Honestly, I am completely and totally enthralled by this song.
Every aspect is perfect: the phrasing, the lyrics, you name it. This song is incredible.
In my opinion, the first verse definitely references death and the journey into the afterlife. The talk constant talk about heat and melting reminds me of cremation, hence the line "until we were just bone." She also references the fact that worms are an important aspect of the decay of the buried human body.
I'm not entirely sure what to think about the million ancient bees line. Maybe it's a reference to the sins of their lives? If anyone has a good idea about that, it would be much appreciated.
Overall, brilliant song and brilliant performer. Regina continues to amaze me.
@halfpintlemon I read your analysis and many others on this page over a decade ago, but this song is one I keep coming back to and have never fully figured out. There are just so many things to extract, which is kind of the beauty of the metaphor of life in itself.
@halfpintlemon I read your analysis and many others on this page over a decade ago, but this song is one I keep coming back to and have never fully figured out. There are just so many things to extract, which is kind of the beauty of the metaphor of life in itself.
To address a direct point you made though: I think the ancient bees part could be a deliberate homophone: on the surface, listening to the line “a million ancient bees began to sting our knees” draws an image and understanding of bees equating to bumble bees, flying insects with stingers that make honey and pollinate flowers. The other possibility is that “a million ancient bes” as in “a million ancient lessons; the omnipotent forces of powers that be; que cera; whatever will be will be”. This would reflect and parallel other main messages in the song - life is about accepting the inevitability of occurrences; even when things are obvious, we can still not get the message - even when it’s paired with pain signals. We don’t always learn the hardway or learn from history; we may get hurt but we still might not get the lesson and repeat the mistake. We have the input of experience to use as a past warning, but we don’t listen to it. “Walking arm and arm you hope it don’t get harmed, but even if it does, you’ll just do it all again” - learning from the past doesn’t mean we should refuse the future. Try again.
Song ends with “the solos awful long, but it’s a good refrain” which is a change to earliest verses “the solos awful long but it’s a pretty song”. A refrain in lyrical definitions is “A refrain (from Vulgar Latin refringere, "to repeat", and later from Old French refraindre) is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in poetry; the "chorus" of a song.”
She’s ending by saying that the lessons of the past night repeat, over and over, “ancient bes” are still stinging
Honestly, I am completely and totally enthralled by this song.
Every aspect is perfect: the phrasing, the lyrics, you name it. This song is incredible.
In my opinion, the first verse definitely references death and the journey into the afterlife. The talk constant talk about heat and melting reminds me of cremation, hence the line "until we were just bone." She also references the fact that worms are an important aspect of the decay of the buried human body.
I'm not entirely sure what to think about the million ancient bees line. Maybe it's a reference to the sins of their lives? If anyone has a good idea about that, it would be much appreciated.
Overall, brilliant song and brilliant performer. Regina continues to amaze me.
@halfpintlemon I read your analysis and many others on this page over a decade ago, but this song is one I keep coming back to and have never fully figured out. There are just so many things to extract, which is kind of the beauty of the metaphor of life in itself.
@halfpintlemon I read your analysis and many others on this page over a decade ago, but this song is one I keep coming back to and have never fully figured out. There are just so many things to extract, which is kind of the beauty of the metaphor of life in itself.
To address a direct point you made though: I think the ancient bees part could be a deliberate homophone: on the surface, listening to the line “a million ancient bees began to sting our knees” draws an image and understanding of bees equating to bumble bees, flying insects with stingers that make honey and pollinate flowers. The other possibility is that “a million ancient bes” as in “a million ancient lessons; the omnipotent forces of powers that be; que cera; whatever will be will be”. This would reflect and parallel other main messages in the song - life is about accepting the inevitability of occurrences; even when things are obvious, we can still not get the message - even when it’s paired with pain signals. We don’t always learn the hardway or learn from history; we may get hurt but we still might not get the lesson and repeat the mistake. We have the input of experience to use as a past warning, but we don’t listen to it. “Walking arm and arm you hope it don’t get harmed, but even if it does, you’ll just do it all again” - learning from the past doesn’t mean we should refuse the future. Try again.
Song ends with “the solos awful long, but it’s a good refrain” which is a change to earliest verses “the solos awful long but it’s a pretty song”. A refrain in lyrical definitions is “A refrain (from Vulgar Latin refringere, "to repeat", and later from Old French refraindre) is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in poetry; the "chorus" of a song.”
She’s ending by saying that the lessons of the past night repeat, over and over, “ancient bes” are still stinging
@halfpintlemon
@halfpintlemon