Meaning of Fame

Most of us want connections and to feel connected. It’s probably why people join a club or team. We often get lonely without them. Finding love as well as being remembered and being validated are all things most people want as well. Josh Ritter’s song ‘Cursed’ is about that.

Within the song, we follow a mummy, who may or may not be cursed. He is found by a female archeologist and taken back to New York to be displayed in a museum. For awhile, the mummy acts as if he is dead so that he can learn enough English to talk with the woman, who he fell in love with.

As the decades pass, he stays on display in the day. At night, he comes out and enjoys his time with the female archaeologist. They dance and talk. They fall in love. He learns how to read and helps her write a book about this mummy and his tomb.

Becoming disgruntled with this secretive life, he reveals himself to the media and becomes famous. The archaeologist’s book is all but forgotten as he tours. Even the mummy more or less forgets her until she’s on her deathbed.

The woman never forgets the mummy, even though she doesn’t go to see him in her later years. She never stops loving him. Deep down, the mummy never stops loving her. The woman also never forgets the question she asked him – “Are you cursed?”.

In a way, he is. The mummy is immortal. He will probably continue to find love and lose it. He’ll see his loved ones grow old and die all the while he’s left here remembering them, but ultimately end up alone.

The mummy could be considered cursed because he brings misfortune to the people close to him. His love, the female archaeologist, lost her credibility and her fame when the mummy revealed himself to the media. She lost her partner because of the fame thrust upon him. And ultimately, she lost her life.

This is a very moving song about love and loss. Deeper, this is a song warning people about the price of fame. The message is love your friends and your family, no matter the cost.

To watch the video, go here: