This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Charlotte:
Father I'm not feeling well, the flowers me you fed
Tasted spoiled for suddenly I find that I am dead
But father don't you fear, your children all are here
Singing oh, the hazards of love
Dawn:
Papa turn the water down, the basin's overflown
The water covers everything and me left all alone
But papa here in death, I have regained my breath
To sing oh, the hazards of love
To sing oh, the hazards of love
Isaiah:
Spare the rod, you'll spoil the child, but I prefer the lash
My sisters drowned and poisoned all and me reduced to ash
And buried in an urn, but father I return
Singing oh, the hazards of love
Singing oh, the hazards of love
The hazards of love
The hazards of love
Father I'm not feeling well, the flowers me you fed
Tasted spoiled for suddenly I find that I am dead
But father don't you fear, your children all are here
Singing oh, the hazards of love
Dawn:
Papa turn the water down, the basin's overflown
The water covers everything and me left all alone
But papa here in death, I have regained my breath
To sing oh, the hazards of love
To sing oh, the hazards of love
Isaiah:
Spare the rod, you'll spoil the child, but I prefer the lash
My sisters drowned and poisoned all and me reduced to ash
And buried in an urn, but father I return
Singing oh, the hazards of love
Singing oh, the hazards of love
The hazards of love
The hazards of love
Lyrics submitted by MarcelLionheart
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I like to believe they get to him before he rapes Margaret.
The three murdered children of the villain from "The Rake" come back to haunt their father. A beautiful and creepy song.
really wish Colin would have sung this one.
I don't know; the demonic children's chorus works too well in this one. <br /> <br /> I like the less literal interpretation some of you have. It makes a lot of sense that the children represent the Rake's conscience and not actual ghost/zombie kids. The one thing that makes me stick to a literal interpretation, however, is the creepy carnival music. It seems to take the song beyond happening on the mind of the Rake and suggests something far more evil.
I smiled when I heard this. I listened to The Rake's Song so much when it was released, and to hear such a great followup to it was really wonderful.
I felt like this was the Rake's greeting into death. That William had killed him, and the first thing he sees upon dying is all his murdered children, which will be with him for eternity in death. A fitting sentence.
I think William could be Isaiah. If it's the Rake's imagination as he's dying, and at the beginning of the song it's William killing him. If his daughters came to haunt him he could be scared and expecting enough to imagine Isaiah. Then he dies and is stuck with all three rather than two, and it makes all the rest more interesting, with the queen having resurrected Isaiah from ash ;)
the children who were murdered by the rake, finally come to haunt their father after his kidnap/rape of margaret. his conscience catching up with him after this whereas before he says "And that's how I came your humble narrator/To be living so easy and free/Expect you think that I should be haunted/But it never really bothers me" in The Rake's Song.
I think that, rather than demonic children rising from the dead and killing him (which a couple of my friends seem to think), either
what jfoxx said: "I felt like this was the Rake's greeting into death. That William had killed him, and the first thing he sees upon dying is all his murdered children, which will be with him for eternity in death. A fitting sentence."
or
His conscience finally catches up with him, and his murdered children's voices drive him insane (and possibly making him commit suicide), thus making it easy for Margaret to escape and be reunited with William/William to rescue Margaret. 'but father I return' I take 'return' to mean the rake is still in the land of the living when the voice is haunting him. 'But papa here in death' This could mean that he's joined his children in death, but I think it's just them talking from death, and he is still alive.
So yes, I think that he is still alive in this song, although probably not for much longer. Who knows, he might simply run away in his insanity.
'rather than demonic children rising from the dead and killing him'<br /> rather than HIS demonic children<br /> my bad, just 'demonic children' makes it sound like I meant just any old demons, rather than his own dead children specifically.
If my theory is right than the third verse is actually William talking to the Rake in person when he finally catches up with him. Very subtle but it is kind of a big revelation. It ties up the Rake encounter as William takes revenge and saves Margaret.
Check out my comment in "The Queen's Rebuke/The Crossing" where I dabble in the idea that William is the Rake's killed son Isaiah.
Except it sounds nothing like William in the third verse. It sounds like a small child. More like a girl than William.<br /> <br /> Also, I think the energetic beginning of this song, with Williams theme, is the fight between William and The Rake. The children begin singing as they greet him in the afterlife.
I'm thinking the music at the beginning sounds like a fight between Will and the Rake... and the children come to help Will defeat their father. The last little bit sounds like the Rake dies. Anyone else hear that?
I think that this song takes place at the moment when William shows up to save Margaret. I agree with what some others have suggested for this album, that William is Isaiah, and I think that when William shows up, The Rake sees Isaiah and suddenly everything comes back to haunt him. William may even be the one singing the last verse but The Rake hears Isaiah. I don't think the Rake is killed. I just think that he remains hidden away wherever he is and is tormented by what he has done.