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Mumford & Sons – The Cave Lyrics 11 years ago
I'm not going to try to interpret this song for everyone, but for me it resonates almost eerily perfectly with my struggle with being married to a depressed, alcoholic husband.

It's empty in the valley of your heart
-depression

The sun, it rises slowly as you walk
Away from all the fears
And all the faults you've left behind
- the journey of leaving depression

The harvest left no food for you to eat
You cannibal, you meat-eater, you see
- again, depression, also a personal detail to me b/c he is very much a "meat eater" literally, but also a "meat-eater" trying to get his happiness from me / others

But I have seen the same
I know the shame in your defeat
- I also went through a depression, but I came out of it

But I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck
- I keep trying to make it work with him

And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
- I do whatever I can to make myself able to stay with him, I am seeking therapy to deal with HIS depression, ironically

I'll know my name as it's called again
- his last name, "wife", holding onto my title as that role

'Cause I have other things to fill my time
You take what is yours and I'll take mine
Now let me at the truth
Which will refresh my broken mind
- I will focus on my job, my dog, my friends, my hobbies, my happiness. We live together but separately. Please open up to me, I anxiously worry about you and us in my "broken mind"

So tie me to a post and block my ears
I can see widows and orphans through my tears
I know my call despite my faults
And despite my growing fears
- Even as I try, I know that this isn't going to work. If we stay together, I see you dying young and leaving me, your widow, and our future children, alone. I know my call to leave you, even though I'm afraid

But I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck
And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again
- Even knowing that, I still can't let go of hope for our marriage

So come out of your cave walking on your hands
And see the world hanging upside down
You can understand dependence
When you know the maker's hand
- Please fight through your depression and get help. Come out of your cave and see the world in a different way. I understand his dependence on me, because I understand depression.

So make your siren's call
And sing all you want
I will not hear what you have to say
- Because I understand depression, I will not let you be dependent on me, to drag me down. Lure me in all you want, I am stronger than this.

'Cause I need freedom now
And I need to know how
To live my life as it's meant to be
- I won't let you pull me over the bridge. I need to be my whole person. Whether I leave or stay, I need freedom from your depression.

And I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck
- Even if I leave, I still hope for the best for you, I still want you to be well. I still love you, but I can't be with you like this.

And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again
- I'll find strength on my own. I'll change my ways by not being with you anymore. I'll know my name as my maiden name, as my independence and true joyous self.

submissions
Rilo Kiley – The Absence of God Lyrics 15 years ago
Part of my rant can be seen in my reply to XianSnake above, but my interpretation of this song, regardless of what she meant when writing it, is that the absence of god DOES bring me comfort. For years I felt bad because I couldn't figure out what religion felt right to me and even with church involvement and religious friends, I could never swallow Christianity or religion in general. Then I started reading and journaling and discovered that there ARE no gods.

But back to the song... to me it reads as some have said above, like an exploration of lifestyles without the presence of religion. Freedom to act in a way that seems sensible to the individual, and freedom to explore other people's beliefs without guilt - "we could be daytime drunks if we wanted to, but we'd never get anything done"; "Rob says..."; "Morgan says..."

"And I say there's trouble, when everything is fine" means that when things are static and unchanging, we are not growing as a people. She feels the need to "destroy" things, to shake them up.

All in all I think this song is about everyone's search for truth and meaning in life, and how they are reflected in society.

submissions
Rilo Kiley – The Absence of God Lyrics 15 years ago
I am an atheist and I most certainly do not live "without ethics, pretending it's ok to be reckless and irresponsible." I just wrote a paper (college level) last semester on whether or not ethics have anything to do with the belief in a god.... they don't. Nor are all people who "believe in God" ethical. I could make a stereotype similar to yours, saying religious people live recklessly because they assume they just have to be contrite and ask forgiveness before they die and they will go to heaven. To atheists, this is all there is, so we better make it count.

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