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William:
Margaret, array the rocks around the hole before we're sinking
A million stones, a million bones, a million holes within the chinking
And painting rings around your eyes, these peppered holes too filled with crying
A whispered weight upon the tattered down where you and I were lying
Tell me now, tell me this, a forest's son, a river's daughter
A willow on the will-o'-wisp, our ghost to wander all of the water
William and Margaret:
So let's be married here today, these rushing waves, to bear our witness
And we will lie like river stones, rolling only where it takes us
But I pulled you and I called you here
(Didn't I? Didn't I? Didn't I?)
And I caught you and I brought you here
(Didn't I? Didn't I? Didn't I?)
These hazards of love
Never more will trouble us
William:
O Margaret the lapping waves are licking quietly at our ankles
Another bow, another breath, this brilliant chill has come to shackle
With this long last rush of air, we'll speak our vows of starry whisper
And when the waves came crashing down, he closed his eyes and softly kissed her
But I pulled you and I called you here
(Didn't I? Didn't I? Didn't I?)
And I caught and I brought you here
(Didn't I? Didn't I? Didn't I?)
The hazards of love
Never more will trouble us
And these hazards of love
Never more will trouble us
Margaret, array the rocks around the hole before we're sinking
A million stones, a million bones, a million holes within the chinking
And painting rings around your eyes, these peppered holes too filled with crying
A whispered weight upon the tattered down where you and I were lying
Tell me now, tell me this, a forest's son, a river's daughter
A willow on the will-o'-wisp, our ghost to wander all of the water
William and Margaret:
So let's be married here today, these rushing waves, to bear our witness
And we will lie like river stones, rolling only where it takes us
But I pulled you and I called you here
(Didn't I? Didn't I? Didn't I?)
And I caught you and I brought you here
(Didn't I? Didn't I? Didn't I?)
These hazards of love
Never more will trouble us
William:
O Margaret the lapping waves are licking quietly at our ankles
Another bow, another breath, this brilliant chill has come to shackle
With this long last rush of air, we'll speak our vows of starry whisper
And when the waves came crashing down, he closed his eyes and softly kissed her
But I pulled you and I called you here
(Didn't I? Didn't I? Didn't I?)
And I caught and I brought you here
(Didn't I? Didn't I? Didn't I?)
The hazards of love
Never more will trouble us
And these hazards of love
Never more will trouble us
Lyrics submitted by MarcelLionheart
Track duration: 05:57
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"Margaret, array the rocks around the hole before we're sinking
A million stones, a million bones, a million holes within the chinking
And painting rings around your eyes, these peppered holes too filled with crying
A whispered weight upon the tattered down where you and I were lying
Tell me now, tell me this, a forest's son, a river's daughter
A willow on the will-o'-wisp, our ghost to wander all of the water"
The last two lines you asked about refer to their child, who either is never born due to miscarriage or Margaret's death, or born during this song (depending on one's reading).
Look up Corn Crake. Fits perfectly with Offa's Wall.
She is the river's daughter, because with this specie of bird, most are wadding birds.
Step back and examine the context of her and her sisters being described as in "A Bowers Scene.". In addition to that look at the references to birds during her captivity, "snap and jaw". Their bedding usually consists of down.
Rake also has another definition referring to how a Hawk peruses its prey.
I appreciate the comment that someone made to the Shakespearean green world style of this story telling.
Everything here is flora and fauna personified, so that all consists of a human aspect and an earthly phenomenon aspect.
My personal take as to the story:
Classic, Boy meets girl,
by pretending to be a wounded fawn seducing the girl perhaps via a Nightingale Syndrome.
Knocked up she can no longer go clubin' with her chick friends,
so she leaves her particular arable farmland for the woods again, to see baby's daddy.
The star crossed lovers they are, as well,
when they meet again to begin life together.
Mother does not approve.
I brought you into this world I can take you out of it.
Fine, worth it for one night.
Rake, smarmy, smarmy, smarmy.
Girl meets Rake
Kidnap!
Rape!
Pillage!
&
Burn!
Mother approves.
Last chance to save son.
Son really does wager all.
Fords (Oregon trail style)
Rake, attempts to reclaim what he once had.
Living easy isn't so anymore, after the deed is done.
Boy and Girl celebrate eternal marriage,
by the means of a magnificently gentle and poetic aquatic asphyxiation.
Tale as old as time.
(I just bought the album today and listened to it... 3 times by the count on my iTunes. Please excuse my own bird flavoring in my brash and brief synopsis, but it is late here and I must sleep.)
Thanks be to The Decemberists for a great piece of work.
[ William:
Margaret, array the rocks around the hole before we're sinking
A million stones, a million bones, a million holes within the chinking ]
The chinking being the noise made by pieces of bone and rock thrown by the anthropomorphic Annan at the boat, forcing William's end of the deal upon him. His directives for Margaret being urgent, as if he's frantically trying to plug holes (futilely, as it would seem the Annan is intent on putting more in the boat) while Margaret is, in a manner of speaking, otherwise occupied (having the baby).
[ And painting rings around your eyes, these peppered holes too filled with crying ]
He hears the newborn baby (and possibly Margaret) crying.
[ A whispered weight upon the tattered down where you and I were lying ]
The tiny baby resting on the bedding they had been lying upon.
[ Tell me now, tell me this, a forest's son, a river's daughter ]
And, as a few of you already noted, William asking the baby's sex?
[ William:
Margaret, array the rocks around the hole before we're sinking
A million stones, a million bones, a million holes within the chinking ]
The chinking being the noise made by pieces of bone and rock thrown by the anthropomorphic Annan at the boat, forcing William's end of the deal upon him. His directives for Margaret being urgent, as if he's frantically trying to plug holes (futilely, as it would seem the Annan is intent on putting more in the boat) while Margaret is, in a manner of speaking, otherwise occupied (having the baby).
[ And painting rings around your eyes, these peppered holes too filled with crying ]
He hears the newborn baby (and possibly Margaret) crying.
[ A whispered weight upon the tattered down where you and I were lying ]
The tiny baby resting on the bedding they had been lying upon.
[ Tell me now, tell me this, a forest's son, a river's daughter ]
And, as a few of you already noted, William asking the baby's sex?
[ William:
Margaret, array the rocks around the hole before we're sinking
A million stones, a million bones, a million holes within the chinking ]
The chinking being the noise made by pieces of bone and rock thrown by the anthropomorphic Annan at the boat, forcing William's end of the deal upon him. His directives for Margaret being urgent, as if he's frantically trying to plug holes (futilely, as it would seem the Annan is intent on putting more in the boat) while Margaret is, in a manner of speaking, otherwise occupied (having the baby).
[ And painting rings around your eyes, these peppered holes too filled with crying ]
He hears the newborn baby (and possibly Margaret) crying.
[ A whispered weight upon the tattered down where you and I were lying ]
The tiny baby resting on the bedding they had been lying upon.
[ Tell me now, tell me this, a forest's son, a river's daughter ]
And, as a few of you already noted, William asking the baby's sex?
I think that The Wanting Comes in Waves song right after the revenge song can tell a lot about this one. It's William's light motif, so it's clearly about him at that moment. He says "here comes the waves" and I think this is literal, that he is jumping in to cross the river. The music is heroic, like he's rushing toward her, and then suddenly turns ominous, like horror. At that moment He sees he is too late.
"A million stones, a million bones, a million holes within the chinking"
Her bones are broken in a million pieces
"And painting rings around your eyes, these peppered holes too filled with crying"
She has black eyes from being beaten, and cuts on her face, possibly even lost her eyes
"A whispered weight upon the tattered down where you and I were lying"
She's now just an empty body "a whispered weight"
So he sees she is dead, or possibly near death and decides to walk into the river with her so they can be married in death.
On a side note, I think it's so cool that they make a few musical allusions to Pink Floyd's The Wall. The unintelligible screaming between A Bower Scene and Won't Want for Love sounds just like the transition between two of the songs in The Wall, and later between the Revenge Song and the Wanting Comes in Waves there is a bit of organ music that sounds like the transitions Pink Floyd uses.
Shouldn't this be chink?: 'within the chinking'
Isn't chinking a verb? I know this is grabbing at straws but I hate forced rhymes
This song reminds me of that tragedy that is true love. It is about two people who were close and who experienced something beyond their control. They have been through a great deal of hurt and have decided to become unified in
death. Not singular suicide, not murder, but IF WE GO DOWN TOGETHER THERE WILL BE PEACE.
WILLIAM
"Margaret array the rocks around the holes before we're sinking,
A million stones, a million bones, a million holes within the chinking"
They are in love but it is not going to work out. They try to "shore up" their dire situation,
even though it is completely hopeless. Earth, body and holes within the "chinking",
implying a fractured and doomed framework of love. But even though it is flawed and
broken, it is still love.
'And painting rings around your eyes, these peppered holes so filled with crying"
The cycles of their pain and trauma have created sore eyes and scorched sockets.
"A whispered weight upon the tattered down where you and I were lying"
There was something familiar and comfortable about their love, but there
was also a "whispered weight". Which to me means secret burdens.
"So tell me now, O tell me this, a forest's son, a river's daughter"
Could mean many things, but it is probably about the death of a baby.
Which is symbolic of the death of hope.
'A willow wand a will-o-wisp, our ghosts will wander all of the water"
I think he is saying the three of them will wander around as ghosts forever.
To me this means that there will always be some remnants, and a spirit of
the love they experienced, floating around the atmosphere and inside of them.
WILLIAM AND MARGARET
"So let's be married here today, these rushing waves to bear our witness"
Let's be bound together here, now, with the water as our witness.
"And we will lie like river stones, rolling only where it takes us"
We will go wherever this love leads us.
"But I pulled you and I called you here
(Didn't I, didn't I, didn't I?)
And I caught you and I brought you here
(Didn't I, didn't I, didn't I?)
These hazards of love
Never more will trouble us
They are each responsible for pulling the other into the relationship at different times.
They are apologizing to each other for an hurt they have caused.
Why do we fall in love with certain people? It is not something within our control.
That person has an affect on us and the chemistry created is unique and has it's own life.
They both are at fault for the sadness and pain that was experienced.
There are many "hazards" involved when you are in love with someone.
WILLIAM
"O Margaret the lapping waves are licking quietly at our ankles
Another bow, another breath, this brilliant chill has come to shackle"
He is saying "The time has come for us to die" which means, their love to die.
For them to die together.
"With this long last rush of air, we'll speak our vows in starry whisper
and when the waves came crashing down, he closed his eyes and softly kissed her"
This part makes me cry. What do you say to someone you have loved so deeply
when you only have a few seconds left together in life? I imagine you use you last breath
to whisper to him how much he has meant to you. As the waves came crashing down, and death
was upon them, he closes his eyes and they kiss. As one, locked in an embrace they die.
WILLIAM AND MARGARET
"But I pulled you and I called you here
(Didn't I, didn't I, didn't I?)
And I caught you and I brought you here
(Didn't I, didn't I, didn't I?)
These hazards of love
Never more will trouble us
They each pulled each other into the experience and brought each other through.
They are united in death and now are able to finally experience peace.
This is such a great song. My school counselor loves it now, too. It reminds me of this boy and how much we felt
for each other. I told my counselor that if I think of us together- somehow- it brings me solace. So that is
how I came up with this. We aren't REALLY going to go and drown ourselves together. Now I just hope I can
think of him and I will be washed in feelings of peace because we died side by side and in each other's arms.