As someone mentioned earlier, 'tis a subjective perspective. My guy, last night watched season one of True Detective (again!) and as I worked from my computer, I heard this beautiful , haunting song, opening each episode. I searched on YouTube and listened to a version with the lyrics. It struck a chord in a personal way. I came to this page wondering about the meaning of the song. All posts were interesting but my interpretation is sad, personal one.
Shortly after the new year, 2012, I was contacted via Facebook by a detective (bit of irony) asking me if I was related to William *** and if so, asked me to contact him. My heart sank with dread. I knew my brother was gone. They discovered his skeletal remains scattered in a field in Florida, where he lived for about a dozen years. Before this, I had not heard from him in a while but this was not unusual, although he was my best friend growing up.
We are both addicts. I have been clean and sober for fifteen years but unfortunately Billy's addiction progressed. Until a year or so before his death, Billy was a functioning addict, meaning he went to work each day, rarely taking time off.
But some drugs, imitate beauty (euphoria) can cause madness and death. Especially crack cocaine. I speak from experience. There is a phrase amongst crack addicts, "chasing the dragon." This means you want the euphoria of the very first hit. But as the addiction progresses, you become horribly paranoid and I ended each binge in a fetal position with a death wish. But withdrawal is minimal and the next day you search for more and the cycle continues.
From the dusty mesa
Her looming shadow grows
Hidden in the branches
Of the poison creosote
She twines her spines up slowly
Towards the boiling sun
And when I touched her skin
My fingers ran with blood
These two verses define drugs in a near perfect way and the active addict will satisfy their cravings, knowingly or ignorant of the risks but the after effects are horrid, in either a physical way (fatigue) or mentally, (deep depression) usually both.
To partially quote swarog989, "...and it(the bloom) withers within hours." My translation of this is the crack (euphoria) is the bloom and as your addiction progresses, the high withers from hours, when you first use, to minutes as your addiction advances and your chemically induced nirvana wilts away hence, you continue to frantically pursue the cerebral allure turning to an unforgiving, toxic beast.
The desert does not represent the field where Billy died. No, 'tis a wasteland, a desolate place with dangers lurking. An addict will go to any lengths to obtain their next fix. Ghettos in the early morning hours where the dealers swarm around your car. Wicked places with wicked people.
A strange hunger haunted me
The looming shadows danced
I fell down to the thorny brush
And felt a trembling hand.
This is addiction. The trembling hand is the wish to come clean, to escape the shadows of addiction or the horror when your realise no more is available that night.
When the last light warms the rocks
And the rattlesnakes unfold
Mountain cats will come
To drag away your bones
This is the sorry end of life of an active addict. Yes, 'tis ironic that my brother's bones were scattered from the natures predators.
Then rise with me forever
Across the silent sands
And the stars will be your eyes
And the wind will be my hands
The first line I like to think as my brother and I, in different ways, rose from addiction hell, forever.
Across the silent sands symbolise the journey from addiction to recovery.
And, yes, his eyes are in the stars..the only visible part heaven is the sky and my hands are the wind, an unseen force, like thoughts, which is the only way I can touch him from the earthy plane to his realm.
They ruled out homicide after a forensic anthropologist examined his remains. I do not believe Billy took his own life. Perhaps he unintentionally overdosed..he was also on opiates and alcohol. My hope is he fell asleep into peaceful death. His date of death is the day they discovered him in the field. 29 December 2011. I will never know the true date when he crossed over.
Now this is my personal interpretation but most importantly how does the song relate to the show, specifically the characters and their lives, past and present?
My analysis of the song's meaning makes it special to me. Thanks for reading.
As someone mentioned earlier, 'tis a subjective perspective. My guy, last night watched season one of True Detective (again!) and as I worked from my computer, I heard this beautiful , haunting song, opening each episode. I searched on YouTube and listened to a version with the lyrics. It struck a chord in a personal way. I came to this page wondering about the meaning of the song. All posts were interesting but my interpretation is sad, personal one.
Shortly after the new year, 2012, I was contacted via Facebook by a detective (bit of irony) asking me if I was related to William *** and if so, asked me to contact him. My heart sank with dread. I knew my brother was gone. They discovered his skeletal remains scattered in a field in Florida, where he lived for about a dozen years. Before this, I had not heard from him in a while but this was not unusual, although he was my best friend growing up.
We are both addicts. I have been clean and sober for fifteen years but unfortunately Billy's addiction progressed. Until a year or so before his death, Billy was a functioning addict, meaning he went to work each day, rarely taking time off.
But some drugs, imitate beauty (euphoria) can cause madness and death. Especially crack cocaine. I speak from experience. There is a phrase amongst crack addicts, "chasing the dragon." This means you want the euphoria of the very first hit. But as the addiction progresses, you become horribly paranoid and I ended each binge in a fetal position with a death wish. But withdrawal is minimal and the next day you search for more and the cycle continues.
From the dusty mesa Her looming shadow grows Hidden in the branches Of the poison creosote
She twines her spines up slowly Towards the boiling sun And when I touched her skin My fingers ran with blood
These two verses define drugs in a near perfect way and the active addict will satisfy their cravings, knowingly or ignorant of the risks but the after effects are horrid, in either a physical way (fatigue) or mentally, (deep depression) usually both.
To partially quote swarog989, "...and it(the bloom) withers within hours." My translation of this is the crack (euphoria) is the bloom and as your addiction progresses, the high withers from hours, when you first use, to minutes as your addiction advances and your chemically induced nirvana wilts away hence, you continue to frantically pursue the cerebral allure turning to an unforgiving, toxic beast.
The desert does not represent the field where Billy died. No, 'tis a wasteland, a desolate place with dangers lurking. An addict will go to any lengths to obtain their next fix. Ghettos in the early morning hours where the dealers swarm around your car. Wicked places with wicked people.
A strange hunger haunted me The looming shadows danced I fell down to the thorny brush And felt a trembling hand.
This is addiction. The trembling hand is the wish to come clean, to escape the shadows of addiction or the horror when your realise no more is available that night.
When the last light warms the rocks And the rattlesnakes unfold Mountain cats will come To drag away your bones
This is the sorry end of life of an active addict. Yes, 'tis ironic that my brother's bones were scattered from the natures predators.
Then rise with me forever Across the silent sands And the stars will be your eyes And the wind will be my hands
The first line I like to think as my brother and I, in different ways, rose from addiction hell, forever.
Across the silent sands symbolise the journey from addiction to recovery.
And, yes, his eyes are in the stars..the only visible part heaven is the sky and my hands are the wind, an unseen force, like thoughts, which is the only way I can touch him from the earthy plane to his realm.
They ruled out homicide after a forensic anthropologist examined his remains. I do not believe Billy took his own life. Perhaps he unintentionally overdosed..he was also on opiates and alcohol. My hope is he fell asleep into peaceful death. His date of death is the day they discovered him in the field. 29 December 2011. I will never know the true date when he crossed over.
Now this is my personal interpretation but most importantly how does the song relate to the show, specifically the characters and their lives, past and present?
My analysis of the song's meaning makes it special to me. Thanks for reading.