Lyric discussion by maxf736 

Cover art for June Hymn lyrics by Decemberists, The

Official lyrics from the Decemberists site:

June Hymn Here’s a hymn to welcome in the day Heralding a summer’s early sway And all the bulbs all coming in To begin The thrushes bleating battle with the wrens Disrupts my reverie again

Pegging clothing on the line Training jasmine how to vine Up the arbor to your door And more You’re standing on the landing with the war You shouldered all the night before

And once upon it The yellow bonnets Garland all the lawn And you were waking And day was breaking A panoply of song And summer comes to Springville Hill

A barony of ivy in the trees Expanding out its empire by degrees And all the branches burst to bloom In the boom Heaven sent this cardinal maroon To decorate our living room

Chorus

And years from now when this old light Isn’t ambling anymore Will I bring myself to write “I give my best to Springville Hill”

Chorus

This song touches me deeply for some reason. The music is very poignant and beautiful, with a touch of sadness in it. It goes straight to the heart, with the very literate and loving lyrics. The question I have is about the lines You're standing on the landing With the war you shouldered all the night before

and And all the branches burst to bloom In the boom

Is this a reference to one of the lovers being involved in a war? It would certainly intensify the meaning of the innocent beauty of nature and the closeness of the...

While it may have something to do with the fact that "This is Why We Fight" comes right after this song, I don't believe it's a literal war. Perhaps a war with oneself or one's demons. Perhaps the person spent the night awake wrestling with his demons, and while he feels he is on his way to overcoming him, he is sleep deprived, which is clearly visible to anyone who looks while he stands on his porch. He feels confident though, because he's just stepped out into a beautiful morning in a beautiful town. The beginning of summer gives him hope...

@Irusan Always thought that line was about a mother struggling to get a baby to sleep.