In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
On the lake,
The deep forbidden lake,
The old boats go gliding by,
And the leaves
Are falling from the trees
And landing on the logs and I
See the turtles
Heading for the bog
And falling off the log.
They make the water splash,
And feeling no backlash,
They climb the happy banks.
On the boats,
The old and creaky boats,
The shoreline goes gliding by,
And the wind,
There was a dying breeze,
Is making the banners fly.
See the colors,
Floating in the sky,
The pride of the captain's eye,
As he glides
His slender craft inside
And opens up the door.
On the coast,
The long and tempting coast,
The cards on the table lie,
And a speech,
So eloquent in reach,
Was made by a passerby,
Passing by the way between
Here and left behind.
And it ripples through the crowds
Who run and cast their doubts
In the deep forbidden lake.
Yes, it echoes through the crowds
Who run and cast their doubts
In the deep forbidden lake.
The deep forbidden lake,
The old boats go gliding by,
And the leaves
Are falling from the trees
And landing on the logs and I
See the turtles
Heading for the bog
And falling off the log.
They make the water splash,
And feeling no backlash,
They climb the happy banks.
On the boats,
The old and creaky boats,
The shoreline goes gliding by,
And the wind,
There was a dying breeze,
Is making the banners fly.
See the colors,
Floating in the sky,
The pride of the captain's eye,
As he glides
His slender craft inside
And opens up the door.
On the coast,
The long and tempting coast,
The cards on the table lie,
And a speech,
So eloquent in reach,
Was made by a passerby,
Passing by the way between
Here and left behind.
And it ripples through the crowds
Who run and cast their doubts
In the deep forbidden lake.
Yes, it echoes through the crowds
Who run and cast their doubts
In the deep forbidden lake.
Lyrics submitted by threearmedman
Deep Forbidden Lake Lyrics as written by Neil Young
Lyrics © Hipgnosis Songs Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Just A Little Lovin'
Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
I don't think it's necessarily about sex. It's about wanting to start the day with some love and affection. Maybe a warm cuddle. I'm not alone in interpreting it that way! For example:
"'Just a Little Lovin’ is a timeless country song originally recorded by Eddy Arnold in 1954. The song, written by Eddie Miller and Jimmy Campbell, explores the delicate nuances of love and showcases Arnold’s emotive vocals. It delves into the universal theme of love and how even the smallest gesture of affection can have a profound impact on our lives." https://oldtimemusic.com/the-meaning-behind-the-song-just-a-little-lovin-by-eddy-arnold/
I have been exploring song meanings and lyrics for probably decades now and came across this great song with not even a hint of a comment or thought on so I thought I would actually create a post to share my perspective. I don’t know if I am the only person or even the first person to think about it this way since human history is long and space is infinite but here goes:
This is for you Neil:
On the topic of the Deep Forbidden Lake...
I take a decidedly chemical and quantum mechanical interpretation of this song as a perception of reality through the senses of the nervous system and the neurochemical interaction of mind to brain. In a sense it supposes a view into an existence on pause like it was always there but the figure who made it real had gone away. A lot of reality can be described energetically by the jablonski-Perrin excited state diagram. It is kind of ironic that the sound of this song is this bluesy country backbone but lyrically describes a very fast perturbed state of being. Like a ghost, energetically functioning on a higher level but becomes perspectively aware to someone or something functioning on a nearly familiar energetic state.
The potential energy well is the deep forbidden lake. It is strange to be on the surface. You are neither energetically excited nor defuse. But you are perceiving your reality while somewhere your mind is betwixt and between in some energetic state.
As an aside I don’t want credit for much but I do lay claim to this description for it is based on my experience but it is for you Neil for maybe you had the same experience on another plane. It is like the lyric about telling you what I’ve learned.
There is an aspect to this song that is like the nature of light...described like an echo that I perceive like particle and wave interaction. The thing that I have the hardest time relating to are the happy creatures that seem to live boundless and free from this description of their reality. But yet there is a great beauty and depth in having this understanding and relationship to existence.
Anyway, much respect Neil