Alanis Morissette -- Music In High Places Transcript

EPISODE: "Alanis Morissette -- Navajo Nation, Arizona, USA"

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The transcript is below, and features these live performances:

• Baba
• That I Would Be Good
• U R
• Heart Of The House
• Your House
• I Was Hoping
• Uninvited
• Ironic

NOTE:
"Alanis (Voice-over 1)" refers to voice-overs recorded by Alanis on the top of a cliff in Mystery Valley, overlooking Monument Valley. The scene during these voiceovers typically changes back and forth from shots of her speaking to the scene at hand.
"Alanis (Voice-over 2)" refers to voice-overs recorded by Alanis in a hut in an undisclosed location. The scene during these voiceovers typically changes back and forth from shots of her speaking to the scene at hand.

[Opening Montage: Shots of whole area, sounds of native drumming/singing]
[Scene: Alanis walking with a Navajo Man]
Alanis: I'm here to explore and understand more about the Indian Navajo culture
[Scene Change: Alanis with a Navajo Man and two Navajo Women, one young and one older, in front of a hogan (hut)]
Navajo Woman: This is her home
Alanis: Yes
Navajo Woman: She lives, she has this whole area to live in, by herself
Alanis: It's beautiful
[Scene Change: Alanis on "voice-over 1" cliff]
Alanis: In a way that I didn't even comprehend until I came here
[Scene Change: Alanis with her band in front of a high cliff wall]
Alanis (singing with her band playing): rai-ee-ai-ee-ai-ee-ain on your wedding day, it's a free ri-i-i-ide...
[Scene Change on "it's": Alanis climbing into a cave opening, music continues in background]
Alanis: So people used to live inside this?
Navajo Man: Yeah this is where they were livin', was their home.
[Scene Change: Shots of driving to location, shots of crew, cameras etc]
[Scene Change: Alanis with her band in a drum circle]
[Thunder]
Alanis: Cue the thunder!
One of Alanis' bandmates: Ha ha ha, wow!
[Scene Change: A different Navajo man sings in his native language near the drum circle]
Alanis: Wow
[Scene change: Singing, drumming, various different scenes flash across screen and lead into...]
[Music In High Places Opening Credits]

[Scene change: Alanis with her band in front of a high cliff wall, Alanis performs Baba:]
I've seen them kneel
With baited breath for the ritual
I've watched this experience raise
Them to pseudo higher levels
I've watched them leave their families
In pursuit of your nirvana
I've seen them coming to line up
From Switzerland and America

[Scene change: Shots of cliffs and valleys]
[Scene change: Shots of Alanis at the top of a cliff]

[Scene change: Back to Alanis with her band]
How long will this take Baba?
How long have we been sleeping?
Do you see me hanging on to
Ev'ry word you say
How soon will I be holy?
How much will this cost guru-u?
How much longer 'til ya
Completely absolve me

[Scene change: Back to Alanis with her band, shots of cliffs and valleys are still interspersed with this scene]
How long will this take Baba?
How long have we been sleeping?
Do you see me hangin' on to
Ev'ry word you say
How soon will I be holy?
How much will this cost guru-u?
How much longer 'til ya
Completely absolve me?

A-ve Mari-i-i-i-i-i-ia
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah

I've seen them overlooking God in
Their own essence
I've seen their upward glances
In hopes of instant salvation and
I've seen their righteousness
Mixed without loving compassion
I've watched you smile as
The students bow to kiss your feet

How long will this take Baba?
How long have we been sleeping?
Do you see me hangin' on to
Ev'ry word ya say
How soon will I be holy?
How much will this cost guru-u-u?
How much longer 'til ya
Completely absolve me
Give me strength all knowing one
How long 'til enlightenment?
How much longer 'til you
Completely absolve me?

Ave mari-i-a
Ave mari-i-i-a-a
Ave mari-i-a
Ave mari-i-aaaaaa

[Scene Change: Shots of cliffs, valleys, Alanis walking through sand and light foliage]
Alanis (voice-over 1): Nature is a great audience, um, when I'm writing songs I write to myself, and I'm, it's, it feels as though things are being channeled, uh, through me, and I feel humbled to be able to express myself in the way that I do, so to be in a setting such as this, and uh, and to sing in such utter silence amongst the odd sound of an animal is, um, the purest environment in which I can express myself.
[Scene Change: Shots of production, cameras, etc]
Director: Alright guys, let's stand by and lock it up please
Gary Novak (Alanis' drummer): Gettin' all dirty, I love it man... this is the coolest gig I've ever gone to, this is so cool
[Cut To Commercial]

[Return from commercial]
[Scene: Alanis is approaching Painted Cave]
Alanis (Voice-over 1): I feel blessed that there are these extrapolations outside of my music that I am able to delve into, and, and, um, experience based on the fact that I am in the public eye. There are so many things that have come of it that have been so positive, one of them being taking part in this show and being able to bury myself deep within areas in this reservation that I may not be able to otherwise.
[Scene Change, Alanis is exploring the cave with the Navajo Man]
Alanis: So people used to live inside this?
Navajo Man: Yeah, this is where they were livin', it was their home
Alanis: Wow... how many people do you think would be in this one?
Navajo Man: In that one was probably like... four to six people... 'cause of the small den size they were a small family.
Alanis: Wow, and how many people in total all up, up on this whole ledge?
Navajo Man: Probably somewhere around a hundred
Alanis: Wow, how long ago, um, were people living here?
Navajo Man: This one, I'll say somewhere over uh, maybe, uh, thirteen hundred years ago... Right over here you see some hands, uh, they put their hands on the wall.
[The wall they have reached has hand prints painted on it]
Alanis: Mmhmm
Navajo Man: This is you [holding his thumb], if you hold your left hand, go like this, this is loving yourself, you're hugging yourself.
Alanis: Ooh
Navajo Man: This is [pointing to his index through pinky fingers, respectively] your mother, your father, your grandmother, your grandfather. If they are gone, they left, youcan contact them with your thumb this way.
Alanis: Mmm that's amazing.
[Scene Change: Alanis on "voice-over 1" cliff]
Alanis (voice-over): To go into the painted cave and actually see the painted hands on the wall for me was that, you know, the more I read about history, the more I understand that there's so, several different takes on history, there's a loot of revisionism that goes on, but when you are at a wall with paintings of children's hands on it, and families, it's it's um, pretty undeniable that, that they existed.
[Scene change on "with paintings:" Alanis with her band in front of a high cliff wall. Voice-over continues for a bit while Alanis performs That I Would Be Good.]

That I would be good even if I did nothing
That I would be good even if I got the thumbs down
That I would be good if I got and stayed sick
That I would be good even if I gained ten pounds

[Scene becomes interspersed with shots of Alanis wandering at and near Painted Cave]

That I would be fine even if I went bankrupt
That I would be good if I lost my hair and my youth
That I would be great if I was no longer que-e-e-een
That I would be grand if I was not all knowi-ee-ing

That I would be loved even when I numb myself
That I would be good even when I am overwhelmed
That I would be loved even when I was fuming
That I would be good even if I was clingy-y-y

That I would be good even if I lost sanity
That I would be good
Whether with or without you

Ho oh, 'nd oh oh, ho ho!
'Nd oh oh oh 'nd oh oh oh ho...

(Flute solo)

[Scene Change: "Monument Valley," Alanis is walking/horseback riding through it]
Alanis (voice-over 1): We're in Mystery Valley here, and over my left shoulder is Monument Valley in the distance. I've been inspired and, the word that keeps coming up for me is awe, 'cause I'm in such awe of not only the landscapes, but the humility and openness of the people that I've met and their humour, and their take on life
[Scene Change: Alanis in front of a cliff in Monument Valley, her band is to her left, Alanis performs U R]
[Scene is interspersed with shots of Monument Valley, and Alanis wandering/horseback riding in it]
Burn the books
They've got too many
Names and psychoses
All this incriminating evidence
Would surely haunt me
If someone broke into my house

Suits in the living room
Do you realise guys
I was born in 1974
We've got someone here to
Explain your publishing
You know how much you love to be
In front of audiences

Hopeful
You are
Schoolbound
You are
Naïve
You are
Driven
You are

Take a trip to New York
With your guardian
And your fake identification
When they said "Is there something
Anything you'd like to know
Young lady?" you said "Yes I'd like to know
What kind of people I'll be dealing with"

Precocious
You are
Headstrong
You are
Terrified
You are
Ahead of your ti-yime
You are

[Harmonica Solo]

Don't mind our staring
But were surprised you're not in
In a far-gone asylum we're surprised you didn't
Crack up Lord knows that we would've
We would have liked to have been there
But you keep pushing us away-ay

Resilient
You are
Big time
You are
Ruthless
You are
Precious
You a-are

Da da da da da da
Da da da da da ho-oh
Da-a ho!

[Harmonica Solo]
[Spoken] Yoo! Ha ha ha!
[Scene Change: Alanis in "voice-over 2" hut]
Alanis: We were all saying we wanted to do our entire next record in that cave. [Laughs] It might be a little logistically nightmarish but we could probably do it, at least one song.
[Cut To Commercial]

[Return from Commercial]
[Scene: Alanis is with the Navajo man, and two Navajo women, one young and one older, in front of a hogan surrounded by fields]
Alanis: Hi
[Man and older Woman speak in Navajo]
Alanis: Nice to meet you
Alanis (voice-over): It was amazing to me, um, this women who showed us her hogan
Young Woman: This is, this her home...
Alanis: Yes
Young Woman: ... She has this whole area to live in...
Alanis: Right
Young Woman: ... by herself
Alanis: It's beautiful
Alanis (voice-over 1): She have her explain, um, the, the ritual, um, that young girls who are sort of coming of age and, um, coming into womanhood go through
[Scene Change: Inside the hogan]
[Older woman speaks in Navajo]
Alanis (voice-over 1): She showed us how they make, how they make the food and how they make the, the rug. She showed us the first rug she ever made when she was young, when she was younger than I am ... and, uh, she was just a beauty... super-goddess.

[Scene change: Alanis and her band on a rock in front of a cliff, Alanis performs Heart Of The House]
You are the original exemplary
You are the original template
How seen were you a-actually?
How revered were you (honestly) at the ti-ime?

Why pleased with your low maintenance?
You loved us more than we could've loved you back
Where was your ally your partner in feminine crime?

Oh-oh-oh mother who's your buddy?
Oh-oh-oh mother who's got your ba-a-ack?
[Scene becomes interspersed with shots from inside the hogan]
The heart of the house
The heart of the house
All hail the goddess!

[Scene returns to Alanis with her band]
The heart of the house
The heart of that house
All hail the goddess!

[Scene becomes interspersed again with shots from inside and outside the hogan]
We left the men and we went for a walk in the gatineaus
And talked like women like women to women would
Womyn to womyn would "Where did you get that fro-o-o-o-o-o-o-om?
Must've been your father your dad"
I got it from you I got it from you

[Scene returns to Alanis with her band]
Do you see yourself in my gypsy garage sa-ale ways?
In my fits of la-aughter?
In my tinkerbell tendencies?
In my lack of colour co-ordinatio-on??

[Scene change: Back outside the older Navajo Woman's hogan]
Older Woman: I like your hair
[She and Alanis laugh, pose for pictures]
Alanis: One more!
Older Woman: Ok bye, see you, watch out behind you! [Laughs] Bye!

[Scene change: Alanis on the "voice-over 1" cliff]
Alanis: Any opportunity that I have, like this, to immerse myself in a culture that is so vastly different from the one I was born and raised in is humbling. It's something that I will miss and I will think of every time I look at my turquoise.

[Scene change: In and around Slot Canyon]
Alanis (voice-over 2): Walking through Slot Canyon was ... mind-boggling... just because of how the water had shaped the rocks
Alanis: Amazing...
Alanis (voice-over 2): I mean human beings could never have built that.
Alanis: Wow, amazing...
Alanis (voice-over 2): One of the things that I have been in such awe of is, are the colours here, and the different, the different lighting that showed up whether it be in the cave, um, at a certain time of day, or the dusk, or the morning, I mean all of the, all of the lighting is completely natural and we didn't use any lighting of our own, and I think a lot of it was really captured in a beautiful way.

[Alanis performs Your House (A cappella) (in a cave in Slot Canyon):]
I went to your house
Walked up the stairs
And I opened your door
Without ringing the bell
Walked down the hall
Into your room
Where I could smell you

And I
Shouldn’t be here
Without permission
I shouldn’t be he-e-ere

Would you forgive me love
If I dance in your shower?
Would you forgive me lo-o-ove
If I laid in your bed?
Would you forgive me love
If I stay all afternoo-oon?
Ho oh oh oh oh oh oh

I, took off my clothes
Put on your robe
And I went through your drawers
And I found your cologne
Went down to the den
Found your CD’s
And I played your Jo-o-o-ni-i

And I
Shouldn’t stay long
You might be home soon
I shouldn’t stay lo-oo-o-oo-ong

Would you forgive me love
If I dance in your shower?
Would you forgive me lo-ho-ove
If I laid in your bed?
Would you forgive me love
If I stay all afternoo-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-oon

I burned your incense
I ran a ba-ath
And I noticed a letter that sat on you-our desk
It said “Hello love,
I love you so-o-o love
Meet me at mi-idni-ight”

And no,
It wasn’t my writing
I better go soon
It wasn’t my writi-i-ing

So forgive me love
If I cry in your shower
So forgive me lo-o-ove
For the salt in your bed
So forgive me love
If I cry all afternoo-oon
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh

[Cut to commercial]

[Return from commercial]
[Scene: Alanis with her band on the same rock as earlier, Alanis performs I Was Hoping]
As we were talking outside it was co-o-old
We were shivering yet warmed by the subject matter
My wife is in the next room we've been having troubles you know-ow-ow
Please don't tell her or anyone
But I need to talk to somebody
You said "Wouldn't it be a shame if I knew how great I wa-a-as
Five minutes before I died
I'd be filled with such regre-e-et
Before I took my last breath" and I said
"But you're willing to tell me this now-ow-ow
And you're not going to die any time soon"
And I said "I haven't been eating chicken or meat or anything" and you sa-aid "Yes
But you've been wearing leathe-e-er"
And laughed and said "We're at the top of the food chain
And yes you're still a fine woman" and I-I-I-I-I-I cringed

I-I-I was hoping I was hoping we could heal each othe-er
I-I-I was hoping I was hoping we could be raw togethe-er

[Alanis (voice-over 2) during instrumental:] There's really nothing that can compare to how I feel when I sing or when I write music, it's the closest I feel to God, it's the most tangible form I have that a God...

And when I walked by they said "Thank you too-oo dear"
I was all pigtails and cords
And there was a day when I would've said something like
"Hey dude I could buy and sell this place so kiss it"
I too once thought I was owed somethi-i-i-ing

I-I-I was hoping I was hoping we could challenge each othe-er
I-I-I was hoping I was hoping we could crack each other up

I too once thought that when proved wrong that I lost somehow-ow-ow
And I too once thought that life was cru-u-uel and
It's a cycle really you think I'm withdrawing and guilt tripping you
Well I think you're insensitive and I don't feel heard
And I said "Do you believe we a-are
Fundamentally judgmenta-a-al?
Fundamentally evil?"
And you said "Yes"
I said "I don't believe in revenge
In right or wrong good or bad" you said
"Well what about the man that I saw handcuffed
In the emergency room bleeding after beating his kid
And she threw a shoe at his head
And I think what he did was wro-o-ong
And I would've had a hard time feeling compassion for him"
I had to watch my tone for fear of having you feel judged and

I-I-I was hoping I was hoping we could dance togethe-er
I-I-I was hoping I was hoping we could be creamy togethe-er

[Scene Change: Mystery Valley, and a drum circle]
Alanis (voice-over 1): A lot of what's happening here are, are, um, are things that I as best as I can try to recreate in my home: drum circles, sweat lodges, nature, silence, meditation... There's a lot of, a lot of what they do and how they live that I very much respect and relate to in some cases, in particularly the drum circle, uh, tonight, um, I have drum circles all the time at my house, we try to recreate it in my living room, and we come damn close but this is the real thing.
[Drumming and singing in native language]
Alanis (voice-over 2): I actually asked the man that wrote the songs that he played how he wrote them and he says that he never writes anything down, he just sings it, and if he memorizes it, um, great, it's in, it's etched in his head. And if he forgot it, um, only recently did he realize that it'd be a really good idea to tape some of it so he didn't forget it which is exactly the way that I write.
[More drumming and singing]
Alanis (voice-over 2): It organically became time for us to sing a song for them and we had an extra band member, which was the thunder, which um, very loudly kind of started the song for us, kindly, thank you!
[Alanis performs Uninvited as part of the drum circle]
[Thunder]
[Scene becomes interspersed with shots of Alanis wandering Mystery Valley]
Like
Anyone would be
I am flattered by your fascination with me
Like
Any hot-blooded woman
I have simply wanted an object to crave
But you
You’re not allowed
You’re uninvited
An unfortunate slight

Must be
Strangely exciting
To watch the stoic squi-i-i-irm
Must be
Somewhat heartening
To watch shepherd meet
She-e-epherd
But you
You’re not allowed
You’re uninvited
An unfortunate slight

Like
Any uncharted terri-tory
I must seem greatly intriguing
You
Speak of my love like
You have experienced love like mine
Before
But this is no-ot allow-ow-ow-ow-owed
You’re uninvited
An unfortunate slight

[Instrumental]

I
Don’t think you unworthy
But I need a moment to deliberate
[Thunder]
[Instrumental]

[Cut to Commercial]

[Return from commercial]
[Scene: Various scenes of the area]
Alanis (voice-over 2): Basically the last few days have been way more than I even had anticipated and usually I have no expectations before I go on a trip, but anticipation I did have, and this has surpassed anything that I had envisioned. Basically getting to know the people within this culture getting to know their views on life and their, their takes on their past and their future and their belief that our unbridled and unrestricted humanness would be able to, um, come up with a form of unchaotic living. Basically, this trip has been very inspiring and very humbling and the Navajo people have been so gracious and welcoming to us in a way that is not at all taken for granted and I'm very grateful to them and just ... much respect and much inspiration and much love to them.

[Scene change: Alanis with her band on the rock]
[Alanis performs Ironic]
Hey yi yi
Hey yi yi yi-i

[Brief scene change: Alanis snapping a photograph of a cliff]
Alanis (spoken): Unbelievable

[Scene returns, song continues]
An old man turned ninety-eight
He won the lottery-y, died the next day
It’s a black fly in your chardonnay-ay
It’s a death ro-ow pardon two minutes too late
And isn’t it ironic . . . don’tchyou think?

It’s like rai-ee-ai-ee-ai-ee-ain on your wedding day-ay
It’s a free-ee ri-a-a-i-ide when you’ve already paid
It’s the good advi-i-i-i-ice that you just didn’t ta-ake
And who would’ve thought? . . . it figures

[Scene becomes interspersed with shots of the area]
Mr. Play It Safe was afraid to fly
He packed his su-u-uitcase, 'nd kissed his kids good-bye-ee-ye
He waited his whole damn life to take that fli-ight
And as the plane crashed down he thought
“Well isn’t this nice. . .”
And isn’t it ironic. . . don’tchyou think?

It’s like rai-ee-ai-ee-ai-ee-ain on your wedding day-ay
It’s a free-ee ri-i-i-a-ide when you’ve already paid
It’s the good advi-i-i-i-ice that you just didn’t ta-ake
'Nd who would’ve thought . . . it figures

Well life has a funny way, of sneaking up on ya
When you think everything’s okay and everything’s going ri-ee-i-ee-i-ee-i-ee-i-ight
And yeah well life has a funny way, of helping you out when
You think everything’s gone wrong and everything blows up
In your fa-a-ace

A traffic jam when you’re already la-ate
A no smo-oo-oking sign on your cigarette break
It’s like ten thousand spoo-oons when all you need is a kni-ife
It’s meeting the man of my dreams
And meeting his beautiful wife
And isn’t it ironic... don’t you think?
A little too-oo-oo-oo-oo-oo ironic ... and yeah I really do think...

It’s like rai-ee-ai-ee-ai-ee-ain on your wedding day
It’s a free-ee ri-i-i-i-ide when you’ve already paid
It’s the good advi-i-i-i-ice that you just didn’t take
And who would’ve thought . . . it figu-u-u-u-u-u-u-ures

Ya da di ya da hyi yi hoo ooh ee ya yow ee ow
Ya da di ya da di yi ya hi yi

[Closing Credits with the Navajo people, Alanis, and her band dancing around the fire]

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U R, Alanis Morissette