becoming the wise but ignored old man, goes on forever, each man in turn playing the portrait to Anna’s Dorian Grey. I have no idea whether Jonathon Kelly drew on any kind of personal experience when writing it, but I suspect that at some level many men will relate to this song.

So much for psychobabble, just enjoy the song."

Rob



As I was walking homeward in the early morning light
Leaving far behind the prison where I'd spent the night
With no idea of what I'd done or why they'd punished me
But feeling nonetheless relieved and grateful to be free.

My path led through a woodland far behind a rusted gate
I knew it was a shortcut if I kept my walking straight
But then, like out of nowhere, this old wizened man appeared
Holding high his one hand while the other stroked his beard.

Ch: "Beware the cursed Anna's stare", this warning did he bring
"No-one makes it through this wood, going out as they came in!"

"But a change is what I'm looking for", I told the sad old man
And bidding him a last farewell into the wood I ran
I ran till I came to the river where I stopped to bathe my feet
And that is where I smelled her perfume delicate and sweet.

I stood up and I turned around and there in front of me
Stood a beautiful woman who simply stared at me
And then I knew it was all true what this old man had advised
"You must be Anna", I said, as I looked into her eyes.

Ch:

And then we came together in a passionate embrace
I felt my body weaken and my heart begin to race
And when at last the kissing stopped I saw to my alarm
This woman had turned into a young girl in my arms.

I heard her childish laughter as she vanished through the trees
I turned back to the river, my reflection for to see
And down there in the water saw exactly as I feared
To my horror I'd turned into an old man with a beard.

For seven long years I've waited by this gate, wishing that I could die
But that can never happen till some other young man comes by
I know that I must warn him to go round some other way
But hope that, like most men of his age, he won't believe what old men say.

Ch:

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