It's a bit tougher to figure out the context of this track, but my take is that after The Rake is haunted/killed by his children, Margaret and William escape back to the river. They try to cross, but the Annan Water sinks their boat. It could be that they were truly trying to return to the Taiga, but I like to think that since William made the deal with Annan Water to let him cross but not return, Margaret agreed to perish with him in the river. She would rather be with him in death than let him be taken by the Queen of the Taiga.
i was thinking exactly the same thing. william's "deal" with the river in "annan water" was that as long as he was able to cross and be with margaret, then the river could take him on the way back. the way i see it, they can consider it a death if the make it back to the taiga anyway, because in "the wanting comes in waves" the queen permits william his one night, but says that in the morning, she will take him back (away from margaret) and that will be him repaying his debt to her for saving him...
i was thinking exactly the same thing. william's "deal" with the river in "annan water" was that as long as he was able to cross and be with margaret, then the river could take him on the way back. the way i see it, they can consider it a death if the make it back to the taiga anyway, because in "the wanting comes in waves" the queen permits william his one night, but says that in the morning, she will take him back (away from margaret) and that will be him repaying his debt to her for saving him and keeping him safe for his whole life. they would rather die together than live without each other.
right on. all though I think that what occurs in Hazards 3 and Wanting (Reprise) is actually William coming onto the scene, killing the Rake, and freeing Margaret.
right on. all though I think that what occurs in Hazards 3 and Wanting (Reprise) is actually William coming onto the scene, killing the Rake, and freeing Margaret.
It's actually a rather graceful, subtle turn that Meloy chooses to omit what might otherwise have been the climax. This is a story about love, not revenge. What of the Rake's back story then? He exists as a foil to William, the original anti-hero shape-changing seducer.
It's actually a rather graceful, subtle turn that Meloy chooses to omit what might otherwise have been the climax. This is a story about love, not revenge. What of the Rake's back story then? He exists as a foil to William, the original anti-hero shape-changing seducer.
The baby is still in the womb as of their death. It either 1) dies, perhaps becoming a ghost a la Leslie Anne Levine off Castaways 2)...
The baby is still in the womb as of their death. It either 1) dies, perhaps becoming a ghost a la Leslie Anne Levine off Castaways 2) miraculously surfaces by the water and lives, as in The Island off The Crane Wife or 3) is rescued, as William himself was by the Queen (very similar situation) -- and thus restarting the cycle of the album's story.
With either/all these answers, Meloy has accumulated a whole little universe of myth around his body of work.
i never thought of those connections to the other albums. i like the restarting of the cycle idea because i listen to the album on repeat so i like the possibility of that.
i never thought of those connections to the other albums. i like the restarting of the cycle idea because i listen to the album on repeat so i like the possibility of that.
and i could totally agree with william killing the rake and freeing margaret thing now that you say it and i look back on it.
and i could totally agree with william killing the rake and freeing margaret thing now that you say it and i look back on it.
I like Arrian's idea that Margaret and William's baby is rescued by the Queen and the cycle resarts again. I would like to point out that the album seems, as a whole, to be going for a whole universal feel. As in, everyone who falls in love faces certain Hazards that try to keep them apart, but the message is, that if true love exists, the two will be together regardless, and the generalization of "hazards" implies that the cycle will continue until the end of time. So I think the baby was somehow rescued by the Queen to begin...
I like Arrian's idea that Margaret and William's baby is rescued by the Queen and the cycle resarts again. I would like to point out that the album seems, as a whole, to be going for a whole universal feel. As in, everyone who falls in love faces certain Hazards that try to keep them apart, but the message is, that if true love exists, the two will be together regardless, and the generalization of "hazards" implies that the cycle will continue until the end of time. So I think the baby was somehow rescued by the Queen to begin the cycle again. Just listen to the album again and the story begins again.
I also heard somewhere that this album came from Meloy's wanting to write a musical but his agents or someone told him it was a bad idea, so he wrote this album as, quite literally, a musical without visuals. That being said, some thing may have been left out of the story, such as their baby being rescued at the end. I know I'm kind of rambling but...
It's a bit tougher to figure out the context of this track, but my take is that after The Rake is haunted/killed by his children, Margaret and William escape back to the river. They try to cross, but the Annan Water sinks their boat. It could be that they were truly trying to return to the Taiga, but I like to think that since William made the deal with Annan Water to let him cross but not return, Margaret agreed to perish with him in the river. She would rather be with him in death than let him be taken by the Queen of the Taiga.
i was thinking exactly the same thing. william's "deal" with the river in "annan water" was that as long as he was able to cross and be with margaret, then the river could take him on the way back. the way i see it, they can consider it a death if the make it back to the taiga anyway, because in "the wanting comes in waves" the queen permits william his one night, but says that in the morning, she will take him back (away from margaret) and that will be him repaying his debt to her for saving him...
i was thinking exactly the same thing. william's "deal" with the river in "annan water" was that as long as he was able to cross and be with margaret, then the river could take him on the way back. the way i see it, they can consider it a death if the make it back to the taiga anyway, because in "the wanting comes in waves" the queen permits william his one night, but says that in the morning, she will take him back (away from margaret) and that will be him repaying his debt to her for saving him and keeping him safe for his whole life. they would rather die together than live without each other.
this is one of the most beautiful sad songs.
right on. all though I think that what occurs in Hazards 3 and Wanting (Reprise) is actually William coming onto the scene, killing the Rake, and freeing Margaret.
right on. all though I think that what occurs in Hazards 3 and Wanting (Reprise) is actually William coming onto the scene, killing the Rake, and freeing Margaret.
It's actually a rather graceful, subtle turn that Meloy chooses to omit what might otherwise have been the climax. This is a story about love, not revenge. What of the Rake's back story then? He exists as a foil to William, the original anti-hero shape-changing seducer.
It's actually a rather graceful, subtle turn that Meloy chooses to omit what might otherwise have been the climax. This is a story about love, not revenge. What of the Rake's back story then? He exists as a foil to William, the original anti-hero shape-changing seducer.
The baby is still in the womb as of their death. It either 1) dies, perhaps becoming a ghost a la Leslie Anne Levine off Castaways 2)...
The baby is still in the womb as of their death. It either 1) dies, perhaps becoming a ghost a la Leslie Anne Levine off Castaways 2) miraculously surfaces by the water and lives, as in The Island off The Crane Wife or 3) is rescued, as William himself was by the Queen (very similar situation) -- and thus restarting the cycle of the album's story.
With either/all these answers, Meloy has accumulated a whole little universe of myth around his body of work.
i never thought of those connections to the other albums. i like the restarting of the cycle idea because i listen to the album on repeat so i like the possibility of that.
i never thought of those connections to the other albums. i like the restarting of the cycle idea because i listen to the album on repeat so i like the possibility of that.
and i could totally agree with william killing the rake and freeing margaret thing now that you say it and i look back on it.
and i could totally agree with william killing the rake and freeing margaret thing now that you say it and i look back on it.
I like Arrian's idea that Margaret and William's baby is rescued by the Queen and the cycle resarts again. I would like to point out that the album seems, as a whole, to be going for a whole universal feel. As in, everyone who falls in love faces certain Hazards that try to keep them apart, but the message is, that if true love exists, the two will be together regardless, and the generalization of "hazards" implies that the cycle will continue until the end of time. So I think the baby was somehow rescued by the Queen to begin...
I like Arrian's idea that Margaret and William's baby is rescued by the Queen and the cycle resarts again. I would like to point out that the album seems, as a whole, to be going for a whole universal feel. As in, everyone who falls in love faces certain Hazards that try to keep them apart, but the message is, that if true love exists, the two will be together regardless, and the generalization of "hazards" implies that the cycle will continue until the end of time. So I think the baby was somehow rescued by the Queen to begin the cycle again. Just listen to the album again and the story begins again. I also heard somewhere that this album came from Meloy's wanting to write a musical but his agents or someone told him it was a bad idea, so he wrote this album as, quite literally, a musical without visuals. That being said, some thing may have been left out of the story, such as their baby being rescued at the end. I know I'm kind of rambling but...