| The Mountain Goats – Philippians 3:20-21 Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself." |
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| The Mountain Goats – Isaiah 45:23 Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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"I have sworn by Myself, The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness And will not turn back, That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance." |
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| The Mountain Goats – Deuteronomy 2:10 Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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"The Emim lived there formerly, a people as great, numerous, and tall as the Anakim." I think the key point in the verse is "formerly", commenting on how humans have extinguished these species which used to be plentiful and incredible |
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| The Mountain Goats – Proverbs 6:27 Lyrics | 14 years ago |
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"Can a man take fire in his bosom And his clothes not be burned?" |
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| The Mountain Goats – Hebrews 11:40 Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| "because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect." | |
| The Mountain Goats – 1 John 4:16 Lyrics | 14 years ago |
| "We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him." | |
| The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love 3 (Revenge!) Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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Well, I think Isaiah IS aware that he & his siblings were murdered - Dawn & Charlotte were killed surreptitiously while Isaiah fought back. He's the oldest, and so would be the one most likely to be aware. As for "I prefer the lash" I take that as a comment on the way that his father killed him - the proverb says "Spare the rob & spoil the child", but the rake whipped Isaiah, which is a much harsher thing. |
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| The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned) Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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Margaret could go back to her home - there's nothing to suggest she didn't leave willingly. William offered his own life to the river, not Margaret's, but her love for him is so great that she can't help but want to be with him even in death. And, if as is suggested by a lot of readers, that she miscarried as a result of the Rake's abduction then William would probably accept that sacrifice from her. But it's her choice - she could easily cross the river separately and return home if she wanted. |
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| The Decemberists – The Rake's Song Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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Well it could be a few things. For one, she could be referring the the soil he was laying on, which might well have a lot of clay. There's also a chance that she means a literal cradle made from clay, but I don't think that's terribly likely. What I think the the most likely interpretation is his body - Genesis describes Adam being formed from clay, and clay is often used as a metaphor for human flesh. |
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| The Decemberists – The Hazards of Love 2 (Wager All) Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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The shape-shifting here is what keys into the right choice between fawn and faun - William is your classic person transformed into animal. Also, the lyrics in HoL 1 say "right [his] hind leg", and only a fawn has four legs :) |
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| The Decemberists – The Queen's Rebuke/The Crossing Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| I the line as "But the river is deep to the banks and the river is wild", but I'm not 100% sure | |
| The Decemberists – The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| I think it's pretty clear from context in HoL 1 that William is a fawn, a young deer. Margaret stops to fix the fawn's leg, and if it were a faun (half goat/half man) then he probably wouldn't need any help with his leg (as he'd have opposable thumbs with which to help himself). Also, the description as white also suggests a young deer - I've never run across any stories where a faun was described as white, but it's common for magical animals in myths to be solid white or solid black, stressing their rarity. | |
| The Decemberists – Annan Water Lyrics | 15 years ago |
| He's singing "You may render me a-wrack when I come back" | |
| The Decemberists – The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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One thing - William, while the Forest Queen has given hom the form of a fawn during the day, _is_ a man, or at least was born human. He says: "You delivered me from danger then" (i.e. when he was sent adrift like baby Moses), and so when he says "Swore to save me from the world of men" he means she gave him an escape from the cruel world by taking him as her son rather than letting him die on the river, not that she protected him (her natural son) from the human world. The fact that he's her adopted son that she's gone out of her way to save is what motivates her anger at how her love was "repaid". |
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| The Mountain Goats – Up the Wolves Lyrics | 15 years ago |
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@flyingnat In Roman mythology, Romulus and Remus were twin brothers that were abandoned and raised by a she-wolf. Eventually they founded Rome, and Romulus was the first king. I read the chorus as saying, effectively, "our mom hasn't taken care of us since we moved in with our step-father, but when she comes to her senses everything will be OK again." |
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