And under the boughs unbowed
All clothed in a snowy shroud
She had no heart, so hardened
All under the boughs unbowed

Each feather it fell from skin
'Til threadbare, as she grew thin
How were my eyes so blinded?
Each feather it fell from skin

And I will hang my head, hang my head low
And I will hang my head, hang my head low

A gray sky, a bitter sting
A rain cloud, a crane on wing
All out beyond horizon
A gray sky, a bitter sting

And I will hang my head, hang my head low
And I will hang my head, hang my head low
And I will hang my head, hang my head low
And I will hang my head, hang my head low
And I will hang my head, hang my head low
And I will hang my head, hang my head low, low, low


Lyrics submitted by Nodima

The Crane Wife 3 Lyrics as written by Colin Meloy

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management

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The Crane Wife 3 song meanings
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  • +1
    General Comment

    The man who gains a wife that is secretly an animal and then loses his wife because he finds out her true identity is a common theme in Japanese folklore. An even more common theme is that a man disobeys a command given him by his wife, usually not to look at her while she is doing something which reveals her supernatural nature, this discovery leading to their separation. A great deal, though by no means all, of Japanese folktales end in this bittersweet sadness left in the wake of the wife's parting. This aesthetic is called "mono no aware", meaning something like "tragic beauty that comes from the bittersweet sadness of things".

    Nurarihyonon February 07, 2007   Link

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