2025 Competition Entry:

Pandora’s Lament by Sparky Spurr

Genre

Folk

Artist

Co-writer(s)

no

Performer(s)

Vocals: Sparky Spurr
Guitar: Sparky Spurr
Upright bass: Sparky Spurr
Mandolin: Sparky Spurr
Whistling: yup, Sparky Spurr

Description

More than once, I’ve stumbled upon something a partner was hiding from me. And I’m the one who ends up getting in trouble. I began thinking about that after the second incident, and realized that my story is the story of Eve, of Pandora, and of countless women over the history of mankind who get gaslit. Well, I had to turn that into a song. All of us women are Pandora, and I felt like we needed to be soothed a bit. It’s not our fault. Not every single time.

The first version of the song was WAY too personal, so I backed up a bit, changed the specifics, and loved it much more. I hope you do, too!

Bio

Sparky Spurr is a dynamic performer who loves connecting with her audience. She is both quirky and thoughtful, loving to make people laugh and think at the same time. Her roots go back to church, through punk, and up into bluegrass and old-time music…and you never know what is going to show up in her songs!

Lyrics

Let those sleepin’ dogs lie, they say, but if you don’t poke ’em, they’ll lie all day
I am cursed for my curiosity
You put that down right in front of me, there’s no lock, I don’t even need a key?
I am cursed for my curiosity

CHORUS: Oh Pandora, why’d you open up that vault?
All the problems of the world are not your fault

It’s so easy to blame Eve, claiming she was by that snake deceived
But it ain’t so easy to own your own behaviour
You didn’t see Adam turn it down, when offered that apple he gobbled it right down
It ain’t so easy to own your own behaviour

CHORUS

You left that letter lying on the bed, I read things better left unsaid
Cursed are the eyes that find
If you didn’t have nothin’ to hide, it wouldn’t matter if I peeked inside
Cursed are the eyes that find

BREAK

They say don’t poke the bear, but if you don’t poke him he won’t go nowhere
Why am I always apologizing?
Is it better not to know, pretend it’s all perfect, just let it go?
Why am I always apologizing?

CHORUS

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