"I Will Follow You Into The Dark"
-Death Cab for Cutie
Love of mine some day you will die
But I'll be close behind
I'll follow you into the dark
No blinding light or tunnels to gates of white
Just our hands clasped so tight
Waiting for the hint of a spark
If Heaven and Hell decide
That they both are satisfied
Illuminate the NOs on their vacancy signs
If there's no one beside you
When your soul embarks
Then I'll follow you into the dark
In Catholic school as vicious as Roman rule
I got my knuckles bruised by a lady in black
And I held my tongue as she told me
"Son fear is the heart of love"
So I never went back
If Heaven and Hell decide
That they both are satisfied
Illuminate the NOs on their vacancy signs
If there's no one beside you
When your soul embarks
Then I'll follow you into the dark
You and me have seen everything to see
From Bangkok to Calgary
And the soles of your shoes are all worn down
The time for sleep is now
It's nothing to cry about
'cause we'll hold each other soon
In the blackest of rooms
If Heaven and Hell decide
That they both are satisfied
Illuminate the No's on their vacancy signs
If there's no one beside you
When your soul embarks
Then I'll follow you into the dark
Then I'll follow you into the dark
I love this poem! The first few times I heard it I couldn't NOT cry. There are so many rich wonderful lyrics to hold on to with this poem. I am especially fond of the imagry of "our hands clasped so tight, waiting for a hint of a spark." I also love the metaphor of Catholic school being vicious as Roman rule. What I especially enjoy about this poem is that even though it is obvious in its message, there is still depth and interest to the words. There isn't one word that it wasted. I think this is an especially sweet poem written from the perspective of saying good-bye to a loved one--and I want to agrue for either a wife/lover. I think it is an amazingly powerful love where you would so calmly know that you'd never leave that person, that you would follow them, even in death. This sort of plays on the "Luke Havergal" poem, though I think "Follow You" is a little less creepy. In "Luke Havergal" Luke is clearly going to death's gate alone; in this speakers case, he is clearly going with the person he loves. This poem has a very peaceful edge to it, where as "Luke" had a scary, dark quality. Both of these poems are equally haunting however. I suppose you could say that "Follow You" is a little stalker-riffic. Or you could read into it that it is like a gaurdian angel guiding and following their charge, especially since the speaker conveys confidence in their knowing of what they can/will do, and there isn't a questioning tone.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Weekly Poetry Blog
World on Fire
Sarah McLachlan
Hearts are worn in these dark ages
You're not alone in this story's pages
Night has fallen amongst the living and the dying
And I try to hold it in, yeah I try to hold it in
The world's on fire and
It's more than I can handle
I'll tap into the water
(I try to pull my ship)
I try to bring more
More than I can handle
(Bring it to the table)
Bring what I am able
I watch the heavens and I find a calling
Something I can do to change this moment
Stay close to me while the sky is falling
Don't wanna be left alone, don't wanna be alone
The world's on fire and
It's more than I can handle
I'll tap into the water
(I try to pull my ship)
I try to bring more
More than I can handle
(Bring it to the table)
Bring what I am able
Hearts break, hearts mend
Love still hurts
Visions clash, planes crash
Still there's talk of
Saving souls, still the cold
Is closing in on us
We part the veil on our killer sun
Stray from the straight line on this short run
The more we take, the less we become
A fortune of one that means less for some
The world's on fire and
It's more than I can handle
I'll tap into the water
(I try to pull my ship)
I try to bring more
More than I can handle
(Bring it to the table)
Bring what I am able
I absolutely love this song and I think that the lyrics are especially applicable for the political times. Sarah McLachlan wrote this song several years ago now, and it is still relevant and current. I love the line "I'll try to pull my ship" which is a beautiful image for tending to one's own needs.
The one line that confuses me is "We part the veil on our killer sun". I do love this stanza however, for the third line--"the more we take, the less we become." I am not sure if this is a nod to capitalism, to those in political power, or those who did what they had to do to get a ton of money. I also wonder if the planes crash line is a reference to 9/11? This poem is definitely about a crisis: the crisis that our world is facing, whether it be from pollution/global warming, Africa/starvation/AIDS epidemic, or our the political issues that are ever present such as the war in Iraq. I like that in spite of all the things that she has listed--all the terrible things that are going on currently--that this poem still has a message of hope embedded. It is simple: do what you can. I remember the music video budget went to support nonprofit organizations and that the music video was more or less a stripped down version of her singing this song with the explanation of where the money went. I am a huge fan of Sarah McLachlan and especially like this poem.
Sarah McLachlan
Hearts are worn in these dark ages
You're not alone in this story's pages
Night has fallen amongst the living and the dying
And I try to hold it in, yeah I try to hold it in
The world's on fire and
It's more than I can handle
I'll tap into the water
(I try to pull my ship)
I try to bring more
More than I can handle
(Bring it to the table)
Bring what I am able
I watch the heavens and I find a calling
Something I can do to change this moment
Stay close to me while the sky is falling
Don't wanna be left alone, don't wanna be alone
The world's on fire and
It's more than I can handle
I'll tap into the water
(I try to pull my ship)
I try to bring more
More than I can handle
(Bring it to the table)
Bring what I am able
Hearts break, hearts mend
Love still hurts
Visions clash, planes crash
Still there's talk of
Saving souls, still the cold
Is closing in on us
We part the veil on our killer sun
Stray from the straight line on this short run
The more we take, the less we become
A fortune of one that means less for some
The world's on fire and
It's more than I can handle
I'll tap into the water
(I try to pull my ship)
I try to bring more
More than I can handle
(Bring it to the table)
Bring what I am able
I absolutely love this song and I think that the lyrics are especially applicable for the political times. Sarah McLachlan wrote this song several years ago now, and it is still relevant and current. I love the line "I'll try to pull my ship" which is a beautiful image for tending to one's own needs.
The one line that confuses me is "We part the veil on our killer sun". I do love this stanza however, for the third line--"the more we take, the less we become." I am not sure if this is a nod to capitalism, to those in political power, or those who did what they had to do to get a ton of money. I also wonder if the planes crash line is a reference to 9/11? This poem is definitely about a crisis: the crisis that our world is facing, whether it be from pollution/global warming, Africa/starvation/AIDS epidemic, or our the political issues that are ever present such as the war in Iraq. I like that in spite of all the things that she has listed--all the terrible things that are going on currently--that this poem still has a message of hope embedded. It is simple: do what you can. I remember the music video budget went to support nonprofit organizations and that the music video was more or less a stripped down version of her singing this song with the explanation of where the money went. I am a huge fan of Sarah McLachlan and especially like this poem.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
CAI Lab assignment 10/9/08
1. Luke Havergal is near death. He loves someone who has already passed. He is hopeful that when he too passes into the beyond she will be there to greet him.
2. What is the significance of the name "Havergal"? Is it to indicate the obvious? Is Luke Havergal going to heaven or hell? Is the voice that of an angel, of god, or something else, like that of a loved one, a wife perhaps? What is the significance of of the life "hell is more than half of paradise?" Who is the speaker? What is their relationship to Luke? What is the nature of the poem, is it advice, coaching, or to torment?
3. Many: Luke, the speaker, the "her" that the leaves whisper of, and God.
4. I would argue that you don't find out much about each character. I don't feel like I get a sense of who Luke is: is he an old man? is he sick? The speaker, I feel, is already dead, but is a different person than the voice Luke wants to hear. Then there is God, who is slaying himself with every leaf that flies, which, what does THAT mean?
5. Significant images about time/season: western gate, western glooms, not a dawn in eastern skies (sun starts in the east, sets in the west indicating end of journey or life progression), vines are crimson, indicating fall, heading into winter b/c the leaves have begun to drop and are being torn away by bad weather (winter).
6. The significance is to reference death, life ending, or perhaps the end of a journey of the metaphysical nature.
7. I feel that "western gate" is meant to indicate the passage from life to death. Perhaps another metaphor or play on the term gate, like heaven's gate, pearly gates, Saint Peter's gate, etc.
8. The poem's speaker is dead as indicated from the third stanza "out of the grave". The speaker also either wants to provide love or mercy for Luke, as indicated by the purpose of the kiss on the forehead. The speakers wishes to blind Luke to the way he must go--which means to me that the speaker wants to shield Luke from the nastiness of the transition of death.
9. The speaker asks Luke to trust that "she will call." The speaker asks Luke to go to the western gate.
10. I would advise Luke to not go the way that the speaker suggests. It sounds more like the western gate is the gateway to hell rather than heaven. I'd say Luke, Donthaveyourgal!
11. I like the rhymes and I also like the repetition. It sounds almost like a chant or a death dirge.
12. I could read this as either friendly, loving, from a voice of guidance, an angel, or I could read this from a perspective of bitterness, almost revenge, like from a spited lover's perspective.
13. The rhymes make this poem melodic and nicely rhythmic. The rhymes are not so obvious that they are expected, but rather highlight certain passages and to me, make them more significant. The beauty here is that even though the rhymes are simple, i.e. fall and call, they are still original, possibly because the rhyme links to the next line and isn't the end of the thought, but rather a connection or transition word.
Do not go to the western gate, Luke Havergal,
With red vines of entrapment lacing the wall,
In the twilight only misery will come.
She is not worth the whisper, for some
Of her words will only be lies;
Do not go, unless you wish to cry.
Do not go to the western gate, Luke Havergal-
Luke Havergal.
There is always a dawn that comes in eastern skies
The hope of new always there in babies eyes;
Lurking where western glooms are gathering,
Will bring you only darkness, if anything:
God itself cradles every being alive,
Hell is not worth more than wings ripped from a fly.
Yes, there is always dawn in eastern skies--
In eastern skies.
Born from the earth I come to tell you this,
Born from love to offer the kiss
To flame the desire I see in you glow
To tell you of another way to go.
Reconsider what draws you near to where she is,
Trust your faith may the bitter you miss.
Born from the earth I come to tell you this--
To tell you this.
There is another gate, Luke Havergal,
Free from biting crimson leaves upon the wall.
Follow the warm winds they know the place,--
Where love will welcome you with warm embrace,
You will feel safe in those arms you fall;
Trust me when I say she's not worth the call.
There is another gate, Luke Havergal--
Luke Havergal.
2. What is the significance of the name "Havergal"? Is it to indicate the obvious? Is Luke Havergal going to heaven or hell? Is the voice that of an angel, of god, or something else, like that of a loved one, a wife perhaps? What is the significance of of the life "hell is more than half of paradise?" Who is the speaker? What is their relationship to Luke? What is the nature of the poem, is it advice, coaching, or to torment?
3. Many: Luke, the speaker, the "her" that the leaves whisper of, and God.
4. I would argue that you don't find out much about each character. I don't feel like I get a sense of who Luke is: is he an old man? is he sick? The speaker, I feel, is already dead, but is a different person than the voice Luke wants to hear. Then there is God, who is slaying himself with every leaf that flies, which, what does THAT mean?
5. Significant images about time/season: western gate, western glooms, not a dawn in eastern skies (sun starts in the east, sets in the west indicating end of journey or life progression), vines are crimson, indicating fall, heading into winter b/c the leaves have begun to drop and are being torn away by bad weather (winter).
6. The significance is to reference death, life ending, or perhaps the end of a journey of the metaphysical nature.
7. I feel that "western gate" is meant to indicate the passage from life to death. Perhaps another metaphor or play on the term gate, like heaven's gate, pearly gates, Saint Peter's gate, etc.
8. The poem's speaker is dead as indicated from the third stanza "out of the grave". The speaker also either wants to provide love or mercy for Luke, as indicated by the purpose of the kiss on the forehead. The speakers wishes to blind Luke to the way he must go--which means to me that the speaker wants to shield Luke from the nastiness of the transition of death.
9. The speaker asks Luke to trust that "she will call." The speaker asks Luke to go to the western gate.
10. I would advise Luke to not go the way that the speaker suggests. It sounds more like the western gate is the gateway to hell rather than heaven. I'd say Luke, Donthaveyourgal!
11. I like the rhymes and I also like the repetition. It sounds almost like a chant or a death dirge.
12. I could read this as either friendly, loving, from a voice of guidance, an angel, or I could read this from a perspective of bitterness, almost revenge, like from a spited lover's perspective.
13. The rhymes make this poem melodic and nicely rhythmic. The rhymes are not so obvious that they are expected, but rather highlight certain passages and to me, make them more significant. The beauty here is that even though the rhymes are simple, i.e. fall and call, they are still original, possibly because the rhyme links to the next line and isn't the end of the thought, but rather a connection or transition word.
Do not go to the western gate, Luke Havergal,
With red vines of entrapment lacing the wall,
In the twilight only misery will come.
She is not worth the whisper, for some
Of her words will only be lies;
Do not go, unless you wish to cry.
Do not go to the western gate, Luke Havergal-
Luke Havergal.
There is always a dawn that comes in eastern skies
The hope of new always there in babies eyes;
Lurking where western glooms are gathering,
Will bring you only darkness, if anything:
God itself cradles every being alive,
Hell is not worth more than wings ripped from a fly.
Yes, there is always dawn in eastern skies--
In eastern skies.
Born from the earth I come to tell you this,
Born from love to offer the kiss
To flame the desire I see in you glow
To tell you of another way to go.
Reconsider what draws you near to where she is,
Trust your faith may the bitter you miss.
Born from the earth I come to tell you this--
To tell you this.
There is another gate, Luke Havergal,
Free from biting crimson leaves upon the wall.
Follow the warm winds they know the place,--
Where love will welcome you with warm embrace,
You will feel safe in those arms you fall;
Trust me when I say she's not worth the call.
There is another gate, Luke Havergal--
Luke Havergal.
Reflecting Light
-Sam Phillips
Now that I've worn out, I've worn out the world
I'm on my knees in fascination
Looking through the night
And the moons never seen me before
But I'm reflecting light
I wrote the pain down
Got off and looked up
Looked into your eyes
The lost open windows
All around
My dark heart lit up the skies
And now that I've worn, I've worn out the world
I'm on my knees in fascination
Looking through the night
And the moons never seen me before
But I'm reflecting light
Give up the ground
Under your feet
Hold on to nothing for good
Turn and run at the mean times
Chasing you
Stand alone and misunderstood
And now that I've worn, I've worn out the world
I'm on my knees in fascination
Looking through the night
And the moons never seen me before
But I'm reflecting light
I think that this is a beautiful love poem. I especially love the repetition of "worn out the world." It says so much in so few words. I also love the juxtaposition of how the moon's never seen me before but I'm reflecting light--the moon is what reflects light to earth--and this image is just lovely.
I find the line "On my knees in fascination" surprising. Being on ones knees does seem to work with the overall image of being so fascinated you can't move or have to bend to inspect further. I wonder in this sense if it is being brought to your knees (with fascination)? I also like the surprise of the stanza that starts "give up the ground" since it breaks from the romanticised tones of the poem. Is the hold on to nothing for good about not holding on to love? Or is this a reference to life and death? "Stand alone misunderstood" is also a striking line for the image it conjures. If this stanza is about how the speaker has lived, and has also worn out the world, it makes sense that the discovery of something sweet and new could bring her to her knees in fascination. I also liked the linking of how her dark heart lit up the skies--like the moon! Every time I read this poem I am trying to figure out WHO is the moon--the object of her love, her heart, or her, or all of the above!
-Sam Phillips
Now that I've worn out, I've worn out the world
I'm on my knees in fascination
Looking through the night
And the moons never seen me before
But I'm reflecting light
I wrote the pain down
Got off and looked up
Looked into your eyes
The lost open windows
All around
My dark heart lit up the skies
And now that I've worn, I've worn out the world
I'm on my knees in fascination
Looking through the night
And the moons never seen me before
But I'm reflecting light
Give up the ground
Under your feet
Hold on to nothing for good
Turn and run at the mean times
Chasing you
Stand alone and misunderstood
And now that I've worn, I've worn out the world
I'm on my knees in fascination
Looking through the night
And the moons never seen me before
But I'm reflecting light
I think that this is a beautiful love poem. I especially love the repetition of "worn out the world." It says so much in so few words. I also love the juxtaposition of how the moon's never seen me before but I'm reflecting light--the moon is what reflects light to earth--and this image is just lovely.
I find the line "On my knees in fascination" surprising. Being on ones knees does seem to work with the overall image of being so fascinated you can't move or have to bend to inspect further. I wonder in this sense if it is being brought to your knees (with fascination)? I also like the surprise of the stanza that starts "give up the ground" since it breaks from the romanticised tones of the poem. Is the hold on to nothing for good about not holding on to love? Or is this a reference to life and death? "Stand alone misunderstood" is also a striking line for the image it conjures. If this stanza is about how the speaker has lived, and has also worn out the world, it makes sense that the discovery of something sweet and new could bring her to her knees in fascination. I also liked the linking of how her dark heart lit up the skies--like the moon! Every time I read this poem I am trying to figure out WHO is the moon--the object of her love, her heart, or her, or all of the above!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
For this week's poetry assignment I submit a song/poem by Tori Amos. Usually her lyrics are hard to understand because they often do not make much sense.
Winter
Snow can wait, I forgot my mittens
Wipe my nose, get my new boots on
I get a little warm in my heart when I think of winter
I put my hand in my fathers glove
I run off where the drifts get deeper
Sleeping beauty trips me with a frown
I hear a voice you must learn to stand up for yourself
Cause I cant always be around
He says when you gonna make up your mind
When you gonna love you as much as I do
When you gonna make up your mind
Cause things are gonna change so fast
All the white horses are still in bed
I tell you that Ill always want you near
You say that things change my dear
Boys get discovered as winter melts
Flowers competing for the sun
Years go by and Im here still waiting
Withering where some snowman was
Mirror mirror wheres the crystal palace
But I only can see myself
Skating around the truth who I am
But I know, dad, the ice is getting thin
When you gonna make up your mind
When you gonna love you as much as I do
When you gonna make up your mind
Cause things are gonna change so fast
All the white horses are still in bed
I tell you that Ill always want you near
You say that things change my dear
Hair is grey and the fires are burning
So many dreams on the shelf
You say I wanted you to be proud of me
I always wanted that myself
When you gonna make up your mind
When you gonna love you as much as I do
When you gonna make up your mind
Cause things are gonna change so fast
All the white horses have gone ahead
I tell you that Ill always want you near
You say that things change my dear
Never change
All the white horses
I think in this poem, the speaker, possibly Tori, writing/talking to her father and relating into the poem what he used to tell her. The poem changes tenses through out, from I to you. I think the line "when you gonna make up your mind" is the beginning of what her father would tell her. It does sound fatherly, like father's love, when you read it on its own. Additionally, a father would love their child and not want them to change into something that isn't who they really are. I love the metaphor about the white horses. I am still not clear what that is referring to, whether it is adulthood, her friends who have blossomed into adults, or something else.
I do not think that this poem is about a crisis, but rather, about questioning and sadness. If this poem is about adolescence, and the bumps in the road, then the father's words would act as mollification and comfort. In any case, it is always good to know that your parents love you and accept you, which is what I feel the chorus is telling. I especially love the image of "I put my hand in my father's glove." The first stanza seems like it is from a child's perspective as they endeavor out into the world, perhaps in this case meaning that she sets out to follow in her father's footsteps aka the glove? I think that the sleeping beauty is perhaps herself as she is realizing she is becoming an adult? It could also represent self awareness.
I also like how the poem sort of comes full circle and is telling a story--from childhood to now, at the end, the poem reads like the speaker is now an adult. There are dreams on a shelf--indicating that the speaker has lived enough to have dreams to shelve--and in this stanza it is very much like a conversation between a daughter and her father. I just get the image of so many years and winters have gone past, and yet, they are still close, and sit beside the fire, he is now older as is she, and he maintains what he has for all the years, that he will always want her near. I think this is a very sweet and sentimental poem full of wonderful imagery. There are many fun things to think about here--my reading this as a father's love for a growing child is only one interpretation.
Winter
Snow can wait, I forgot my mittens
Wipe my nose, get my new boots on
I get a little warm in my heart when I think of winter
I put my hand in my fathers glove
I run off where the drifts get deeper
Sleeping beauty trips me with a frown
I hear a voice you must learn to stand up for yourself
Cause I cant always be around
He says when you gonna make up your mind
When you gonna love you as much as I do
When you gonna make up your mind
Cause things are gonna change so fast
All the white horses are still in bed
I tell you that Ill always want you near
You say that things change my dear
Boys get discovered as winter melts
Flowers competing for the sun
Years go by and Im here still waiting
Withering where some snowman was
Mirror mirror wheres the crystal palace
But I only can see myself
Skating around the truth who I am
But I know, dad, the ice is getting thin
When you gonna make up your mind
When you gonna love you as much as I do
When you gonna make up your mind
Cause things are gonna change so fast
All the white horses are still in bed
I tell you that Ill always want you near
You say that things change my dear
Hair is grey and the fires are burning
So many dreams on the shelf
You say I wanted you to be proud of me
I always wanted that myself
When you gonna make up your mind
When you gonna love you as much as I do
When you gonna make up your mind
Cause things are gonna change so fast
All the white horses have gone ahead
I tell you that Ill always want you near
You say that things change my dear
Never change
All the white horses
I think in this poem, the speaker, possibly Tori, writing/talking to her father and relating into the poem what he used to tell her. The poem changes tenses through out, from I to you. I think the line "when you gonna make up your mind" is the beginning of what her father would tell her. It does sound fatherly, like father's love, when you read it on its own. Additionally, a father would love their child and not want them to change into something that isn't who they really are. I love the metaphor about the white horses. I am still not clear what that is referring to, whether it is adulthood, her friends who have blossomed into adults, or something else.
I do not think that this poem is about a crisis, but rather, about questioning and sadness. If this poem is about adolescence, and the bumps in the road, then the father's words would act as mollification and comfort. In any case, it is always good to know that your parents love you and accept you, which is what I feel the chorus is telling. I especially love the image of "I put my hand in my father's glove." The first stanza seems like it is from a child's perspective as they endeavor out into the world, perhaps in this case meaning that she sets out to follow in her father's footsteps aka the glove? I think that the sleeping beauty is perhaps herself as she is realizing she is becoming an adult? It could also represent self awareness.
I also like how the poem sort of comes full circle and is telling a story--from childhood to now, at the end, the poem reads like the speaker is now an adult. There are dreams on a shelf--indicating that the speaker has lived enough to have dreams to shelve--and in this stanza it is very much like a conversation between a daughter and her father. I just get the image of so many years and winters have gone past, and yet, they are still close, and sit beside the fire, he is now older as is she, and he maintains what he has for all the years, that he will always want her near. I think this is a very sweet and sentimental poem full of wonderful imagery. There are many fun things to think about here--my reading this as a father's love for a growing child is only one interpretation.
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