The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
I was following the, I was following the
I was following the, I was following the
I was following the, I was following the
I was following the, I was following the
I was following the pack, all swallowed in their coats
With scarves of red tied 'round their throats
To keep their little heads from falling in the snow
And I turned 'round and there you go
And Michael, you would fall and turn the white snow red
As strawberries in the summertime
I was following the pack, all swallowed in their coats
With scarves of red tied 'round their throats
To keep their little heads from falling in the snow
And I turned 'round and there you go
And Michael, you would fall and turn the white snow red
As strawberries in the summertime
I was following the pack, all swallowed in their coats
With scarves of red tied 'round their throats
To keep their little heads from falling in the snow
And I turned 'round and there you go
And Michael, you would fall and turn the white snow red
As strawberries in summertime
I was following the, I was following the
I was following the, I was following the
I was following the, I was following the
I was following the pack, all swallowed in their coats
With scarves of red tied 'round their throats
To keep their little heads from falling in the snow
And I turned 'round and there you go
And Michael, you would fall and turn the white snow red
As strawberries in the summertime
I was following the pack, all swallowed in their coats
With scarves of red tied 'round their throats
To keep their little heads from falling in the snow
And I turned 'round and there you go
And Michael, you would fall and turn the white snow red
As strawberries in the summertime
I was following the pack, all swallowed in their coats
With scarves of red tied 'round their throats
To keep their little heads from falling in the snow
And I turned 'round and there you go
And Michael, you would fall and turn the white snow red
As strawberries in summertime
Lyrics submitted by brasky09, edited by peyton1085, Jake2825, Catzzz
White Winter Hymnal Lyrics as written by Robin Noel Pecknold
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
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I think of this song as a little frame of a childhood memory - maybe of a five or six year old. He is with a bunch of children, maybe running after the older kids, who just look like a bunch of coats since they are so bundled up. He thinks in his child's mind that the scarves keep their heads from falling off. Then he looks behind him and his friend has fallen and hurt himself and there is bright red blood in the snow. Sometimes a memory like that sticks with you even though you can't remember anything else about it.
@songyone the song is actually a poem I can't remember who it was written by but, it's about the French Revolution and the red scarves are what the children wore to symbolize that they were part of the revolution, because all the adults were killed by the government to show that if they rebel they will be killed. And Michael, idk who that guy is probably just an example of what would happen to the kids who fight the government.
@songyone This song is obviously about Jesus. think about the word "hymnal" in the title. where else do you see the word but the bible. michael refers to the angel michael.
I can't quite figure out what this song means, and it's been bothering me. From what I gather it's somehow about the death of innocence or at least death of some kind.
"The pack" sound like children from the fact that they were "swallowed in their coats" and "little heads", although "swallowed" sounds quite sinister, as if their clothes were eating them, as does "tied round their throats". This makes me think of a noose more than a scarf. The noose idea is supported by the fact that if it weren't for these, their heads would fall in the snow. Although I guess then the scarves could be somehow keeping them alive.
I'm not sure what the next couple of lines refer to, but the image of Michael falling then turning "white snow red" says to me he's bleeding on the ground. What surprises me there is the image of "strawberries in the summertime", which casts a positive image onto Michael's bleeding.
Any thoughts on this?
Fleet foxes don't really use symbolism liberally like that. The song is supposed to evoke images, not deep meaning.
Whether they intended to evoke images or use symbolism, I got the same interpretation as Anarise,
I think "swallowed" is less sinister, and more chosen to mirror the preceding "following". same with "throats" and "coats" the resulting sound is the opposite of loss of innocence (for it is entirely pleasing to the ear) but rather a playful and vivid winter scene.
Personally, I always picture snowmen from Calvin and Hobbes. Although they do not necessarily wear red scarves, their heads are capable of falling in the snow.<br /> <br /> The line about following the pack, following their coats does bring up images of kids. I also relate it to people following a certain trend. The scarves tied round their throats could refer to a fear of becoming socially unacceptable if they were to stop following the ways of the masses. Its almost as if thats the only thing thats keeping them alive. "And I turned round and there you go" could refer to him being awakened by a friend of his who was never part of whatever specific way of life it may be referring to. But then in the line "Michael you would fall, and turn the white snow read as strawberries in the summertime" conjures up images of injury or failure.<br /> <br /> But since he says "turn the white snow red as strawberries in the summertime" maybe his fall is a good thing since the imagery used is so beautiful.<br /> <br /> Maybe his "fall" is a step forward.<br /> <br />
"the pack" sounds like wolves not children from the fact that they were "swallowed in their coats" because wolves have coats of fur which get thicker in winter time..therefore "swallowed". now the "red scarves" could be blood dripping onto their throats from prey they have eaten. prey they have had to eat in order to live and "keep their little heads from falling in the snow" to die.... another take could be the red scarves are leashes and it is a sled team. two sled teams because if he turns around and sees his friend Michael and his sled team fall into the snow so all the dogs with red leashes turn the snow red...
it means.... with scarves of red tied round their throats - thats what they used to keep them from getting their heads cut off<br /> turn the white snow red as strawberrys in the summer - they cut their head off and the snow got all bloody <br /> the hymnal is when they used to cut peoples head off
This was the first song by Fleet Foxes I heard, so I of course thought of foxes. The "pack" and "scarves of red tied 'round their throats" added to why I though they were foxes. Instead of seeing the "swallowed in their coats" as a bad thing, I saw it as they don't have the choice to take them off, as it is their fur. Fur of course keeps them warm so the "scarves of red tied ’round their throats keeps their little heads from fallin’ in the snow", or dying from the cold. I pictured a fox, Michael, was shot by a hunter and the pack ran away with him. The 'I' in the song is the fox that turned around and saw Michael die from his injury. Michael would then "fall and turn the white snow red as strawberries in the summertime." Some of you said that "strawberries in the summertime" was a good sign, and I agree with that. Michael died, and it was a good thing in the narrators eyes as he wouldn't have to feel the pain the hunter brought him. <br /> <br /> It really is a beautiful song and I don't think Fleet Foxes' songs are to be taken too literally. They almost seem to have hidden meanings that you can put together and create your own story out of. <br /> <br /> Did anyone else see it like this?
I like the link to the fox in their coats & red scarves.<br /> think it all ties to the circle of life & nature in general, if you watch the film clip it's a man turning a wheel circulating the stars & the sun. reference to the circulating season in summer & the new life which it will bring in the comparison to strawberries.<br /> maybe he's falling taking down some prey as he goes & the blood turning the snow red isn't Michaels.
Like most it was as if the "scarfs of red tied round their throats" were there to keep "their little heads from falling in the snow". But that is not true. Removing the line "With scarves of red tied 'round their throats" we get this:<br /> <br /> "I was following the pack all swallowed in their coats<br /> To keep their little heads<br /> From falling in the snow"<br /> <br /> So, this guy was following the pack (children) all swallowed up in their coats, because mummy and daddy did not want you to get sick they pulled up the zippers too high. The scarfs were tied around their throats as if they were choking, again with the same reason that mummy and daddy were trying too hard to protect their children from the cold.<br /> <br /> But although the parents thought they were in good hands and they would not get cold or sick because their jackets were closed up tight and their scarfs too, the guy turned around and did not see Michael playing to wild and fell off of the whatever they were riding on. Maybe a sledge with horses, falling in the snow, and the sledge riding on his head, with Michael then bleeding to death in the snow.<br /> <br /> Of course, this song has no deeper meaning, but this means more that Fleet Foxes did not want to tell a story about their youth or something. It's just a little story about a guy not paying attention and the contradiction of parents protection their children from the cold too much, still one falls and dies in the snow because of an accident jackets and scarfs could never prevent. This contradiction also sounds through the sound of the music, for it being very cheerful, while the story isn't.<br /> <br /> So yes, it's a story. A cruel story. But no deeper meaning. Just the feeling you get when you listen to it. Therefor this is one of the best of the Fleet Foxes.
@Anarise I think you are right about them wearing scarfs keeping them from dying. They could be children who became lost and are freezing cold and trying to keep from getting hypothermia and "falling in the snow".
@Anarise Hey, I was confused for a long time too, but I think it might be a memory of a very young child that didn't really know that much and had no idea what was going on. Still not sure, though. Sorry -SingerofApollo
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Great speculations! Unfortunately, this beautiful song actually has a rather sad connotation. Here is what I believe the real meaning of the song is.
During the French Revolution, mobs of revolutionists beheaded those (such as royalty -- I'm sure you've heard of Marie Antoinette) who were against the revolution. Revolutionists would gather around the guillotines in "packs" to watch the beheadings. The fashion then was to wear high-collared coats, which may have appeared to "swallow" the individual. Also, I found a painting depicting a beheading scene in the French Revolution. The revolutionists in the illustration wore red scarves around their necks, perhaps to symbolize their loyalty to the revolution. Perhaps "Michael" didn't wear a red scarf or did not support the revolution, and thus he was quickly beheaded at the guillotine.
"I was following the pack all swallowed in their coats" -- someone was following the revolutionists on their way to the guillotine to behead those who opposed the movement. Perhaps this person was for the revolution and was a friend of Michael, or he too was on his way to the guillotine.
"With scarves of red tied 'round their throats" -- the revolutionists wore red scarves to symbolize their loyalty.
"To keep their little heads from falling in the snow" -- in order to keep from being beheaded, they wore the red scarves to show others that they were for the revolution.
"And I turned 'round and there you'd go, and Michael you would fall, and turn the white snow red as strawberries in the summertime." -- Michael did not wear a scarf or did not support the revolution, and thus he was quickly beheaded.
Hope this helps :)
@ArtifexReel No, not at all. They said the song was quite meaningless. the only "meaning" in there was a little story from his childhood, involving him just following a group of people and his friend Michael. Just some silly lyrics.
@ArtifexReel according to our choir instructor, it has a simpler meaning-- that Michael knocks off the heads of snowmen, and that he falls and bleeds. Or something similar...? Something about snowmen. I can't remember it was two years ago haha
@ArtifexReel Brilliant! Bravo!! So perfectly advanced as to be inarguable! ♫
@ArtifexReel That makes so much sense!
@ArtifexReel Excellent interpretation of this song! ☺️
It reminds me of the book The Road by Cormac McCarthy. It's apostapocalypse story of a father and son trying to survive and stay clear of the men who march around wearing little red scarves around their necks - trying to find survivors whom they can eat.
The father coughs up blood throughout the book and the child is wrapped in any scraps of clothing they can find - sometimes drowing himself out in layers.
The only colour the boy can really see is the red of his dad's blood as everything else is covered in grey ash from the blazing earth, and the white of the snow as ifalls. However, the boy was born after the apocalypse so doesn't know what summertimer or even strawberries are.
Can be very poetic if you let it be.
Wow, sleepersesque that is an amazing analogy. I've read that book too. God so sad. But I agree. The red is such a vivid and important color in that novel and in this song as well.<br /> <br /> As a side note, I love McCarthy's use of archaic words. I love those! Haha<br /> <br /> Awesome.
I just wanted to say that the band does speak about the south east. And back in the day the word "RED NECK" was a slang for workers who wore red scarves around thier neck in protest for miners treatment.<br /> "Red Necks and Red Bandanas: Appalachian Coal Miners and the Coloring of Union Identity, 1912-1936"<br /> <br /> Ok, so, SUN GIANT says that pecknold says thier relatively meaningless. Yes, ok meanless, he says, but, every good artist has a library of symbols he/she uses that go into the making of their work. Pay attention to the lyrics in the other songs and he does mention the blue ridge mountains ... there is a bit of southeastern history in all this.<br />
pecknold says in an interview with daytrotter that the lyrics to this song are "fairly meaningless", and that the song is more focused on the vocal harmonies instead of the lyrics...but this is so far my favorite song from a stellar album. i've listened to it twice a day since i bought it
daytrotter.com/article/1245/fleet-foxes
in my opinion i believe that there are no such thing as meaningless lyrics. I'm pretty sure it's about a war, most likely british.
im with you ^^^^ cause the hymnal is when people would cut other peoples heads off and thats what the song is talking about
@sun_giant It has metaphor and images from the French Revolution, beheading of the aristocracy at the neck in winter, and such....
I'm pretty sure there is no real mean. It sounds like this song was down with a fancy bit of automatic writing. Very Beautiful
I thought it was "swaddled."
@valrus i think that is the official lyric, yes.
Oh man, the way it builds up.. wonderful
In a war, winter. A resistance group who wore red scarves. Men were forced to join or were killed (in that way the scarves kept their heads from "falling in the snow"). The forced recruitment included fairly young men, hence allusions to youth. The narrator's friend gets shot. Don't know about the "swallowed in their coats" bit.
It's a simple fairy tale. The pack are children bundled up in clothes and who have scarves that keep their heads tied to their necks, like a knot. Think of that one Edgar Allan Poe story of the girl in the French revolution. The singer has to keep watch over them so that they don't lose their heads. He gets distracted and Michael falls, losing his scarf, and his head falls off. It's a fantasy fairy tale. It's that simple.
I like this idea. This is such a dreaming kind of song, and these guys seem to sing about such peculiar, fanciful things... so something as whimsical as loose heads kind of makes sense. And if you put it all down to being a fairy tale, it doesn't seem so macabre anymore.