I agree with what fibberdyjibber said, partly. But my hypothesis is that it's about her own relationship with her father.
There is a man that I know
For seventeen years he never spoke
Guess he had nothing to say
He opened his mouth on judgment day
Laura Marling was raised in a religious school, and probably in a religious home, and it may have been that her father was quiet, stoic, and emotionally unavailable. Perhaps he presented few words and less emotion to her until he laid down the law when she was 17 (He hopened his mouth on judgment day), probably in response to finding out she had done something against his beliefs - in my mind, probably something to do with a relationship of hers.
I listened with all of my might
But was scared by the look in his eyes
Like he'd already lost the fight
And there was no hope ever in sight
She listened to his words, because the less one says, the more people pay attention when one does speak, but his anger terrified her after years of not seeing any emotion, positive or negative, from him. His look "like he'd already lost the fight" is his anger at losing his daughter to worldly ways, and that "there was no hope ever in sight" - that she'd never be the little girl she once was in his eyes.
No hope in the air,
No hope in the water,
Not even for me,
Your last serving daughter
He felt hopeless after this experience, even toward his last remaining daughter (Laura was the youngest)
Why fear death? Be scared of living
Oh, hearts are small and ever thinning
There is no hope ever of winning
So why fear death? Be scared of living
Laura had a fear of death around this time, and perhaps the first and last line is her teling herself that life is far worse than death could ever be. "Hearts are small and ever-thinning" could be saying to her father that people become more jaded as they get older, so why not forgive her and let her keep her heart young? But alas, "there is no hope ever of winning" this particular argument.
I have seen men provoked
I have watched lives revoked
And I looked at my life and I choked
And from there, no more ever has spoke
She had seen a lot in her few years, but despite that when she looked back on her actions, she was apalled at her own behavior (a feeling brought on more by her father's disapproval than by a breach of her own morals). And after that, she was scared of relationships because of the anger they could cause in her own family.
But I won't give up that quick
My life is a candle and a wick
You can't put it out but you can't break it down
In the end, we are waiting to be lit
Despite her father's rage, she won't give up living her life the way she wants to that easily, viewing life as a "candle and a wick", waiting to be lit by the life she could have.
There's hope in the air
There's hope in the water
But no hope for me,
Your last serving daughter
Her father recovers from his pain, and regains hope, but not in her.
A friend is a friend forever
And a good one will never leave, never
But you've never been south of what rolls off your mouth
You will never understand, ever
Despite her father's emotional unavailability, she still had a friendship with him, and that will not change, but because he's "never been south of what rolls off [his] mouth" - that is to say, he's never experienced the kind of relationships she is experiencing - he will never understand what she's going through, or why she did what she did.
Speak minds handed down to you
By the lies handed down by your truth
Your angels that dance at your will
Will mask your scrambling youth
The first two lines may be a reference to her father's religion, all his life having had his opinions handed down to him by the lies handed down by his Truth (religion). His "angels that dance at his will" may be his other two daughters, who ended up how he wanted them to be, thus "making his scrambling youth" - he lived vicariously through raising them "properly," to fill the void of his lack of passionate relationships.
I forgave you your shortcomings
And ignored your childish behavior
Laid a kiss on your head
And before I left said,
"Stay away from fleeting favour"
She forgave him his shortcomings and his childish rejection of her right to make her own decisions. She left the family home (she moved to London at 16 - maybe 17 was poetic license, and the events occured at a previous time), still loving him, but telling him to beware his other daughters' apparent acceptance of his doctrines.
Oh, pick up your rope, Lord, sling it to me
If we are to battle, I must not be weak.
And give us your strength, World, and your food and your water
Oh I am your saviour, your last serving daughter
I think these are the most powerful lines in the song. The first two lines are a challenge to the religion she had been raised with, and her saying "if I have to fight this faith for the rest of my life, I can't do it weakly." She then asks the world of human nature to provide her with sustainence she now lacks after leaving the church, saying that she is now a partisan for her cause and that of those like her, the "last serving daughter" of the carnal world.
This is what this song says to me. Perhaps I relate to it in this way through my own experiences (it's the story of my life o.o), but this is my interpretation of this beautiful, haunting song.
I agree with what fibberdyjibber said, partly. But my hypothesis is that it's about her own relationship with her father.
There is a man that I know For seventeen years he never spoke Guess he had nothing to say He opened his mouth on judgment day
Laura Marling was raised in a religious school, and probably in a religious home, and it may have been that her father was quiet, stoic, and emotionally unavailable. Perhaps he presented few words and less emotion to her until he laid down the law when she was 17 (He hopened his mouth on judgment day), probably in response to finding out she had done something against his beliefs - in my mind, probably something to do with a relationship of hers.
I listened with all of my might But was scared by the look in his eyes Like he'd already lost the fight And there was no hope ever in sight
She listened to his words, because the less one says, the more people pay attention when one does speak, but his anger terrified her after years of not seeing any emotion, positive or negative, from him. His look "like he'd already lost the fight" is his anger at losing his daughter to worldly ways, and that "there was no hope ever in sight" - that she'd never be the little girl she once was in his eyes.
No hope in the air, No hope in the water, Not even for me, Your last serving daughter
He felt hopeless after this experience, even toward his last remaining daughter (Laura was the youngest)
Why fear death? Be scared of living Oh, hearts are small and ever thinning There is no hope ever of winning So why fear death? Be scared of living
Laura had a fear of death around this time, and perhaps the first and last line is her teling herself that life is far worse than death could ever be. "Hearts are small and ever-thinning" could be saying to her father that people become more jaded as they get older, so why not forgive her and let her keep her heart young? But alas, "there is no hope ever of winning" this particular argument.
I have seen men provoked I have watched lives revoked And I looked at my life and I choked And from there, no more ever has spoke
She had seen a lot in her few years, but despite that when she looked back on her actions, she was apalled at her own behavior (a feeling brought on more by her father's disapproval than by a breach of her own morals). And after that, she was scared of relationships because of the anger they could cause in her own family.
But I won't give up that quick My life is a candle and a wick You can't put it out but you can't break it down In the end, we are waiting to be lit
Despite her father's rage, she won't give up living her life the way she wants to that easily, viewing life as a "candle and a wick", waiting to be lit by the life she could have.
There's hope in the air There's hope in the water But no hope for me, Your last serving daughter
Her father recovers from his pain, and regains hope, but not in her.
A friend is a friend forever And a good one will never leave, never But you've never been south of what rolls off your mouth You will never understand, ever
Despite her father's emotional unavailability, she still had a friendship with him, and that will not change, but because he's "never been south of what rolls off [his] mouth" - that is to say, he's never experienced the kind of relationships she is experiencing - he will never understand what she's going through, or why she did what she did.
Speak minds handed down to you By the lies handed down by your truth Your angels that dance at your will Will mask your scrambling youth
The first two lines may be a reference to her father's religion, all his life having had his opinions handed down to him by the lies handed down by his Truth (religion). His "angels that dance at his will" may be his other two daughters, who ended up how he wanted them to be, thus "making his scrambling youth" - he lived vicariously through raising them "properly," to fill the void of his lack of passionate relationships.
I forgave you your shortcomings And ignored your childish behavior Laid a kiss on your head And before I left said, "Stay away from fleeting favour"
She forgave him his shortcomings and his childish rejection of her right to make her own decisions. She left the family home (she moved to London at 16 - maybe 17 was poetic license, and the events occured at a previous time), still loving him, but telling him to beware his other daughters' apparent acceptance of his doctrines.
Oh, pick up your rope, Lord, sling it to me If we are to battle, I must not be weak. And give us your strength, World, and your food and your water Oh I am your saviour, your last serving daughter
I think these are the most powerful lines in the song. The first two lines are a challenge to the religion she had been raised with, and her saying "if I have to fight this faith for the rest of my life, I can't do it weakly." She then asks the world of human nature to provide her with sustainence she now lacks after leaving the church, saying that she is now a partisan for her cause and that of those like her, the "last serving daughter" of the carnal world.
This is what this song says to me. Perhaps I relate to it in this way through my own experiences (it's the story of my life o.o), but this is my interpretation of this beautiful, haunting song.