The Ballad of Dorothy Parker has long been my favorite song by Prince.
I still don't understand what "the violent room" is supposed to mean.
Can someone please explain?

Thanks

mistatee said:

Violet room

edit. I always sang violet room, but looks like 'violent room' is right. Weird! So can't help. Sorry!



erik
[Edited 2/12/10 8:46am]

mistatee said:

A room (bar etc) where folks were talkin shit about a past girlfriend or him hearing about what or whom she used to date

I always thought it meant he was arguing with someone.

A place with friends/ex's in argument and conflict...

Thanks.
To me it sounds like the violent room could be a place where he talks with ppl he trusts, or his shrink. Maybe the violent room are just his thoughts and memories.
It could be his home, or bedroom as well. A place where he argued with his girlfriend.

Maybe im wrong.
Just want to find out if someone could pinpoint it.

I think the lyrics are pretty clear. Prince has a fight with an ex, meets up with Dorothy, who teaches him that a pants-on bubble bath is the key to happiness, so he goes back to his ex, takes a bubble bath with his pants on, and everything is fixed.

At least, that's the literal meaning. I'm sure there's some underlying metaphor for mental illness there or something.

I have never taken note of this angle of this song. I'm gonna listen to it again.

I always knew those lines...

The word, "Earlier," slipped by me. I guess it could just be a generalization..
It might not mean earlier that day, it could mean an earlier relationship than meeting the waitress at the bar.

I always took it as a state of mind, a place he went to in his head "fighting with lovers past", then he went back and all the fighting stopped once Dorothy had sorted his head out.

I could be wrong!

lotusflw3r said:

Same here, the violent room is obviously a mental state (u don't fight with several ex-girlfriends at once), as is the "bubble bath" (i guess keeping the pants on means friendship over sexuality/romance)