| Nick Drake – Pink Moon Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| Drake is very influenced by nature, and this comes out in his work to a great extent. The seasons can represent living, dyeing, our births, and our deaths, but we all overlook one thing. It is a cycle, what dies is always reborn. The Pink Moon is the April moon, the signal for things to start to live again. Death is the ultimate equalizer, sure, but Drake chooses Pink Moon as opposed to Ice moon or Winter moon or a moon in a time of death. The naming of moons was orignally done by a society that worshipped the rural symbols Drake uses: the Native Americans. There is one quotation which I think Drake would be in agreement with: "In death, I am reborn." Interpret that how you will, but this album is not purely morbid and hopeless. Nick recognizes the end of his life, maybe even plans it at this point, but he shows through this album that life will never end. It is always recreated. If he dies, he will not be forgotten. He has lived, and that life can never completely be taken away from him. | |
| Nick Drake – Road Lyrics | 17 years ago |
| As with most of Drake's work, he really has a theme that almost everyone seems to get in his songs. I mean, look at these comments, almost everyone's in agreement that this is contrasting perspectives in life. It is almsot realist vs. idealist, but I think it boils down to Nick commenting on people who try to help his morose, pensive mood. People can say "well it's all how you look at it" or "look on the bright side" as a fix to a bad mood. This is true in that our perspectives define our lives. However, it's just as hard to look at a bad situation in a good light as it is the other way around. I think Drake is highlighting that. He says, 'you say you can see the sun, but I say I can see the moon. If you think I should be able to see the sun, you try and see the moon.' It's almost beyond choice at that point. Its telling idealists that they're comments on changing perspective are just as hard for them, and that different things work for different people. The road is the real symbol of our paths in life. Drake plainly says, changing my path to meet yours will not change anything, my path will lead me to where I'm supposed to go. Changing paths is a naive piece of advice, trying to steer your path in a different direction is the real advice that should be given. Of course this stems into many existential discussions, but this is Drake's response to that happy-go-lucky, sugary advice to 'change how you look at life'. I can change how I look at the moon all I want, but I'll always see the moon. | |
| Nick Drake – Harvest Breed Lyrics | 17 years ago |
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So I think the general idea of this song is pretty clear. This whole album is incredibly morose and morbid. But, throughtout every song, there's a sneaking sense of hope. Not a concrete hope mind you, but Drake seems to be coming to copes with himself and his inevitable death. The first two lines show a plunge into the existential void. Everything unravels, everything is broken, and "falling free" really defines this plunge as lacking any sort of exit. But, in all of this, Drake says that you "kiss the flowers that bend" while preceeding it with the same phrase as the other two lines. So nothings changed - you're still in a fall that you can't escape, but yet you decide to go another way. This line can either mean that you stop yourself and notice whats around you, that you attempt to comfort someone who is wilting, or that you say goodbye, but in a sweet way, to those things you loved in life. A break then occurs in the delivery of the lines, the last two are short and make no mention of a free fall. Harvest can mean the time of Autumn (which is commonly cited as the season of dyeing), the actual act of harvesting fully matured crops, or body harvest, which is directly indicative of human death. In any case, the word "breed" means group or type, and "you're ready for the harvest breed" could be interpreted directly as 'you are ready to join the dead/dyeing/wilting'. The important thing to notice is that he says "you're ready", not you are part of. You voluntarily accept and are prepared to join this group, which is most likely representative of the end of life, as Drake draws from his upbringing around nature, and inserts them to represent what they are metaphysically symbolic of. While this is incredibly drawn out and most likely unnecessary, coupled with Nick's soft voice and calm tone, this is most definitely a song about the acceptance of his mortality. He detaches himself by not using the first person, but I believe it is best thought of as him speaking to himself. He recognizes the hopelessness, but he tries to come to copes with it. He knows that he is in a never ending fall into nothingness, but he still transcends it and acknowledges the parts of life he loved. This is only my interpretation, but I think this song is beautifully written. |
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