Hazey Jane II Lyrics
Everytime I listen to Nick Drake I'm reminded of a summer's afternoon in the Sussex countryside where I loaded his three albums on my headphones and just walked and walked. It was perfect. Only stopped when I got to the end of Pink Moon then pressed play again and walked back. I remember finding an old Watermill with a Kingfisher swooping about. Drake provided the perfect musical accompanyment and that afternoon will always have a special place in my heart thanks to his music.
I believe the first line of this song is talking about the strictures of society. The human population is so self-absorbed and populous that we can't really see what's going on in the world. The second line is talking about how, in comparison with human society, nature, represented by the "weasel in the forest," can be bitter as well(being bitten by a weasel). The third line then emphasizes that the societal constraints which we create for ourselves(friends, books, records) may be comfortable, but may not be as real as we think, signified by the distantly reminescent attitude with which these things are spoken of. By reiterating the first line, Drake implies that perhaps human society is ultimately more damaging than nature. The next few lines about brothers and sisters emphasizes that, though human society does have negative aspects, we should still place meaning in certain elements of human existence, such as family (while the absurdity of human existence is still pointed out in such temporal things as "growing hair" & beauty("make your sister fair"). The family as "part of a chain" again signifies the things we, as humans, attach ourselves to. The taking off of the "eyeshade" and "starting over again" could possibly signify a stage of human development in which we are removed from the safe havens of our families and introduced into society. After being introduced into society, Drake comments on the development of the ego, or self-definition, signified by "finding your way in here" and "getting your story clear." After establishing ourselves as individuals, we should then allow ourselves, in the rather eastern sense, to flow with existence and allow nature to run its course("weigh up your anchor & never look 'round"). The final verse, with the finality perhaps denoting emphasis, seems to be about a more specific situation that Drake was dealing with, namely, that a particular girl(hazey jane), or the romantic ideal itself, is weighing heavily upon his mind, so he feels the need to sing about it. The last line about "if songs were lines in a conversation" seems to be a wistful statement about Drake's inability to connect with other people due to his shyness. He is also saying that if he could express himself through song, ie what he really feels, instead of just lines in a conversation then he could possibly become more connected to "Hazey Jane" and "the situation would be fine."
I think this song is where Belle & Sebastian began. This sounds like something they would make, only it was recorded over thirty years ago. Just a great song.
am I the only one who finds the second verse incredibly funny?
"And what will happen in the evening in the forest with the weasel with the teeth that bite so sharp when you're not looking in the evening."
totally absurd. but no less great.
This is the better of the hazy jane songs :-)
Maybe so sakebox, don't people take their word for it.
Excellent song: last three lines I consider one of my favorite quotes.
There is a slight discrepancy in the lyrics for those who are interested... Now take a little while to find your way in here Now take a little while to make your story clear Your feet from the ground [Now that you're lifting] your feet from the... etc.
This has nothing to do with a girl per se. Nick Drake went to Cambridge Uni. He became a avid pot smoke to say the least and started using drugs recreationally . by the time he died, he was very depressed. In his autobiography he says how he never felt happy at home or anywhere else.
Hazey Jane refers to how he was dis-asccotiated with society at this time, and often used cannibis as a way to 'get away' this coupled with his depression. Hazey Jane probably refers to someone who in his mind a girl or someone when he smoked the cannabis. Generally the song about how he lived around that time when he struggling with his work etc....
This is just a rollicking masterpiece of absurdity. I've read SparklingMINDBeam's explanation, and it's plausible and probably pretty accurate, given what we know about Nick, but I like to get lost in the general bounciness of this one. He gave us so little that was bouncy. :/
Cheery, mellow music paired with dark, downbeat lyrics. This morning that he is talking about is not the dawning of a sunny day full of promise. It is more like the coming of a cold, new reality. I think it is about growing up and beginning to make your way in the world.