Typically, troubled waters are storm-driven river rapids or stormy seas. Thanks for a great interpritation of this excellent album. I feel like the story could be interpreted as a sort of eternal struggle: William was found in the water, rescued by the queen, and falls in love with Margaret.
And we start the whole thing over again. Both to be regenerated as their parents, and live the whole ghastly saga over for eternity.
Where did those miillion bones in Annan Water come from? Since giving birth involves a LOT of blood, the waters in the cistern would get troubled at that time. In that case, instead of people being innocently curious about when Margaret will give birth, they are pressuring her to terminate the pregnancy.
Just to clear this up once and for all, I have a degree in English Literature and to trouble the waters in the cistern definitely refers to waters breaking, as many people have already commented, she is asking margaret when she is due and who the father is. It is NOT referring to having an abortion, drowning herself, having a period etc.
Great interpretation though, many thanks! Some people look into things too deeply and overinterpret, but I guess some people have too much time on their hands! Perhaps the rake and the faun are one. It may be a commentary on man that is overly browbeaten by his mother and an unknown father. It never did say what the faun was at night. I think it is a very well thought out, and orchestrated fight of the inner hate of love struggle within all of us.
Which of course ends up affecting our children and what they do. The sins of the father…. Other lines in this song still really confuse me…. This is fantastic. They outlived my high expectations and put on a beautiful show. Thank you so much! Laurel — The fawn is William, the Queen put a curse on him when she rescued him, fawn by day and man by night, so that no woman would ever steal him away from her — not that it worked! I looked up online and saw that the nuns that wear all white are novice nuns or new to nun-dom.
So this would make sense that Margret is a nun and she went back to tell her nun friends. And thanks for this explanation, it really helped the whole thing make sense. I kept hearing taiga and thought he said tiger. Thank You! I think some people have a couple of parts backwards: i. Reading through the correct lyrics after reading the interpretation here might clarify some things for people posting. Thanks, man. Could troubling the waters not be a reference to margerets water breaking, indicating the birth of her child?
Oh, I see that has been pointed out. In any case though that would be my interpritation. Thanks for the whole interpritation it cleared up some murky spots on the album. And kudos to the decemberists… you just dont see writing of this caliber anymore and when something like this comes out its a definite refresher. Lovely interpretation! I then proceeded to Google the story behind it.
Is the Rake really the narrator? You would think this was William saying that line but it is confusing to me. The narrator changes from song to song, sometimes a character, sometimes third person. Hazards rivals pink floyd, yes, elo, or the strawbs as far as a story album goes. Anyone care to speculate? Thank you so very much for writing this! What a story! Colin is by far the best storyteller in rock music in a long long time.
I am from Germany and not an English native speaker and this was a huge help for me to understand this wonderful new decemberists album!!! Thank you for taking the time to explain in depth the story behind the ablum.
It was a brilliant show and knowing the story behind the album enhanced the enjoyment of the live show. I continue to be impressed with each release by The Decemberists. I believe many enjoy a complex story that ties a melody, beyond todays normal transparent noise.
Just wanted to say thanks! Really enjoyed reading this and even though I just discovered the Decemberists I can tell they are going to be one of my very favorites! The queen has lost her child, and here is an opportunity to try again. Still not a happy ending. Either he turned into a fawn right before he managed to cross the water and drowned his last words in that song was about the night, then the song suddenly ends , or she died before he could rescue them, or they both made it out..
Great post! I just got HoL a week ago so I missed out on the bulk of the conversation. But in case anyone is still interested I am going to add my thoughts and questions. But it definitely grew on me and now I love it.
The fact that the story is somewhat ambiguous is part of the enjoyment. A lot of them may never have crossed my mind. I have a lot coming, so I will post separate comments by topic.
Even if no one is reading anymore, it will be fun for me to interact with the post and comments up to this point. Also if it is W, why does he speak of the fawn and the beast in 3rd person. It makes for an interesting and more tragic story if W is not the fawn, but rather the fawn is this shapeshifting beast that forces himself upon M the level of consent between M and the beast is unclear. Granted, that is pretty clear evidence that W is the fawn. I had a far-fetched scenario where W was a fawn but not the wounded fawn, which would be another shapeshifting fawn.
I don't think it's unclear; most women who are raped don't then run off to find their rapist when they start showing from the resulting pregnancy, nor do they call their rapist "my own true love". This is a confusing line to me. But as it is the subtitle of the song, I think it is meant to be a very important line. In fact, this line may be the key commentary on the overall story and what is meant by the hazards of love.
So it refers to more than the forest bed upon which the beast W and M lay. Prettiest whistles symbolizes the grandeur and beauty of true love. Right now they are getting a lot of fulfillment out of their relationship. Sorry, had to add that thought, a comment on our me-first divorce culture. OK, no more moralizing! Thistles are painful when touched; I have many in my yard. So the whistles of true love will not prevent pain and difficulty. In fact, the whistles of love will be the cause of much pain, difficulty, and loss.
This is what they learn soon enough. They seem to think it is worth it. Or in general to the bondage W finds himself under. Or now I like this one best , it could refer in general to the hazards of love. The bliss of love is not enough to remove undo the danger and consequences. I like your last thoughts on this the best. A distant shout heralds the start of the next track 3. An Interlude We then fade into an acoustic instrumental intermission that would fit rather nicely at the end of a lengthy Mike Oldfield composition.
The song reminds me a little of the 3rd Pixies album with its simple electric riff. Then came Charlotte and that wretched girl Dawn. Ugly Myfanwy died on delivery. Annan Water The pace of the music quickens with rapid strumming guitars as William pursues Margaret and the Rake and reaches the shores of Annan Water where the Queen helped the Rake flee.
Unable to cross the turbulent waters, but undeterred by the Queens warnings that he will drown, he prays to the river spirit and makes another deal to the accompaniment of Church organ.
Margaret in Captivity The Rake taunts Margaret telling her that her calls cannot be heard, but Margaret continues to call out to William to rescue her. Cat Power Covers. Peerless vocal reshaping songs to often surprising effect The Irish Times. Given time and careful attention, this new mixtape unfurls to reveal the richest and catchiest melodies twigs has written so far The Independent.
Tahliah Barnett is enjoying her time in the sun on this new mixtape - and who can blame her? Evening Standard. The Weeknd Dawn FM. Dawn FM might be just shy of summoning the truly divine, but its best moments provide enough blinding light to counter the increasingly enveloping gloom of Entertainment Weekly.
Bonobo Fragments. As impressive as Fragments' dance tracks are, two of the downtempo tunes are easily the most memorable ones on the album All Music. Since we've been around, that is. So, the highest-rated albums from the past twelve years or so. Rankings are calculated to two decimal places.
Kendrick Lamar Damn. A raft of other characters - including a jealous rival for William's affections and a marauding murderer - seek to keep the couple from being together, despite Margeret bearing William's child. When you're inspired, you're inspired, I guess. Meloy apparently originally planned this as either an operetta or a musical, before quite sensibly deciding it wouldn't work and allowing the songs to grow organically.
The storyline, then - sometimes hard to pick out, very easy to ignore entirely - becomes entirely secondary to the music. Music which, by the way, is frequently astounding. The aforementioned link between metal and folk is what drives the album, with its centrepiece "The Wanting Comes in Waves" its finest expression. Built from three section that weave in and out of one another, the song goes through territory that ranges from Cream-esque riffs to Joanna Newsom-inspired harp, back to skyscraping backing vocals and pounding drums that recall Coldplay.
It's the album in microcosm, but to treat it that way would be to overlook the fact that these 6 and a half minutes, briefly reprised later, represent the band's best single achievement yet. Outside it, other highlights abound - "Won't Want For Love"'s glammy stomp, "The Rake's Song"'s deliriously unhinged treatment of infanticide, and especially, "The Hazards of Love 4 The Drowned "'s Pink Floyd-esque closer, topped off by some exquisite steel guitar.
So it's glam, it's early metal, it's folk. The Hazards of Love , for its American grandeur and ambition, is a curiously British-sounding record - T. Rex, Black Sabbath, and Fairport Convention all offer equal parts of its make-up, with some subtle and not-so-subtle nods to acts like Iron Maiden, Genesis, Jethro Tull, and Queen, all acts who took their music, but not themselves, completely and utterly seriously, and who also loved to tell silly stories. That mentality is precisely what makes all this music work - there's sincerity, but it's always tempered by self-awareness and it never tips over in pretentiousness.
This has always been true of The Decemberists to an extent think of how camp, but how genuine, a song like "I Was Meant For The Stage" was , but here it really comes to the forefront and acts as the glue that holds this record together, far more than the concept does.
Perhaps, in that regard, this is the album Colin Meloy was always destined to make. At any rate, The Hazards of Love is shockingly good.
Plenty of people will no doubt try to dismantle it, pointing to the silliness of the story, the loss of the direct and simple pop songs of Picaresque , the use of a children's choir at one point, or by claiming the band are out of their depth attempting metal.
A lot of people will simply feel that they're trying too hard, too, but does it count as trying too hard if you succeed this spectacularly? This is an album that is great upon first listen and that just keeps getting better.
Epic, beautiful music to get lost in; rock bands of , you've got a lot to live up to.
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