Taro

The song 'Taro' by the British indie rock band Alt-J is a haunting tribute to the war photographers Robert Capa and Gerda Taro, who were pioneers in photojournalism during the Spanish Civil War and World War II. The lyrics poetically narrate the death of Capa, who was killed by a landmine in Indochina in 1954, and the emotional connection to Taro, who had died years earlier in the Spanish Civil War.

The opening lines set the scene in Indochina, where Capa is on a mission to document the horrors of war. The 'very yellow white flash' and the 'violent wrench' vividly describe the explosion that ultimately leads to Capa's death. The song's imagery is intense and visceral, capturing the brutality of war and the final moments of a person's life. The mention of 'painless with immense distance' suggests a detachment from the physical pain due to the shock of the explosion or perhaps a reference to the emotional distance that war photographers often have to maintain to cope with the scenes they witness.

The repeated line 'Do not spray into eyes / I have sprayed you into my eyes' is metaphorical, possibly signifying how the images of war have been indelibly imprinted onto the photographer's memory, becoming a part of their very being. The song concludes with a somber reflection on death and the afterlife, imagining Capa's reunion with his lost limb and his beloved Taro. The use of the number '3.1415' (the beginning of the mathematical constant pi) could symbolize the infinite nature of their legacy. 'Taro' is a powerful and emotive song that pays homage to the courage and sacrifice of war photographers, while also exploring themes of love, loss, and the indelible impact of war.