| Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Helplessly Hoping Lyrics | 15 years ago |
|
This tribute to literary elements is masterful as poetry in that within just a few lines it tells a surprisingly complex story in meter and heavy alliteration. It becomes very easy listening when sung with the haunting harmonics of Crosby, Stills, and Nash. It is the vocal harmonics that make the song impossible for an individual to sing and sound like all three voices plus the harmonics at once. You will understand the depth of these lyrics when you know that Stephen Stills had a tempestuous relationship with folk singer Judy Collins. That relationship inspired many of his lyrics including “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes.” It seems obvious but still we have to wonder if “Helplessly Hoping” is one more product inspired by that relationship. We also need to know what a harlequin is. A harlequin is the personified imagination of a character in a play. Dressed in bright diamondboard fabric, a harlequin stands out as imaginary in every sense. As such it might be the earliest form of special effects. The harlequin is an important character in a play because it indicates to the audience what the actor is thinking to him/her self. The harlequin can act out those thoughts in pantomime for the audience. Sometimes the harlequin is used to pass messages between characters. A harlequin may interact with a character but the character can never interact with the harlequin. And by standing or sitting on walls and tall props, a harlequin appears to hover above the action in a play. We enter these lyrics with the observations of a man in a broken relationship… Helplessly hoping her harlequin hovers nearby (He is hoping she has sent a messenger to contact him and talk. He knows it is impossible to contact the harlequin but is trying to pass the mental message.) Awaiting a word (…perhaps the word will come from a messenger, a mutual friend, either with a message or to take a message from him. As the lyrics progress we learn that this waiting situation has gone on far too long. At this point any word from her would be welcome to release the emotional tension between them. Also note that in the song, awaiting is pronounced “uh WAITING” to emphasize the consonance with ‘word.’ For an instrument it would be considered a “grace note.”) Gasping at glimpses of gentle true spirit he runs Wishing he could fly ((he daydreams about her. He runs trying to catch the dreams thinking he could if he could fly.) Only to trip at the sound of goodbye (This is how we know the two know each other. She has said goodbye to him. In attempting to fly in his dreams he breaks his stride when the inevitable final thoughts of the dream come. Those last thoughts are of her saying her final goodbye.) Wordlessly watching he waits by the window (He waits for her to do something. He cannot chase her without looking desperate, which he truly is. He thinks that chasing after her would appear pathetic, which he truly is) and wonders At the empty place inside (He wonders if he will ever have a love that will completely fill the void she has left in him) Heartlessly helping himself to her bad dreams (By thinking of her all the time even the beautiful memories have become torturous bad dreams for him. Even knowing the eventual anguish will come every time he does it, he heartlessly continues to dream of her) he worries Did he hear a good-bye? (did she really mean ‘goodbye’ or…) Or even hello? (…did she want him to come for her?) The chorus phrases are sung with both of them in mind… They are one person (soul mates with identical interests) They are two alone (when they are apart they are individuals, not dependent on each other) They are three together (The concept of being more than the sum of parts is very important in music. Vocal and instrumental harmonies resonate to create more voices to the ear. Thus two voices could easily sound like three when both hit the notes that ring together. You can hear it in the CSN vocals. In this lyric it could be they are more than the sum of the parts or it could be that they cannot be happy together because they quarrel; and the quarrel is personified as the third “person.” A quarrel seems to be the cause of this rift. When they are not together (when they are “two alone”) they probably forget about this third person repeatedly getting in the way of their relationship. Common “third persons” getting in the way of relationships include careers, former love interests, and addictions.) They are for each other (Despite everything, they each have the best interests of the other in their hearts) Now the song shifts to observations and thoughts about the girl’s feelings. Note also the number of syllables changes for her lines. This subtle change indicates a different voice. Stand by the stairway you'll see something certain to tell you Confusion has its cost (The breakup is taking its toll on her, too. Perhaps her emotional escape is to turn toward or away from her career, food, alcohol, or drugs. In any case there is a visible change) Love isn't lying it's loose in a lady who lingers (If it isn’t lying then it is true love. If it is loose then it is a passionate love. Nevertheless she waits, longing, for him to call. If you’ve gotten this far, you gotta love poetry.) Saying she is lost (She is bewildered. She is afraid she has been abandoned and even more afraid to find that out for certain. She is devastated. If he loved her, why has he not called? Since he has not called, she assumes he does not love her. She has the same empty feeling inside her which is interpreted as being lost or helpless.) And choking on hello (She can’t contact him (even by messenger) because she fears confirmation of the rejection she suspects. Or perhaps she remembers that third person and is unwilling to rekindle the torment that is the romance. So she continues to linger and deteriorate both emotionally and physically.) |
|
* This information can be up to 15 minutes delayed.