Song analysis: Spolarium Song Analysis

By: Rizza Mae Castro

Imagine this, you find an old record in a vast dusty library. Surrounded by centuries old
books, encyclopedias, and records. You stand there staring at that one thing that distinguishes itself
from everything else in the room. Yes, and that’s the record, and so you play it. You then envision
yourself within the song. This is how you’ll find yourself in Eraserhead’s song, Spolarium.

The low beats of the drum, the eerie sounds of the song takes you somewhere into a
mystery, that it lulls you to the feeling of secrets, and inevitable touch of truths. Vocals almost
remaining to one note almost, the rise and fall of each note seems like they’re telling a story. In fact
it does coo you into an untold story.

Through every word to every verse, and chorus, is like opening each chapter to a particular
narrative. The first verses played the role of the soul; in the midst of everything whirling beneath,
someone calls out to your name and suddenly the sense of awareness is dilated that gave out a
sense of confusion and abruptness to your very thoughts. The feeling of solitude that eventually
questioned your meaning of existence. The cries in one of the lyrics sang “At ngayon di pa rin alam
kung bat' tayo nandito puwede bang itigil muna ang pag-ikot ng mundo?” Left to wonder, left in an
existential crisis, begging for everything to freeze for a little while.

Flipping through the next verses, an unanswered secret has been found. “Lumiwanag ang
buwan, San Juan.” “Gintong alak diyan sa paligid mo?” strongly indicates of the tragedy of Pepsi
Paloma, who became the heart of the song, as it aches through the wretchedness that not a mere
alcohol didn’t stop the wicked to destroy her. The secret of her death is equal to “water is denser
than alcohol” as her revelation will always be afloat.

We’ve reached to the truths, ones that will set our minds open. “Umiyak ang umaga, anong
sinulat ni Enteng at Joey diyan? Sa pintong salamin? Di ko na mabasa, pagkat merong nagbura. Ewan
ko at ewan natin sinong nagpakana? At bakit ba tumilapon ang spoliarium diyan sa paligid mo?” This
is where it ends, the culprits and scene to a woman’s death. The life of an innocent young woman
said to have taken her life by hanging herself inside her closet.

Spolarium walks in as a painting of dying gladiators, those who have been an embodiment of
inhuman entertainment and bodies that merely amounted to slaughtered animals as they’ve served
their course. Pepsi Paloma, was among the fallen, her freedom to hold on to her body as herself was
taken away. Dragged down like those chained in the painting, brought into the chasm of her end
with no justice to call her own.

Once again, the music stops, it’s time to pull away from the song, and just think. Just think for
a second. Overall the song, didn’t need a whole book to read off realities, it speaks of our own. It
speaks of the world. It speaks of a hailed and mourned protagonist that would never set foot of this
solid earth ever again.

What the song tells us, that’s present on the happenings in our country. It’s a strong carved
out history from the mistakes and horror of our past. Showbiz, it’s supposed to be the place of our
dreams, a place to shine, people that will see you as a rising star, but instead even in such a grand
place women are not safe from being objectified, the sexism still present even outside of the
cameras and scenes, even at a daily basis or out the streets they’re still bound to be stripped off of
their humility. Anyone, just anyone either in or out of their safe haven have to watch their backs.
 The corruption, is alive and well fed as the places, people, and the government is very much
the evidence of the deterioration of our own country. It’s a free country they said! But there are
tons of things that strip every word of freedom in our daily lives. People of power, tend to abuse the
right given to them and slaughter who’s below them, devour them even. We were given a choice to
choose who’re leaders are, but it either us against them, they against us, or all of us against our
motherland.