03. Dress
Written by Polly Jean Harvey
Vocals, Guitar Violin: P J Harvey
Bass: Ian Olliver
Double Bass: Ben Groenevelt
Drums, Vocals, Harmonium: Robert Ellis

Found on:
Dry
Dress CDS

"I was devastated, because I wanted to be a boy and I was a girl. My mom was trying to make me wear a dress. I ended up wearing the dress for a day, then took it off. I just really didn't want to wear a dress. I couldn't understand why I had to wear one and my brother didn't. I wanted to have a willy like my brother and I didn't have one."
-PJ Harvey, Alt. Press 1993

"Like "Dress" - I'll let into a little secret - was influenced by "The Rite Of Spring" by Stravinsky! I was completely and utterly obsessed with that and I got interested in cross rhythm! (Rob starts drumming a pulsating rhythm on the table!) If you take the middle section of "The Adoration Of The Earth" from "The Rite Of Spring" there's all that stuff going (more drumming) and the third one is all that stuff, things moving at different rates and that's where that comes in. Polly's music of that time.she also wrote in different interesting time signatures and contrasting time signatures as well."
-Rob Ellis, Funky Mofo July 2004

Put on that dress
I'm going out dancing
Starting off red
Clean and sparkling he'll see me
Music play make it dreamy for dancing
Must be a way that I can dress to please him
It's hard to walk in the dress, it's not easy
I'm swinging over like a heavy loaded fruit tree

If you put it on
If you put it on
If you put it on
If you put it on

It's sad to see
Lonely all this lonely
Close up my eyes
Dreamy dreamy music, make it be alright
Music play, make it good for romacing
Must be a way I can dress to please him
Swing and sway, everything will be alright
But it's feeling so damn tight tonight

If you put it on
If you put it on
If you put it on
If you put it on

"You pretty thing" my man says
"But I bought you beautiful dresses"

Filthy tight
The dress is filthy
I'm falling flat and my arms are empty
Clear the way, better get it out of this room
A fallen woman in dancing costume

If you put it on
If you put it on
If you put it on
If you put it on