Hugo Alfvén: Swedish Rhapsody Nr.1, "Midsommarvaka"

Ricpic suggested in the previous post. This video was chosen for its slide show. All the others are static.

Do diddly do-do dum dum dum de dum dum dum de dum dum dum. Oh great. Now I got that ear-worm stuck in my head.

Unrelated ↓.




I'll have to overwrite it with another ear-worm like Depeche Mode Your Own Personal Jesus.

Know what's a bummer?

Depeche Mode is not popular among the ASL interpreters.

They're all too young.

And their songs are perfect for that, and I mean perfect.

There is one Depeche Mode song that they like. Guess which one.

Come on, guess.

Come on, guess.

COME ON! GUESS.

"Enjoy the Silence."

Gawl.

No imagination. Could they even be more whatchacallit ...

... trite?

Sigh.

SMH.

*rolls eyes*

Etc.

One boy interprets Your Own Personal Jesus but he does poorly. He's hard to watch struggle.

For the word "personal" he does the suffix-sign for "personification" the way Americans do with two hands making parallel karate chop to show the torso of the body.

All Europeans do that with one hand, index finger and thumb, downward, delineating the torso. Much more eloquent. You add that to any word to personify it. "paint" becomes "painter."

Or you can add "E + R" but that's more Seeing Essential English.

So the boy does "personification" suffix throughout for the adjective essential to the song, "personal."

There are different ways of signing "personal" depending on what you mean by that.

"Mine" is shown open hand placed on the chest.

"Private, classified, secret" are shown as closed hand with the thumb placed on the lips. Also that exaggerated. It's also an open hand closed in front of the mouth. It's also two open hands closing at the mouth.

"personal relating to myself" is shown as two "P" configurations drawn down both sides of your own torso. Not in front of your torso. Or two karate chops down the sides of your own torso. This is different from the personification sign. It's a bit more dramatic, somewhat clumsier to do, more severe.

Here, look. Each link has variations 1, 2, 3, 4

But there is also the way that I do it. A "P" circling the heart and placed on the chest like a policeman badge.

So that's a lot of ways to say the word "personal" and the boy gets it wrong by showing the personification suffix, a strictly grammatical sign, not an adjective.

And all this totally takes the fun out of interpreting Depeche Mode, one of my all-time favorite groups with a whole catalog of great songs that are perfect for this, but sorely neglected.

I interpret their entire albums. They're impossible to resist.

The song isn't about Jesus.

It's about having a friend that you tell everything to as if they are your own personal Jesus. The song is about being that friend, and talking back to the person who is making you their own personal Jesus.

I know that because the songwriter explained himself. And knowing that opens more possibilities for interpreting it. You don't have to treat it as a gospel. It's much more profane than sacred. The singer is bitching about a friend of his seeking his spiritual affirmation. So you can sign it a bit bitchy. And that's nothing at all against religion or against Jesus.

Your own, personal, Jesus
someone to hear your prayers
someone who cares

Your own, personal, Jesus
someone to hear your prayers
someone who's there

Feeling unknown
and you're all alone
flesh and bone
by the telephone
lift up the receiver
I'll make you a believer

Take second best
put me to the test
things on your chest
you need to confess
I will deliver
you know I'm a forgiver

Reach out and touch faith
Reach out and touch faith

Your own, personal, Jesus
someone to hear your prayers
someone who cares

Your own, personal, Jesus
someone to hear your prayers
someone to care.

See? It's very simple. You can master this like *snap* to the point it just flows out of you without even thinking.

When I say the word "prayers" I put my hands together like a child and angelically look upward piously and move my lips and tongue around as if furiously silently praying. Blabbity blabbity blab. It's comical.

"care" is like "supervise." A "K" on top of another "K" and inscribing a quick circle around the room like encircling everyone and everything.

"Reach out and touch" is actually reaching out ending with the "touch" middle finger touching something imaginary.

"Faith" is like "believe" a thought + hands clasped in marriage, except this time use a finger to the forehead for "thought" that turns into an "F" slapped onto the palm of the opposite hand, similar to "believe" or "belief."

"Jesus" is the middle "touch" finger placed in the center of the palm of the opposite hand, then reversed to the other hand, to show touch-holes in both hands.

It's kind of macabre.

For Christians, "bible" is "Jesus + book."

"flesh" refers to cheeky flesh. You grab one of your own cheeks.

"bone" refers to a skeleton.

"Telephone" is that "Y" symbol that everyone does, except not held at the face touching both ear and mouth, rather the "Y" is held upside down to show it's on the old-fashion mechanism. Hold the "Y" to your ear and mouth when you're actually talking on the phone. If you're waiting for a call then that speaker/microphone bit is on the device, not at the side of your head.

"test" is two question marks dragged down in front of you like a page filled with questions. Sometimes people finish that by flattening it out at the bottom. Like ?????? finish.

Others form two large mirror image question marks + finish. The idea is a page of questions, done. Notice this page has two variations.

Best
Test
Chest
Confess
Deliver
Forgiver

Look 'em up. I'm tired of explaining them. They're all simple. Logical. Once you're shown then you never forget them and you don't even have to think about how to show them, it all just comes out of you easy as thinking the word in English. It's actually more natural than vocalized words.

Mejor
Prueba
Pecho
Confesar
Entregar
Perdon

Oh, thank God I got that Swedish Rhapsody No. 1 ear-worm out of my mind.