Deep Red Bells

It was inspired by Case's memories of being a vulnerable young woman in the Seattle area while the Green River Killer was at large. Around the time of his arrest, that song was released too.

CASE: That has a lot to do with growing up in Washington state during the time when the Green River Killer was active, when I was in junior high. It's frightening. It has a lot to do with when you're a kid and you see that stuff on TV all the time---the news definitely made the distinction that these women were prostitutes, in fact they didn't talk about them like they were women much at all, which made me feel really bad for the women. Myself and many, many other young women that I knew at the time were very, very scared of the Green River Killer. It was very much a part of our psyche, and it still is, when you grow up with that kind of stuff. Washington had a lot of serial killers---a lot. The whole time I was growing up, there was Ted Bundy, or the guy in Spokane. And when I was in Vancouver, they finally caught the guy---all these prostitutes were disappearing from downtown, and nobody gave a shit about it. Actually, the people of Vancouver gave a shit about it, but the local government didn't, because a lot of them were prostitutes, some of them were drug addicts, so they figured they were lost anyway. I actually think there's a civil suit in Vancouver---you might want to check on the facts on that---because they could have figured out who this guy was a long time ago, and they didn't bother to do it. The government would make up these wild claims---"Well, we might think it might be a white slavery ring," blamed it on Asian gangs---it was really gross. Same thing with the Green River Killer: they knew who he was for a long time, but they couldn't bring him in on technicalities. I'm sure that it upset the people who had been looking for him that long just as much as the parents of the people he had killed. These women's lives just never seemed that important; they weren't really made that important on the news. It was all about fear. I guess the song is basically me just thinking, "What are their lives? What would their families do."

Now that I know what it's about, I have to say that the line "when speckled fronds raise round your bones" is one of the creepiest I've ever heard. She's got a hell of a way with words.

I was living in Washington when they caught the Green River killer. She's right about the plenitude of serial killers out there, by the way. Seems like once a week you hear about another serial killing on the news. Freaky place to live; I can't imagine growing up there, especially as a pretty girl.

'deep red bells' represent death, and fear. this song is about a girl who is picked up by a murderer along the highway...I particularly love the third verse and its image of a 'soul cast about like an old paper bag'.

"A hand print on the driver's side / It looks a lot like engine oil / And tastes like being poor and small / And popsicles in summer." I love how she incorporates these details of the victims and prospective victims--the innocence and modesty of their childhood, especially--into a whole detective/crime theme. Before learning about the song's inspiration, the hand print reference never made much sense to me. I think this will always be one of her best songs.

I've been hearing this song for about 5 years ago on Contemporary Grind while working @ starbucks. I was always hooked on it. It came up again in new music @ sbux recently. So I looked into the lyrics and the meaning. It's such a chilling song. Now it makes me cry hard whenever I hear it. I see all these comments on girls living in fear in Washington and it creeps me out. This song seems to sum up that horrible killer. I cannot believe how we treat our own society, regardless of who he was killing justice could have saved more girls. It really wrecks me. It makes me scared of the world...

this song reverberates with darkness and paranoia... case's voice goes down like a knife, especially when she wails "deep red bells, deep as i've been done"... gives me the chills.

I love the line that reads "who took the time to fold your clothes," it speaks to me about someone really loving those girls, and that they're worthy people. It brings humanity to them.

Does anyone know the real meaning of the words 'deep red bells'? I've heard a lot of theories but can't find anything online about 'red bells' signifying anything specific. I know she's a fan of eastern European folk tales so perhaps it might be from there. Other than the old custom of ringing church bells at funerals and the redness of blood I can't come up with anything concrete.

I know it's really late since someone commented here but as I sit here at 4 AM, trying to interpret one of my favorite songs. And I'd say that the "deep red bells" are drops of blood. She mentions it with the looking like engine oil.