Susan Cooper wrote a young adult fantasy series called "The Dark is Rising" - for a long time, I thought the series and this song sharing a title was just a coincidence, but looking at the lyrics, I think Mercury Rev did take inspiration from the eponymous second book in the series. Some of the images are reminiscent of the book, particularly the farm, the creek rising, the stars, the snow falling, "this song", winding streams. All of these play a major role in the book, which features the power of nature as a theme. The phrase "The Dark is Rising" is an unusual title, both for a song and for a book series, so I think there's probably a connection.
But there's no love story in the book. If Mercury Rev was thinking of a particular relationship in the books and not just using the images, I would say it's about Will, the hero, and his alienation from his large and loving family as he learns of his secret quest and destiny. But I think it's more likely that Mercury Rev used a very beautiful book to write a very beautiful song about a very beautiful love story.
Susan Cooper wrote a young adult fantasy series called "The Dark is Rising" - for a long time, I thought the series and this song sharing a title was just a coincidence, but looking at the lyrics, I think Mercury Rev did take inspiration from the eponymous second book in the series. Some of the images are reminiscent of the book, particularly the farm, the creek rising, the stars, the snow falling, "this song", winding streams. All of these play a major role in the book, which features the power of nature as a theme. The phrase "The Dark is Rising" is an unusual title, both for a song and for a book series, so I think there's probably a connection.
But there's no love story in the book. If Mercury Rev was thinking of a particular relationship in the books and not just using the images, I would say it's about Will, the hero, and his alienation from his large and loving family as he learns of his secret quest and destiny. But I think it's more likely that Mercury Rev used a very beautiful book to write a very beautiful song about a very beautiful love story.