Orpheus, the most talented musician of his time, falls in love with Eurydice, the oak nymph. Orpheus and Eurydice are wed. During the wedding, a stayr pursues Eurydice. She fights off his advances by running away. During her escape, she steps on a poisonous snake and dies as soon as the snake bites her. Orpheus discovers her body and immediately becomes emo, playing only the saddest songs that make gods, nymphs and men cry. Upon the suggestion of other myths, he goes to the Underworld to convince the king (Hades) and queen (Persephone) of the underworld to free Eurydice.
Orpheus played a very sad song for Hades and Persephonre, and softens their hearts to the point where they agree to free Eurydice from death under the following condition: He had to lead Eurydice through the underworld and could not look back to see her until they reached the world of the living. He fails when he grows impatient and turns back to look upon his lover right before they reach the surface. Eurydice is then sucked back into the Underworld and Orpheus has no chance of recovering her again.
As a result, Orpheus is forced to live out his tragic life due to his mistake.
In any case, I believe this song uses the Orpheus myth to convey the feeling of loss. While we can't always control our loss, (such as the death of a loved one from natural causes, cancer, etc.) everyone experiences loss from their decisions. Orpheus decided to look at Eurydice before they reached the world of the living. As soon as he did it, he lost her forever.
This song illustrates the constant pain we feel from that nature of that loss. The feeling that loss is a direct consequence of your actions. This song hints that the pain will go away, but reveals that "It's never over." We have to live with our destructive decisions for the rest of our lives.
For anyone who doesn't know the Orpheus myth:
Orpheus, the most talented musician of his time, falls in love with Eurydice, the oak nymph. Orpheus and Eurydice are wed. During the wedding, a stayr pursues Eurydice. She fights off his advances by running away. During her escape, she steps on a poisonous snake and dies as soon as the snake bites her. Orpheus discovers her body and immediately becomes emo, playing only the saddest songs that make gods, nymphs and men cry. Upon the suggestion of other myths, he goes to the Underworld to convince the king (Hades) and queen (Persephone) of the underworld to free Eurydice.
Orpheus played a very sad song for Hades and Persephonre, and softens their hearts to the point where they agree to free Eurydice from death under the following condition: He had to lead Eurydice through the underworld and could not look back to see her until they reached the world of the living. He fails when he grows impatient and turns back to look upon his lover right before they reach the surface. Eurydice is then sucked back into the Underworld and Orpheus has no chance of recovering her again.
As a result, Orpheus is forced to live out his tragic life due to his mistake.
In any case, I believe this song uses the Orpheus myth to convey the feeling of loss. While we can't always control our loss, (such as the death of a loved one from natural causes, cancer, etc.) everyone experiences loss from their decisions. Orpheus decided to look at Eurydice before they reached the world of the living. As soon as he did it, he lost her forever.
This song illustrates the constant pain we feel from that nature of that loss. The feeling that loss is a direct consequence of your actions. This song hints that the pain will go away, but reveals that "It's never over." We have to live with our destructive decisions for the rest of our lives.