28 Meanings
Add Yours
Follow
Share
Q&A
Woman King Lyrics
Blackbird claw, raven wing
Under the red sunlight
Long clothesline, two shirtsleeves
Waving as we go by
Hundred years, hundred more
Someday we may see
A woman king
Wristwatch time
Slowin' as she goes to sleep
Black horsefly, lemonade
Jar on the red anthill
Garden worm, cigarette
Ash on the windowsill
Hundred years, hundred more
Someday we may see
A woman king
Sword in hand
Swing at some evil and bleed
Black hoof mare, broken leg
Eye on the shotgun shell
Age old dog, hornet nest
Built in the big church bell
Hundred years, hundred more
Someday we may see
A woman king
Bloodshot eye
Thumb down and starting to weep
Under the red sunlight
Long clothesline, two shirtsleeves
Waving as we go by
Someday we may see
A woman king
Wristwatch time
Slowin' as she goes to sleep
Jar on the red anthill
Garden worm, cigarette
Ash on the windowsill
Someday we may see
A woman king
Sword in hand
Swing at some evil and bleed
Eye on the shotgun shell
Age old dog, hornet nest
Built in the big church bell
Someday we may see
A woman king
Bloodshot eye
Thumb down and starting to weep
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
As soon as I heard this song, I went hunting for lyrics... and to here, which is always a great stop for checking out what a song means to people.
My two cents: This isn't so much a cut and dry song about either female power or the struggle for equality, though it certainly contains aspects of both. I think it's more about power itself, in this case wielded by a woman. The world described by the lyrics is a flawed one, as is the ruler - she fights again huge concepts like evil, but she also bleeds. She's human. Her eyes are bloodshot when she puts a thumb down (to end a life for the sake of her world/people), but she is not unaffected by the consequences of her actions. She is a King who weeps for what must be done.
This song is like listening to a potrait - the lyrics paint a world of flaw and decay, but like the Old West it evokes, for all its rot and shortcomings it is an epic concept - the idea carries power. The Woman King, too, is imperfect - but nonetheless carries immense strength, dignity and firmness tempered by the humanity we can see in her. It feels perfect to me for this song to be acoustic - there is no massive amplification system, no distortion or earth-shattering synth... but the instruments, the vocals, despite simplicity and lack of bombasity, carry an incredible (and powerful) emotional impact all their own.
@imaginarymongoose
@imaginarymongoose
@imaginarymongoose wow that is awesome. I know its 10 years later but this song...it still evokes those same feelings
@imaginarymongoose wow that is awesome. I know its 10 years later but this song...it still evokes those same feelings
there was only one malkha (hebrew- woman king or monarch) in all of jewish history; shlomtzion hamalkha, also called salome alexandria. she ruled after the death of her second husband, alexander yannai, because her sons were unfit to rule at the time. shlomtzion was a hasmonean queen of israel/judea who brought peace and prosperity to her kingdom for a short time. the hasmonean period was a troubled time for jews, and while she was a bright spot in history, her sons were never nearly such adept politicians and leaders.
Maybe it's just because I grew up with Irish folktales, but the second I looked at the lyrics I thought of Macha Mong Ruad. She was the only female high king of Ireland, and the raven/crow mentioned in the first part also reminded me of her because someone else in Irish lore with the name Macha is a goddess, with a sign of her being a raven. She's also associated with war and horses (Sword in hand/Swing at some evil and bleed/Black hoof mare, broken leg/Eye on the shotgun shell). A stretch but also could be valid is that Macha Mong Ruad specifically had vibrant red hair (Under the red sunlight). All of my input could be completely bullshit, but this is what I thought of when I saw the lyrics.
Is it weird that the first thing that came into my mind after hearing this song is that it would make a badass campaign song for Hillary Clinton? Hillary 2016 haha
@rosieb333 She doesn't deserve such a powerful song. Like every female ruler in antiquity, often her name is smeared by fearful men who would rather see this type of woman dead than submit to that kind of rule. Look at Nefertiti; her and her children murdered and the faces of their corpses smashed in as the deepest sign of disrespect. So they could not speak their name when it came time to be taken to the afterlife. By their beliefs anyway.
@rosieb333 She doesn't deserve such a powerful song. Like every female ruler in antiquity, often her name is smeared by fearful men who would rather see this type of woman dead than submit to that kind of rule. Look at Nefertiti; her and her children murdered and the faces of their corpses smashed in as the deepest sign of disrespect. So they could not speak their name when it came time to be taken to the afterlife. By their beliefs anyway.
This song, to me, has a fantasy vibe running through it. I think this song might be if their was a woman king at the helm. Each verse might be about a judgment she made during her reign. The interpretation might even be simpler than that. I just bought this EP on a whim and I found to have some of the best acoustic work I have heard since Travis Meeks and Days of the New. Sam Beam is an excellent singer-songwriter.
some corrections:
first verse: "under the red sunlight"
last verse: "black hoof mare... eye on the shotgun shell"
I don't know why anyone has posted anything on this yet. This is such a sweet song.
pretty cool song, awesome guitar. no clue what it means.
This song is amazing.
This song is fantastic.