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Isn't It a Lovely Night? Lyrics
<i>Margaret:</i>
Isn't a lovely night?
And so alive with fireflies providing us their holy light
And here we made a bed of boughs
And thistle down that we had found to lay upon the dewy ground
And isn't a lovely way
We got in from our play,
Isn't it babe? A sweet little baby
<i>William:</i>
Wasn't it a lovely breeze
That swept the leaves of arbor eaves and bent to brush our blushing knees?
<i>Margaret and William:</i>
And here we died our little deaths
And we were left to catch our breaths so switftly lifting from our chests?
And isn't it a lovely way we got in from our play
Isn't it babe?
A sweet little baby
Isn't a lovely night?
And so alive with fireflies providing us their holy light
And here we made a bed of boughs
And thistle down that we had found to lay upon the dewy ground
We got in from our play,
Isn't it babe? A sweet little baby
Wasn't it a lovely breeze
That swept the leaves of arbor eaves and bent to brush our blushing knees?
And here we died our little deaths
And we were left to catch our breaths so switftly lifting from our chests?
Isn't it babe?
A sweet little baby
Song Info
Submitted by
marcellionheart On Mar 09, 2009
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"And here we died our little deaths And we were left to catch our breaths so switftly lifting from our chests?"
I don't know if this is relevant, but if Margaret and her love are enjoying their night, as the song suggests, those lines could be about sex. I know that in french "le petit mort", or "the little death" is a term used to describe and orgasm and/or the period of time right after an orgasm. If that is what was meant by the lyrics, the line following would make sense too. (catching their breath after wards)
I think she's reminiscing about making love in that same place in the forest.
I think she's reminiscing about making love in that same place in the forest.
I don't think the baby is ever born, but I'm fairly sure that she's singing to the baby in this song; obviously it's still in her womb. She's very excited about her child growing within her, and is loves it very much already.
Strangely relevant: <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2IqOpqaxRlA&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2IqOpqaxRlA&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
Obviously Colin isn't oblivious to the concept of singing to an unborn baby.
pretty certain it's
"and so alight with fireflies, providing us their only light"
They have it correct. According to the insert, it's holy light.
They have it correct. According to the insert, it's holy light.
Margaret singing again.
In the forest, with the beast-guy and the baby born, she now how this sweet little twisted family. So, like any good little girl, she revels in her cute new family life. And lays down to sleep...
It is a continued dialogue of the last song. Not really anything interesting to directly translate. The death line could have many vague interpretations.
The Queen is, all the while, approaching in the background.
"Little Death" is a fairly common but increasingly archaic term for an orgasm. The French call it the Petit Mort--literally, the little death.
"Little Death" is a fairly common but increasingly archaic term for an orgasm. The French call it the Petit Mort--literally, the little death.
What the heck happens to the baby throughout the rest of the story?
The baby dies at the beggining of the drowned "Margaret array the rocks around the whole before were sinking" ( margaret is burying the child most who seemingly was a still birth due to the rakes abuse)
The baby dies at the beggining of the drowned "Margaret array the rocks around the whole before were sinking" ( margaret is burying the child most who seemingly was a still birth due to the rakes abuse)
Later: " tell me now tell me this forests son or rivers daughter?) was it a boy or a girl a willow on the willow wisp, our ghost will walk along the waters) a baby onthe brink of life, OUr ghost ( our child) will walk along the waters... )
Later: " tell me now tell me this forests son or rivers daughter?) was it a boy or a girl a willow on the willow wisp, our ghost will walk along the waters) a baby onthe brink of life, OUr ghost ( our child) will walk along the waters... )
actually, the baby's never born. Margaret dies while still pregnant.
actually, the baby's never born. Margaret dies while still pregnant.
To Kiko21: I don't think that the child is actually born by the end of the album. I interpret the whole thing as occuring over little more than a day (save for the few months between HoL 1 and Margaret going back to the Taiga). After all, William only asks for one night with his love.
i also interpret it that way. you can tell the time change between HoL1 and the bower scene where "our heroine withdraws to the taiga" because it says she starts to show, but the rest seems to all be swift. i feel like here when they say "a sweet little baby" they are talking about the fact that margaret is pregnant with one, not that it's born.
i also interpret it that way. you can tell the time change between HoL1 and the bower scene where "our heroine withdraws to the taiga" because it says she starts to show, but the rest seems to all be swift. i feel like here when they say "a sweet little baby" they are talking about the fact that margaret is pregnant with one, not that it's born.
Exactly. And for further evidence, I would imagine that if the baby were born, the narrators would specify a gender. Since they don't, it's likely that the baby is still int he womb.
Exactly. And for further evidence, I would imagine that if the baby were born, the narrators would specify a gender. Since they don't, it's likely that the baby is still int he womb.
And, as a friend of mine pointed out, this is The Decemberists. If she'd had the baby, Colin would so totally not miss a chance to devote a song to making the labor pains poetical and poignant.
And, as a friend of mine pointed out, this is The Decemberists. If she'd had the baby, Colin would so totally not miss a chance to devote a song to making the labor pains poetical and poignant.
Margaret dies while pregnant(HoL4), since no one would accept her and her bastard child back in their village(keep in mind William is a fawn by day, so no one would really know that he exists).
Margaret dies while pregnant(HoL4), since no one would accept her and her bastard child back in their village(keep in mind William is a fawn by day, so no one would really know that he exists).
Does anyone know what the harmonies are in this song between the vocals of Colin and Margaret? It seems like a strange interval but I really like it..
Sorry my music education is quite inadequate. I'm pretty sure the song is in A, but Margaret's line takes a G natural - she's in some kind of melodic minor? Other than that it's a third.
Sorry my music education is quite inadequate. I'm pretty sure the song is in A, but Margaret's line takes a G natural - she's in some kind of melodic minor? Other than that it's a third.
In the lines "And here we died our little deaths / And we were left to catch our breaths", her "were" and "catch" are that G natural. I guess that makes for a minor third interval?
In the lines "And here we died our little deaths / And we were left to catch our breaths", her "were" and "catch" are that G natural. I guess that makes for a minor third interval?
Sorry I can't be of more help :[
Sorry I can't be of more help :[
I think electricrenaissance is right. Wow, that definately explains those lines; I had been thinking maybe the baby died, but they didn't sound at all sad. And if they were having sex then I no longer think the baby was born. All the talk of the baby stirring made me think maybe it was. Also, the song before this one talks of them being naked. Now to figure out if anything ever happened with the baby after this... I don't think so though. Hmm...
when hearing the album in order, i thought this was the song after the queen already approached, so she already killed the whole family. I thought the song didn't sound sad because they were happy it went while htey were together and happy..i dont know though
I agree with Mousesong. "Little Death" is another way to describe an orgasm. The baby hasn't been born yet, I don't think because I think they are singing to it as an unborn child in this song. Also, if it were born, then what happens to it when Margaret is abducted?