Considered a great honor, this is one of the most distinguished aspects of New Orleans culture. Its roots lie in the customs of the Dahomeans and Yoruba people, and is a celebration of both the person’s life and the beauty and solemnity of their death. The procession is lead by the Grand Marshal, resplendent in his black tuxedo, white gloves and black hat in hand; almost a vision of the great Baron Samedi himself. The music begins with solemn, tolling dirges, moves into hymns of sorrow, loss and redemption. When the burial site is reached, a two-note preparatory riff is sounded, and the drummers start the second-line beat, heralding the switch in music to joyous, upbeat songs, dancing, and the unfurling of richly decorated umbrellas by the ‘second line’ friends, family, loved ones and stray celebrants. Strutting, bouncing, and festive dance accompanies the upbeat ragtime music that sends the departed soul onto its next journey.
Didn’t he ramble
… he rambled
Rambled all around
… in and out of town
Didn’t he ramble
… didn’t he ramble
He rambled till the butcher cut him down.
His feet was in the market place
his head was in the street
Lady pass him by, said
look at the market meat
He grabbed her pocket book
and said I wish you well
She pulled out a forty-five
said I’m head of personnel.
Didn’t he ramble
… he rambled
Rambled all around
… in and out of town
Didn’t he ramble
… didn’t he ramble
He rambled till the butcher cut him down.
He slipped into the cat house
made love to the stable
Madam caught him cold
said I’ll pay you when I be able
Six months had passed
and she stood all she could stand
She said buddy when I’m through with you
Ole groundhog gonna be shakin yo’ hand.
Didn’t he ramble
… he rambled
Rambled all around
… in and out of town
Didn’t he ramble
… didn’t he ramble
He rambled till the butcher cut him down.
I said he rambled
lord
… ’till the butcher shot him down.
Bittersweet bay rum, bourbon, and a host of funeral flowers with a touch of graveyard dirt, magnolia and Spanish Moss.
Claire –
This one very much lives up to its description! I wouldn’t say it’s just a touch of black musk, though; this is quite a predominant part of the scent. The amber seems more in the background to me. The combination creates something earthy and sweet. As time goes on it seems to find a better balance between the musk and amber. Overall, I quite like it, but I think it’s a scent to be used sparingly.
elise_danielle –
Received as a frimp with my last order. Absolutely amber and dark musk (it’s what it says on the tin, people!) , but it reminds me of something deeper than that. It’s flickering candlelight in an old Gothic cathedral and whisps of expensive incense. Undeniably sexy, even if it’s not my particular brand of sexy.
Jennifer –
I got this one as a frimp with my last order. It goes through phases of loveliness when put on the skin but dries down to almost straight baby powder for me. I don’t get the sensual, I don’t get the dark. Just light, fresh, baby powder.
sparkio79 –
Another favorite, when it dries down there’s a definite powdery note, with enough musk and myrrh to deepen and darken it, making it interesting. If I had to write a story influenced by this scent, it would be exploring my grandparent’s attic, finding a trunk under dusty faded sheets, opening it and reading old papers with old linen and faded memories. I don’t smell citrus like others seem to.
Jae –
What i imagine a fortune teller gypsy wagon must have smelled like.
LetitiaGabrielle –
I purchased a full size bottle on a whim. Very dark, thick, and sensual. It does burn my skin a little whenever I wear it, but not enough to deter me from wearing it.
littlejackal –
A warm citrus scent with a hint of incense. Not exactly my style of fragrance, but it’s certainly intriguing. At first it’s a little overwhelmingly sweet on me, but luckily, this dies down over time.
jhooper12 –
This is by far my favorite scent. In the bottle, oddly enough the scent reminds me of flat Coca Cola. When wearing it has a pleasant, sweet smell. After a couple hours there’s more of a hint of lemon.
arachnesweave –
When I first dab this perfume it smells quite pungent. That’s most likely the lemon. For some reason very shortly after I apply Haunted it smells like play-doh on me. Whenever I ask my husband if it smells like play-doh he says not at all, so that’s a mystery to me. He’s always to quick to point out how good it smells…As it continues to dry down I get the most wonderful, musky, sweet amber with the lemon lingering ever so slightly on my skin. Haunted goes through quite a few stages for me and I guess that’s what makes it so intriguing. It’s lasts forever on my skin, but wears close. I have this weird fascination with Haunted and will always own a bottle.
dementia_divine –
In the imp: Exactly as the description says – amber and black musk.
Wet: The combination of these two notes is lovely. I’m getting more of the musk than the amber on me at this point. The black musk note does have a strong lemon-y aspect to it, but that usually goes away after it has been on my skin for a while. The amber note increases in strength as the scent begins its drydown.
Dry: The amber note reigns now, and the black musk note has calmed down and lost its lemon-y vibe.
Verdict: I really like the amber in this one (which I believe is the same one featured in The Butterfly). I will be keeping my imp, but I don’t think I need a bottle of this (unless I somehow end up going through my imp really quickly).
Witold –
Oh! I adore Haunted. It’s a little heavier scent full of mystery and sensuality. It reminds me of a gypsy or a fortune-teller, someone with a strong character. When I put it on I feel seductively and confident.
Gloame –
This is a very dark, sensual scent. It smells ghostly and antique.
Sara –
the amber is so warm and smoky and rich and the myrrh is sweet and dark. romantic, lovely.