To The Lighthouse

To me, the song is about Godrevy Point, where Virginia Woolf sets her novel 'To The Lighthouse'. The lyrics also talk about the author herself, and the novel.

For instance, "build your castle, stop collecting stones and the river bed shall not be your home" could be about Woolf's suicide. She walked into the river nearby her house with pockets of stones, which she had collected. They weighed her down and aided her drowning.

" I am sorry that you came to find "great great minds against themselves conspire'"

for me, relates to Woolf's epsiodes of debilitating 'madness' and depression, which eventually lead to her death.

Throughout the lyrics of the songs there are refrences to the novel 'To The Lighthouse' which only can be seen once you've read the book.

This is just a very beautiful song about a great subject.

patrick wolf is so wonderful!!1!

Ah. I finally started reading To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf and frankly... its just beautiful. I love this song, and Virginia Woolf now.

Now the bombs drop around our feet, do we throw them back or bow and greet them

Virginia Woolf was a pacifist I do believe and this could be a reference to her frustration/confusion to the war which occurred in 'To The Lighthouse'.

i studied Woolf's "A Room of One's Own" last month and her life as well, and i find this sentence striking:

"stop collecting stones, and the river bed shall not be you home" which directly refers to her suicide, after she left a note for her husband.

A song in honor of Virginia Woolf ? :]

"in need of help i came to your door. saw the spike of the railings from the 28/3rd floor."

Does anyone know what these lines mean?

patrick wolf is fucking amazing

i don't agree with panther dash i don't think it's about war, you're just interpreting it at face value.

I don't think Patrick Wolf would write a song about war so even though I haven't read To The Lighthouse but it sounds much more likely to me that the song is about that and Virginia Woolf.

Its defiantly about the wonderful virginia woolf!

even if this song is about woolf i think there is fantastic religious imagery here, intended or not. the first bit could represent something bad happening in life, and then the protagonist just follows every one else and doesn't feel like they're accomplishing anything. "a borrowed house on borrowed time" i.e. if you believe in god then you're kind of borrowing the earth from him cos he made it, and borrowed time because it's not here for long

then obviously the next bit (in need of help i came to your door) could reference jesus, he's seeking religous help and is told how to improve his life - stop taking small things from this world that will eventually drag you down, build your castle in god, go to the lighthouse i.e. the beacon in the darkness (jesus often described as light in the bible). don't get the 28/3rd floor bit though. and great great minds etc. shows that even the smartest people in the world cant conquer their mortality, cant do everything alone and when they try to they can go mad

the next bit could be like the reaction to what the world throws at you - i.e. when people do bad things how should you respond - are you angry, or do you try and welcome them, if you continue to wage war against your fellow man then you create something much bigger and more terrifying . then more advice - build yourself up in defence and stop trying to attack people, then you will be more prepared when bad things come (ie the devil - fire imagery)

anyway. that was a completely arbitrary interpretation and i'm sure i've read in many places that patrick is not religious. but its an interesting way of looking at it.