Indo-china, Capa jumps Jeep, two feet creep up the road
To photo, to record, meat lumps and war
They advance as does his chance, oh, oh
Very yellow white flash
A violent wrench grips mass, rips light, tears limbs like rags
Burst so high finally Capa lands
Mine is a watery pit
Painless with immense distance
From medic from colleague, friend, enemy, foe, him five yards from his leg
From you Taro
Oh, oh, oh
Do not spray into eyes
I have sprayed you into my eyes
Three ten
Pm Capa pends death, quivers, last rattles, last chokes
All colors and cares glaze to grey
Shriveled and stricken to dots
The left hand grasps what the body grasps not oh, oh
Le photographie est mort
Three point one four one five, alive no longer my amour
Faded for home May of '54
Doors open like arms, my love
Painless with a great closeness
To Capa, to Capa Capa dark after nothing, re-united with his leg
And with you Taro, oh, oh, oh
Taro, oh, oh, oh
Do not spray into eyes
I have sprayed you into my eyes
Hey Taro
About This Song
"Taro" is a haunting meditation on war photography and the intimate relationship between documenter and subject, inspired by the real-life romance and tragic deaths of war photographers Robert Capa and Gerda Taro during the Spanish Civil War. The song explores the psychological toll of bearing witness to violence, with Capa's perspective shifting between clinical observation and visceral horror as he photographs "meat lumps and war" before becoming a victim himself when he steps on a landmine. Alt-J's fragmented, impressionistic lyrics mirror the disorienting experience of trauma, jumping between moments of clarity and confusion as Capa lies dying, separated from his leg and calling out to his deceased lover Taro. The cryptic line "Do not spray into eyes – I have sprayed you into my eyes" suggests both the literal danger of war and the metaphorical way traumatic images become permanently burned into one's vision. Musically, the track builds from sparse, delicate instrumentation to explosive crescendos that mirror the violence described, with Joe Newman's falsetto vocals creating an unsettling contrast between beauty and brutality. The song's unconventional structure and abstract wordplay exemplify alt-J's distinctive approach to storytelling, using oblique references and sonic textures rather than straightforward narrative. "Taro" resonated with listeners because it transforms historical tragedy into something deeply personal and universal-a meditation on love, loss, and the cost of documenting human suffering. The track established alt-J as masters of turning complex intellectual concepts into emotionally compelling art, proving that experimental indie rock could tackle weighty subjects without sacrificing accessibility.
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