| Mumford & Sons – Little Lion Man Lyrics | 10 years ago |
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Sif, Richard III was Duke of Gloucester (whose coat-of-arms includes the Lion) of House York which is a smaller house to House Plantagenet (whose coat-of-arms is the Lion). Hence the "Little" Lion Man does not refer to the great Lionheart, but rather a lesser member who styled himself as a great lion. Richard III wanted to be a great lion but he was not destined for that fate, so he created it himself. |
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| Mumford & Sons – Hopeless Wanderer Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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I don't have my CD booklet in front of me, but how about instead of saying what you HEAR, refer to the booklet for the printed lyrics... Unless of course everyone here just downloaded the iTunes album and don't have the lyrics provided. |
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| Mumford & Sons – Below My Feet Lyrics | 12 years ago |
| Nope. It's "keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn" | |
| Mumford & Sons – Timshel Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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Ease up on the anger and you may realize Little Lion Man (Richard III), Roll Away Your Stone (Macbeth) and Sigh No More (Much Ado About Nothing) have roots in Shakespeare. Also, when did appreciating an author from another country make a person/artist a fake? |
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| Mumford & Sons – Little Lion Man Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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I'd have to spend more time doing proper research, but I strongly believe that just how "Roll Away Your Stone" is heavily influenced by Shakespeare's Macbeth, "Little Lion Man" is influenced by Shakespeare's Richard III. Richard the Third became Richard the Lionheart. "You'll never settle any of your score Your grace is wasted in your face Your boldness stands alone among the wreck Learn from your mother Or else spend your days biting your own neck" Early into the play you learn that Richard is a bastard child who is neglected, he has a damaged face with scars, he regularly comes in like a champion after someone else does the dirty work, his mother wishes he had died in birth. Just a few references, but I think any Shakespeare fans would enjoy re-reading that play then listening to this song. |
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| Mumford & Sons – Roll Away Your Stone Lyrics | 12 years ago |
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For me the obvious interpretation is Shakespeare's Macbeth. "And I have filled this void with things unreal, And all the while my character it steals" Throughout Macbeth, his soul withers away with each grievous choice he makes and he slips further into an abyss, stealing his character. He was once a mighty general and had the King's favor, but greed and ambition (things unreal) derail him. "Darkness is a harsh term don’t you think? And yet it dominates the things I see" Macbeth is constantly haunted by dark images, ghosts, witches. His mind becomes fixated on fulfilling the prophecies foretold by the witches. "It seems that all my bridges have been burned, But you say that’s exactly how this grace thing works It’s not the long walk home that will change this heart, But the welcome I receive with the restart" Macbeth has no friends remaining through the fault of his actions. His only escape (restart) is through death. This is where I think most people can find the Christian interpretation because of the reference of grace. When we consider God's grace we don't obtain it through a long walk back to God, it's freely given when we choose to restart. Macbeth's death is releasing his soul from torment and giving it back to God. "Stars hide your fires, These here are my desires And I won't give them up to you this time around And so, I’ll be found with my stake stuck in this ground Marking the territory of this newly impassioned soul" This is taken straight from Macbeth, Act 1, Scene 4. At this point in the song is before Macbeth's death (or possibly his spirit speaking). Macbeth is murdered by MacDuff and instead of a proper burial he is decapitated and his head mounted on a stake. When you read the actual play by Shakespeare you will see a theme of light vs. dark, good vs. evil, right vs. wrong and the very difficult choices Macbeth, a flawed human, struggles with on his journey. He is a ruthless character, but what draws me into the story of Macbeth is the possibility that any one of us could be Macbeth if the right temptations triggered our ambition. |
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