Orpheo Looks Back
Andrew Bird
Stanza
Meaning of the stanza
Words/phrases that help
you determine its meaning
There are places we must go to
To bring these hollow words on
back from
You must cross the muddy river
Where love turns to love turns to
fear
They say you don't look
There's only one way
On back from on back from here
They say you don't look
'Cause it'll disappear
And our eyes they keep on
strainin'
As if to see what lies behind
them
Through the shells of empty
buildings
And great columns of glass
They say you don't look
Cause it'll drive you mad
And if it drives you mad
If it drives you mad
It'll prob'ly pass
Retrieved from http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107859426996/ on May 10, 2013.
The story of Orpheus and Eurydice,
as told by Apollonius of Rhodes, Virgil and Ovid
(and retold by Edith Hamilton in Mythology)
Orpheus: "On his mother's side he was more than mortal. He was the son of one
of the Muses and a Thracian prince. His mother gave him the gift of music and
Thrace, where he grew up, fostered it. The Thracians were the most musical of the
peoples of Greece. But Orpheus had no rival there or anywhere except the gods
alone. There was no limit to his power when he played and sang. No one and
nothing could resist him.
In the deep still woods upon the Thracian mountains
Orpheus with his singing lyre led the trees,
Led the wild beasts of the wilderness.
Everything animate and inanimate followed him. He moved the rocks on the
hillside and turned the courses of the rivers....
When he first met and how he wooed the maiden he loved, Euridice, we are not
told, but it is clear that no maiden he wanted could have resisted the power of his
song. They were married, but their joy was brief. Directly after the wedding, as the
bride walked in a meadow with her bridesmaids, a viper stung her and she died.
Orpheus' grief was overwhelming. He could not endure it. He determined to go
down to the world of death and try to bring Eurydice back. He said to himself,
With my song
I will charm Demeter's daughter,
I will charm the Lord of the Dead,
Moving their hearts with my melody.
I will bear her away from Hades.
He dared more than any other man ever dared for his love. He took the fearsome
journey to the underworld. There he struck his lyre, and at the sound all that vast
multitude were charmed to stillness....
O Gods who rule the dark and silent world,
To you all born of a woman needs must come.
All lovely things at last go down to you.
You are the debtor who is always paid.
A little while we tarry up on earth.
Then we are yours forever and forever.
But I seek one who came to you too soon.
The bud was plucked before the flower bloomed.
I tried to bear my loss. I could not bear it.
Love was too strong a god, O King, you know
If that old tale men tell is true, how once
The flowers saw the rape of Proserpine,
Then weave again for sweet Eurydice
Life's pattern that was taken from the loom
Too quick. See, I ask a little thing,
Only that you will lend, not give, her to me.
She shall be yours when her years' span is full.
No one under the spell of his voice could refuse him anything. He
Drew iron tears down Pluto's cheek,
and made Hell grant what Love did seek.
They summoned Eurydice and gave her to him, but upon one condition: that he
would not look back at her as she followed him, until they had reached the upper
world. So the two passed through the great doors of Hades to the path which
would take them out of the darkness, climbing up and up. He knew that she must
be just behind him, but he longed unutterably to give one glance to make sure.
But now they were almost there, the blackness was turning gray; now he had
stepped out joyfully into the daylight. Then he turned to her. It was too soon; she
was still in the cavern. He saw her in the dim light, and he held out his arms to
clasp her; but on the instant she was gone. She had slipped back into the
darkness. All he heard was one faint word, "Farewell."
Desperately he tried to rush after her and follow her down, but he was not
allowed. The gods would not consent to his entering the world of the dead a
second time, while he was still alive. He was forced to return to the earth alone, in
utter desolation. Then he forsook the company of men. He wandered through the
wild solitudes of Thrace, comfortless except for his lyre, playing, always playing,
and the rocks and the rivers and the trees heard him gladly, his only companions.
But at last a band of Maenads [women] came upon him....They slew the gentle
musician, tearing him limb from limb, borne along past the river's mouth on to the
Lesbian shore; nor had it suffered any change from the sea when the Muses found
it and buried it in the sanctuary of the island. His limbs they gathered and placed
in a tomb at the foot of Mount Olympus, and there to this day the nightingales
sing more sweetly than anywhere else. "
Retrieved from http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/eurydice/eurydicemyth.html
on May 10, 2013.
Here is another version, taken from Thomas Bulfinch and
retold by Juliana Podd in Encyclopedia Mythica.
Eurydice and Orpheus were young and in love. So deep was their love
that they were practically inseparable. So dependent was their love
that each felt they could not live without the other. These young
lovers were very happy and spent their time frolicking through the
meadows. One day Eurydice was gaily running through a meadow
with Orpheus when she was bitten by a serpent. The poison of the
sting killed her and she descended to Hades immediately.
Orpheus was son of the great Olympian god Apollo. In many ways
Apollo was the god of music and Orpheus was blessed with musical
talents. Orpheus was so sad about the loss of his love that he
composed music to express the terrible emptiness which pervaded his
every breath and movement. He was so desperate and found so little
else meaningful, that he decided address Hades. As the overseer of
the underworld, Hades heart had to be hard as steel, and so it was.
Many approached Hades to beg for loved ones back and as many
times were refused. But Orpheus' music was so sweet and so moving
that it softened the steel hearted heart of Hades himself. Hades gave
permission to Orpheus to bring Eurydice back to the surface of the
earth to enjoy the light of day. There was only one condition--Orpheus
was not to look back as he ascended. He was to trust that Eurydice
was immediately behind him. It was a long way back up and just as
Orpheus had almost finished that last part of the trek, he looked
behind him to make sure Eurydice was still with him. At that very
moment, she was snatched back because he did not trust that she
was there. When you hear music which mourns lost love, it is
Orpheus' spirit who guides the hand of the musicians who play it.
Retrieved from http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/eurydice/eurydicemyth.html
on May 10, 2013.
Analysis of the meaning of “Orpheo Looks Back”
As AutumGreenLeaf said, this is based off the Orpheus and Eurydice myth (which was
also the original source for the King Orpheo story). In this song, Bird uses the story as a
metaphor for the process of creativity and inspiration.
The first verse introduces this idea, stating that "There are places we must go to / To
bring these hollow words on back from / We must cross a muddy river / Where love
turns to, love turns to fear". In other words, creative production is like a journey to some
other realm where art comes from, which is metaphorically linked to the underworld.
This involves some kind of emotional vulnerability, going to a mental state where "love
turns to fear" -- this might either be the love of creation turning to fear of failure, or
personal experiences like love being transformed into fear of loss when examined
closely.
The next verse again connects to the Orpheus/Eurydice myth. In the context of artistic
expression, perhaps looking back refers to self-doubt -- creation requires you to have
faith in your inspiration, or everything falls apart.
The next verse expresses how we keep trying to understand where inspiration comes
from, but we can't make anything out. The imagery of "shells of empty buildings / And
great columns of glass" makes me think of an abandoned city, evoking the eerie
spaciousness of the underworld. Perhaps this represents memory, as we look back on
past emotions and events, trying to understand what it all means. I don't know.
The last verse seems to tie back to the idea of not looking back: "They say you don't
look / Or it'll drive you mad / ... / And if it drives you mad / It'll probably pass". In other
words, trying to logically understand the process of creation will not only be
unsuccessful, but will destroy the original source of inspiration.
Posted by treant on November 10, 2012
Retrieved from http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107859426996/ on May 10, 2013.
To Trust Our Sadness
Consider whether great changes have not happened deep inside your
being in times when you were sad. The only sadnesses that are
unhealthy and dangerous are those we carry around in public in order
to drown them out. Like illnesses that are treated superficially, they
only recede for a while and then break out more severely. Untreated
they gather strength inside us and become the rejected, lost, and
unloved life that we may die of. If only we could see a little farther than
our knowledge reaches and a little beyond the borders of our intuition,
we might perhaps bear our sorrows more trustingly than we do our
joys. For they are the moments when something new enters us,
something unknown. Our feelings grow mute in shy embarrassment,
they take a step back, a stillness arises, and the new thing, which no
one knows, stands in the midst of it all and says nothing.
Borbeby gärd, Sweden, August 12, 1904
Letters to a Young Poet
Retrieved from http://yearwithrilke.blogspot.com/2011/02/to-trust-our-sadness.html on
May 10, 2013.
Valhalla
by Micha F. Lindemans
Valhalla, Hall of the Slain, in Norse mythology is the hall presided over by Odin. This vast hall has five
hundred and forty doors. The rafters are spears, the hall is roofed with shields and breast-plates litter
the benches. A wolf guards the western door and an eagle hovers over it. It is here that the Valkyries,
Odin's messengers and spirits of war, bring half of the heroes that died on the battle fields (the rest go
to Freya's hall Folkvang). These heroes, the Einherjar, are prepared in Valhalla for the oncoming battle
of Ragnarok. When the battle commences, eight hundred warriors will march shoulder to shoulder out
of each door.
"Valhalla." Encyclopedia Mythica from Encyclopedia Mythica Online.
<http://www.pantheon.org/articles/v/valhalla.html>
[Accessed May 20, 2013].
Ragnarok
by Micha F. Lindemans
Ragnarok ("Doom of the Gods"), also called Gotterdammerung, means the end of the cosmos in Norse
mythology. It will be preceded by Fimbulvetr, the winter of winters. Three such winters will follow each
other with no summers in between. Conflicts and feuds will break out, even between families, and all
morality will disappear. This is the beginning of the end.
The wolf Skoll will finally devour the sun, and his brother Hati will eat the moon, plunging the earth [into]
darkness. The stars will vanish from the sky. The cock Fjalar will crow to the giants and the golden cock
Gullinkambi will crow to the gods. A third cock will raise the dead.
The earth will shudder with earthquakes, and every bond and fetter will burst, freeing the terrible wolf
Fenrir. The sea will rear up because Jormungand, the Midgard Serpent, is twisting and writhing in fury
as he makes his way toward the land. With every breath, Jormungand will stain the soil and the sky
with his poison. The waves caused by the serpent's emerging will set free the ship Naglfar, and with the
giant Hymir as their commander, the giants will sail towards the battlefield. From the realm of the dead
a second ship will set sail, and this ship carries the inhabitants of hell, with Loki as their helmsman. The
fire giants, led by the giant Surt, will leave Muspell in the south to join against the gods. Surt, carrying a
sword that blazes like the sun itself, will scorch the earth.
Meanwhile, Heimdall will sound his horn, calling the sons of Odin and the heroes to the battlefield.
From all the corners of the world, gods, giants, dwarves, demons and elves will ride towards the huge
plain of Vigrid ("battle shaker") where the last battle will be fought. Odin will engage Fenrir in battle, and
Thor will attack Jormungand. Thor will victorious, but the serpent's poison will gradually kill the god of
thunder. Surt will seek out the swordless Freyr, who will quickly succumb to the giant. The one-handed
Tyr will fight the monstrous hound Garm and they will kill each other. Loki and Heimdall, age-old
enemies, will meet for a final time, and neither will survive their encounter. The fight between Odin and
Fenrir will rage for a long time, but finally Fenrir will seize Odin and swallow him. Odin's son Vidar will at
once leap towards the wolf and kill him with his bare hands, ripping the wolf's jaws apart.
Then Surt will fling fire in every direction. The nine worlds will burn, and friends and foes alike will
perish. The earth will sink into the sea.
After the destruction, a new and idyllic world will arise from the sea and will be filled with abundant
supplies. Some of the gods will survive, others will be reborn. Wickedness and misery will no longer
exist and gods and men will live happily together. The descendants of Lif and Lifthrasir will inhabit this
earth.
Ragnarök does not mean "Twilight of the Gods"; that phrase is the result of a famous mistranslation.
"Ragnarökr" or "Ragnarøkr" means "doom of the powers" or "destruction of the powers" (where
"powers" means "gods").
"Ragnarok." Encyclopedia Mythica from Encyclopedia Mythica Online. <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/r/ragnarok.html>
[Accessed May 20, 2013].
"Immigrant Song"
Led Zeppelin
Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs flow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
On we sweep with threshing oar, Our only goal will be the western shore.
Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
How soft your fields so green, can whisper tales of gore,
Of how we calmed the tides of war. We are your overlords.
On we sweep with threshing oar, Our only goal will be the western shore.
So now you'd better stop and rebuild all your ruins,
For peace and trust can win the day despite of all your losing.
Relationship to Norse
Mythology
Stanza 1
Bridge
Stanza 2
Bridge (Why is it
included twice?)
Stanza 3
Words from “Immigrant Song”
that show that relationship