| The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned) Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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Something's been bothering me for a few years. "A whisper weight upon the tattered down where you and I were lying." Where is this bed? In the song 'Isn't it a lovely night' Margaret says they made a bed out of 'thistledown'. But right now they are *in* the Annan River. They crossed the river, away from their thistle-down bed, and now they're on their way back. Why are we talking about a weight left on the bed on the other side of the river? For a long time I thought it meant that they made their way back across the river and Margaret gave birth on the bed of down. The whisper-weight is the baby. And then they went back to Annan River to repay William's debt, leaving the Queen to take care of the child. Seems really far-fetched, but I couldn't think of any other explanation. But I just thought... maybe the whisper-weight is the *memory* they have of their sweet time together in their thistle-down bed. You'll notice that the music when they're dying is the same country style as the music when they made love ('die our little deaths'). So while they're lying there in the boat, they're remembering the last time they lay down together, on the thistledown bed. They're talking about the good times. They're remembering when it was easy and free. It's making them cry, half out of fear and half out of shared nostalgia and sweetness. That's my new interpretation. And because of this, I agree that the first line is 'hole', not 'hull'. It's describing the grave of the still-born child. Why bother lining the inside of a boat hull (that has a million holes in it) with rocks? Rocks can't fill tiny holes in the chinking. And also, if it's 'hull', why wouldn't he be helping her stop the boat from sinking? So, it's 'hole', and he's telling her to finish paying her respects to the child before their boat sinks. Incidentally, 'a million stones, a million bones' is talking about what's on the bottom of the river. Because they know where they're going to end up. |
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| The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned) Lyrics | 10 years ago |
| @[Augustineee:3248] No, he's saying the *hazards* are over. Either they're in heaven and everything is great, or they no longer have consciousness and no longer feel pain. Either way, the *hazards* are over. | |
| The Decemberists – 12/17/12 Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| @iamjackslameusernameon Please see my reply to peter72395 below. | |
| The Decemberists – 12/17/12 Lyrics | 11 years ago |
| The Decemberists – 12/17/12 Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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@[peter72395:1457] And once again it strips out the colon. I haven't figured out this comment system yet, sorry. www.sputnikmusic.com/review/65743/The-Decemberists-What-A-Terrible-World%2C-What-A-Beautiful-World/ www.nytimes.com/2015/01/20/arts/music/new-releases-from-the-decemberists-hanni-el-khatib-and-duane-eubanks.html www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/kot/ct-decemberists-review-terrible-world-beautiful-world-colin-meloy-20150116-column.html |
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| The Decemberists – 12/17/12 Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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@[peter72395:1456] I'm sorry, I should have posted my sources. I've seen more than one review that mentions the connection. Here are three: "‘12/17/12’ is another prime example, written as an open letter of sorts that questions God for willingly allowing the tragedy of the Sandy Hook Massacre to unfold." http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/65743/The-Decemberists-What-A-Terrible-World%2C-What-A-Beautiful-World/ "...and “12/17/12,” which could be its tonal opposite. Written shortly after President Obama addressed the nation following the school shootings in Newtown, Conn., the song comes from a shaken place, with Mr. Meloy despairing of the news while counting his blessings." http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/20/arts/music/new-releases-from-the-decemberists-hanni-el-khatib-and-duane-eubanks.html "And the album peaks with "12-17-12," written in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook school shootings. In this song, the narrator grapples with the conflict of bringing a new child into a world that keeps shifting beneath our feet, and not always for the better." http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/kot/ct-decemberists-review-terrible-world-beautiful-world-colin-meloy-20150116-column.html |
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| The Decemberists – 12/17/12 Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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@[DontEmailMe:1310] | Not sure why the editor formatted the links without a colon after http. Here they are formatted properly (I hope). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Hook_Elementary_School_shooting www.npr.org/2012/12/16/167412995/transcript-president-obama-at-sandy-hook-prayer-vigil www.jw.org/en/publications/books/good-news-from-god/why-god-allows-evil-and-suffering/ www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/what-gods-kingdom-will-do/ |
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| The Decemberists – 12/17/12 Lyrics | 11 years ago |
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On 12/14/2012, in Newtown, CT, the Sandy Hook Elementary school shootings occurred. 20 school-children and 6 adult staff members were killed by a 20-year old named Adam. It is a truly frightening thing to read the details. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Hook_Elementary_School_shooting) On 12/16/2012, President Obama delivered a speech at the interfaith vigil held in Newtown, in honor of the victims. The transcript is available online. (http://www.npr.org/2012/12/16/167412995/transcript-president-obama-at-sandy-hook-prayer-vigil) Here's a line from that speech: 'I can only hope it helps for you to know that you're not alone in your grief; that our world too has been torn apart; that all across this land of ours, we have wept with you, we've pulled our children tight.' This song is titled 12/17/12. In December, 2012, Colin's wife Carson was pregnant with their second child, who was born the following March, named Milo Cannonball. This song is a reflection on the excitement and wonder at bringing a new life into this world, along with feelings of worry and uncertainty regarding the kind of world this child will be living in. In this song, Colin is 'pulling his child tight' to himself, in an emotional response to what happened in Newtown. Obama's speech touches on biblical scripture a few times throughout. And right near the end he says, 'God has called them all home.' The last lines of this song say: - - - Oh my God, what a world you have made here What a terrible world, what a beautiful world What a world you have made here - - - This line is not formed as a question; it is a statement, directed at God. Listen to the way he sings 'And Oh my God'. That is not a happy note. It is a criticism, or perhaps, a thrown gauntlet. It invites God to respond, to offer up an answer, a reason. Why would God add such terrible things to such a beautiful world? Why would he 'call them all home' in such a dreadful way? But this statement, and the line from Obama's speech, presuppose that this is God's doing; part of his plan. According to the Bible, it is not. God created a beautiful world. Another person brought evil into it. http://www.jw.org/en/publications/books/good-news-from-god/why-god-allows-evil-and-suffering/ God's stated purpose, since that time, has been to make it wholly beautiful again. It is why Jesus came to earth, and why he preached about the 'Kingdom' that was to come. http://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/what-gods-kingdom-will-do/ |
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