Enslaved by an Angel

This is probably one of, if not the, shortest songs that will be featured in AYoS. A simple quatrain, it has defied all my attempts to draw it out or elaborate on its wispy hint of a premise.

It grew, perhaps amusingly, out of a single phrase in my notebook, "torched by an angel." (At the time, my beloved Law & Order reruns were being interrupted by frequent promos for the syndicated reruns of the old show, Touched by an Angel.) Late one night when I was working on another song, I stumbled on a simple little fingerpick thing and came up with the lyrics below on the spur of the moment.

By the way, I fell in love with this painting (above) by Adolphe-William Bouguereau (1825-1905), which I have since learned is titled "Cupidon." I was sorting through various Renaissance and post-Ren paintings looking for the perfect angel... I was thinking something more "Biblical" -- but I stopped dead when I saw this. (And, yes, I know "Cupidon" is French for "Cupid." And Cupid was not an angel or even, well... in my target sex. But, damn, it's a cool painting. In my mind, it's a girl angel. A 19 year old girl angel. Make of that what you will.)

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Enslaved by an Angel

Enslaved by an angel
I never knew a thing
I strode across continents
now I cower beneath her wing