Where The Wild Roses Grow

“They call me ‘The Wild Rose’,
But my name was Eliza Day.
Why they call me it I do not know,
For my name was Eliza Day.

From the first day I saw her I knew she was the one
As she stared in my eyes and smiled,
For her lips were the colour of the roses
That grew down the river, all bloody and wild.

When he knocked on my door and entered the room
My trembling subsided in his sure embrace.
He would be my first man, and with a careful hand
He wiped at the tears that ran down my face.

They call me ‘The Wild Rose’,
But my name was EliZa Day.
Why they call me it I do not know,
For my name was Eliza Day.

On the second day I brought her a flower.
She was more beautiful than any woman I’d seen.
I said: ‘Do you know where the wild roses grow,
So sweet and scarlet and free?’

On the second day he came with a single rose.
He said: ‘Give me your loss and your sorrow?’
I nodded my head, as I layed on the bed.
‘If I show you the roses will you follow?’

They call me ‘The Wild Rose’,
But my name was Eliza Day.
Why they call me it I do not know,

For my name was Eliza Day.”

“On the third day he took me to the river.
He showed me the roses and we kissed...”

“...And the last thing I heard was a muttered word
As he knelt above me with a rock in his fist.”
“On the last day I took her where the wild roses grow
And she lay on the bank, the wind light as a thief.”
“As I kissed her goodbye, I said, ‘All beauty must die’
And lent down and planted a rose between her teeth.”
“They call me ‘The Wild Rose’,
But my name was Eliza Day.
Why they call me it I do not know,
For my name was Eliza Day...”
“...My name was Eliza Day,
My name was Eliza Day...”

[ Where The Wild Roses Grow - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds ]

Photos: GothicNarcissus

Models: Briar Rose & Yue

Outfit, hair, make up: Briar Rose

 

It’s a shame I haven’t written about this miniseries yet. Ok, when I shot it I didn’t have this blog yet, and then I was rushing with the presentation of the Infernal Lords, but I should have found some time for it, as I love it deeply.

I’ve always had a sweet spot for Kylie Minogue, and her beautiful collaboration with Nick Cave, which includes an Ophelia-themed videoclip, has always been one of my favourites even before I started listening to Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds last winter. No wonder I immediately conceived a series of photos inspired by their Murder Ballads album and, of course, I proposed the role of Eliza Day to my dear Briar Rose.

Initially, I was supposed to take one single photo for each song, but as always, when Briar Rose and I started discussing the idea, we kept bustin each other’s inspiration until we came up with a whole series of photos portraying the last part of the story until its climax. It was the first time I tried to portray the progression of a story through a series of photos and, although perhaps I’ve been a bit prolix, I’m satisfied with the result. Yue and Briar Rose have been great and played a crucial role in giving the dramatism I needed.

I must say I’ve also been very lucky, as that morning the light in the Parco del Valentino, in Turin, was simply amazing and looked dramatic and artificially planned even though it was completely natural, enhatching the general looks of the photos.

The Murder Ballads project is currently on hiatus, as I’m focusing on other photographic projects, but I already have an idea for the next song. I just have to talk with the models and arrange the meeting, once I’m done with the gift book for Hurts and shoot some new Infernal Lord.