Nocturn

To me, this song is about the glory of being, of diving in the ocean, of searching, of unity of the self with the universe, of how we tire of things, of how we attach and desire things, and of awakening from these dreams of illusory existence. How the sun brings life to us all "bright, white, coming alive/jumping off the aerial" -- in its never-ending search and animation.

I still get shivers every time I listen to the punctual "ALL THE DREAMERS ARE WAKING"

It reminds me I am not alone in my dreaming, and by bringing mindfulness to my everyday life, I am a part of this light, this life, jumping off the aerial.

This song is just, amazing. It took my breath away. Right, so, to me, this song is about two people in love. A love so wonderfully perfect it was as if they were the only two people ever, and they're in a wonderful tranquil place.

But because, it's so perfect, she doesn't know if she's dreaming or not. And then, towards the end, it all changes. And the sudden ending represents her waking up.

It's amazing. Just absolutely amazing.

Agreed, this song is quite breathtaking

Like A Midsummer Night's Dream this song is amazingly dreamy. I agree it's about a couple deeply in love. Their love is so profound it enhances their perception of all around them. Everything is sublime and full of splendor as they are captivated in the bliss of their love, so much so that the wonderfully perfect night they experience must be a dream, from which they wake as the sun rises.

This is a great album . I love the way she sort of mixes the songs a bit.. I mean in this song theres obviously elements from 'Sunset' and 'Aerial' entangled in the end.. thats interesting

On the "Indus Bird Mask" photography accompanying NOCTURN

The "Indus Bird Mask" photograph shows a standing heron. The Ancient Near East consists of the geographical area from the Indus Valley to the Mediterranean, plus Egypt and Greece. These are the myths of the Sumerians, Babylonians, Canaanites, Egyptians, Hebrews, Persians, Christians, and Greeks.

In ancient Greek and Egyptian mythology, the phoenix is a mythical bird and associated with the Egyptian sun-god Re and the Greek Phoibos (Apollo). According to the Greeks the bird lives in Arabia, nearby a cool well. Each morning at dawn, it would bathe in the water and sing such a beautiful song, that the sun-god stops his chariot to listen.

In Egypt it was usually depicted as a heron, but in the classic literature as a peacock. ["Design by Kate and Peacock" on back of CD booklet? *] The phoenix symbolizes immortality, resurrection, and life after death. In that aspect it was often placed on sarcophagi. The name Phoenix to the Egyptians, as to other pagan nations was a name that symbolized the Sun-god under the names Ra and Osiris. The name Phoenix means "Shining One" (and so does the name "Lucifer"). It is associated with the Egyptian Benu (or Bennu)... And of course the somewhat planetary photograph accompanying AERIAL seems very much to show the immortal and invincible arisen Phoenix Heron Bird...

In the 'Book of the Dead' from the New Kingdom the Benu is represented as a grey heron (Ardea cinera), with two long head plumes and a straight beak. Though primarily associated with Atum and Re, the resurrection aspect led to an association with Osiris, and the heron was sometimes depicted wearing the 'atef' crown. In ancient Egyptian, the hieroglyph for 'Benu' means to 'rise in brilliance' or to 'shine'. The standing heron appears in naturalistic or symbolical scenes connected with the sun-god or life after death. Often the sun-disc was shown above its head, pointing at the connection with the myth of the sun-god and its day and night journey. The heron also represented the 'Ba' - the soul of Ra. By the cry of the Benu bird, existence was announced as coming into being. The silence of the primeval night is broken and light and life is brought to creation.

There are depictions of the heron perching on a cliff or a little piece of land which is rising above the flooded waters. In this way it became an adequate image of life emerging out of the primeval waters at the first time of creation, just like the sun was said to do, and thus symbolising rebirth.

Because of its association with rebirth, the heron also became a manifestation of the resurrected Osiris, Lord of the Dead, and brother/husband of Isis. The goddess Isis, a moon goddess, gave birth to Horus, the god of the sun. Together, Isis and Horus created and sustained all life and were the saviors of their people. Isis is closely connected with the Greek Moon Goddess, Artemis...

"On this Midsummer night Everyone is sleeping We go driving into the moonlight..."

Isis was a winged goddess who represented all that was visible, birth, growth, development and vigour. Having wings, she was a wind goddess. The kite was sacred to her, and she could transform herself into this bird at will...

"The sands run red In lands of the Pharoahs..."

"Where sands sing in crim-son, red and rust..."

Inscribed in the temple of Isis: "I, Isis, am all that has been, that is or shall be; No mortal man hath ever me unveiled. The fruit which I have brought forth is the ‘SUN’."

This is easily my favorite song from Aerial.
I love when the rhythm shifts!
This song is a tribute to the night, daybreak and the splendor of the morning sun. The ending is just so....big! Kate is amazing and I am eternally grateful for the music she has given us. There is so much beauty and comfort in her songs.

We go driving Rising and rising A veil of diamond dust The sky’s above our heads The sea’s around our legs In milky, silky water We swim further and further The stars are caught in our hair The stars are on our fingers We dive down we dive deeper and deeper Bright, white coming alive jumping off of the aerial...

Obelisks are ancient aerials. The obelisk's phallic form was representative of sexual reproduction, which the ancient Egyptians realized was also a source of life. Obelisks soared up towards the sky with their shafts decorated in hieroglyphs, and were crowned by a reflective, shining, gold-plated, pyramidal point, the pyramidon. The obelisk was a symbol of contact between the earth and the heavens, between man and the gods. The obelisk symbolized the sun god Ra, and during the brief religious reformation of Akhenaten was said to be a petrified ray of the Aten, the sundisk. The pyramid and Obelisk were connected with sunrise and sunset, with zodiacal light and Sun pillars, respectively. The ancient Egyptians believed that the obelisk was a mediator of the power of life that reached to the dead, channeling the sun's rays to the deceased, and assisting them in their resurrection.

Maybe Nocturn celebrates Sex Magick...

Sex magick is the use of the sex act—or the energies, passions or arousal states it evokes—as a point upon which to focus the will or magical desire for effects in the non-sexual world.

The fundamental premise of sex magic is that the sexual energy (libido) of the human organism is the most potent force it contains. Harnessing the unique states that arise through sexual activity provides a special conduit for the transcendence of nominal reality. Aleister Crowley was one of the first people in modern times to publicly advocate the practice of sexual magick.

An example of sex magick is the Great Rite of Wicca, a ritual that involves either symbolic or actual sexual intercourse. This union between the High Priestess and the High Priest represents the union between the Maiden Goddess and the Lover God. (wiki)

Pagan Sun Worship, Nocturnal emissions, and a celebration of The Golden Dawn!

I am loath to put this interpretation forward, as many people find this song so uplifting and positive. However; to me this song is about a suicide pact between two lovers. The reference "tired of the city, tired of it all" wanting something more, shows their detachment. A pile of clothes on the beach and footprints leading to the sea, and the "silky" water that feels so inviting, typical of how a potential suicide victims feels about their end and how inviting it feels. Swimming further and further out and diving deeper and deeper, note the lyrics do not talk about a return to the beach. Instead they make reference to a bright white light before the song ends abruptly.Maybe this is one of the lovers dream, but it doesn't really change the dark subject matter.