Hey all. So this is a poem (well, song lyrics really... But it's still a poem, so I better not see anyone starting a music debate...) that I've recently grown fond of. I was curious to hear how some people would interpret it, to maybe see if people end up interpreting through their own life experiences, religiously, etc... I was actually able to see it through an Islamic lens the first time I heard it.
Obviously I didn't write this... It's by Mumford and Sons:
Winter Winds
As the winter winds litter London with lonely hearts
Oh the warmth in your eyes swept me into your arms
Was it love or fear of the cold that led us through the night?
For every kiss your beauty trumped my doubt
And my head told my heart
"Let love grow"
But my heart told my head
"This time no
This time no"
We'll be washed and buried one day my girl
And the time we were given will be left for the world
The flesh that lived and loved will be eaten by plague
So let the memories be good for those who stay
And my head told my heart
"Let love grow"
But my heart told my head
"This time no"
Yes, my heart told my head
"This time no
This time no"
Oh the shame that sent me off from the God that I once loved
Was the same that sent me into your arms
Oh and pestilence is won when you are lost and I am gone
And no hope, no hope will overcome
But if your strife strikes at your sleep
Remember spring swaps snow for leaves
You'll be happy and wholesome again
When the city clears and sun ascends
And my head told my heart
"Let love grow"
But my heart told my head
"This time no"
And my head told my heart
"Let love grow"
But my heart told my head
"This time no
This time no"
hmm.. well i kinda just thought of it as him leaving his love behind. but when i read the lyrics and listend to the song a few times, it is kinda him not wanting to be alone. and just using people for they are scared to live alone.
and i read a lot of great interprtations, like this one guy said "Maybe because he doesn't want to get hurt? The line "this time no" makes me think that he was hurt before and doesn't want to have to go through it again, so he says to himself "this time no" because he won't allow himself to love her for fear of being hurt." i found it from "Songmeanings"
and i thought that one was fantastic how did ya see it in an islamic view? (just curious :3)
I should have started off with my own personal interpretation... Oh well, I'll just do that here.
I'll begin with what I think are the obvious bits. This song seems to be about a man who is dealing with loneliness, which is represented here by winter. He seems lost, until he finds a girl who he falls in love with... But still, he has doubts, and wonders if it was, "love or fear of the cold" that led to their time together. It's here where things get interesting, and I think many possible interpretations can come from the rest of the song.
The chorus is the part that intrigued me the most, and I find it incredibly beautiful. Normally, it is the head that is seen to be responsible for rational decisions, whereas the heart is the one that is governed by rashness and emotion. The roles seem to be reversed here, with his head telling him that this relationship could go somewhere, and it would be worth a shot, but his heart is the one that is weary of the relationship, and urges him away from it. Why his heart urges him not to "let love grow" isn't explicitly stated, but I think we can assume he's gone through some kind of heartbreak before that his heart is not willing to repeat ("but my heart told my head, this time no"), or he knows deep down that this relationship is not right and they they won't go far.
Religiously, I also saw this as his heart (his "spiritual heart", which is generally seen as the center of spirituality and "higher" thinking) acting as a sort of conscience, reminding him this is a mistake. We can see in another line that he mentions, "Oh the shame that sent me off from the God that I once loved Was the same that sent me into your arms", and this seems to indicate that he has strayed from what he believed to be the path of God. He turned away and became lost, and it was this that led him to this girl. (or sin I guess... you can have the girl represent anything I suppose.) We see in the song a glimmer of hope however, since even though he is/was lost, he seems to still have that consciousness that this shouldn't be happening. His heart is reminding him.
Also, this section:
We'll be washed and buried one day my girl
And the time we were given will be left for the world
The flesh that lived and loved will be eaten by plague
So let the memories be good for those who stay
Can be seen in a few ways... One way that I look at it is that he knows what should be done, and that his heart is right... And he is urging his lover that their time here is short, and they need to make sure that they do what is right, and that they let "the memories be good for those who stay".
However, all this does seem to be rather hard on him (and her?) since they does still have feelings for each other, and this feeling of bitterness seems to be captured in the lines, "Oh and pestilence is won when you are lost and I am gone and no hope, no hope will overcome."
The song ends on a hopeful note though, with some comforting words after the last couple of lines. He seems to go back to the seasons metaphor, and says that things will feel better. This winter will end, spring will come, the sun will shine, and "you'll be happy and wholesome again."
A poem if it is well written generates an emotional feeling. There will never be any right or wrong interpretation as to what that feeling means, in terms of the words of the poem. for each reader it becomes a unique experience. I see the poem as loneliness and despair, a life of wandering and then a sudden awakening as to finding hope in the future.
For me this can be likened to a young man being forced to leave home. At first he drowns himself in sorrow and faces a bleak time, then he tries to loose himself in accomplishments and conquests. At some point he matures, sees the folly of momentary pleasure and steps into the spring of his life and sees the hope of growing to his full potential.
A poem if it is well written generates an emotional feeling. There will never be any right or wrong interpretation as to what that feeling means, in terms of the words of the poem. for each reader it becomes a unique experience.
I completely agree.
format_quote Originally Posted by Woodrow
For me this can be likened to a young man being forced to leave home. At first he drowns himself in sorrow and faces a bleak time, then he tries to loose himself in accomplishments and conquests. At some point he matures, sees the folly of momentary pleasure and steps into the spring of his life and sees the hope of growing to his full potential.
Interesting. So I'm assuming you're having the girl in the poem represent something else? The young mans home?
I think the song is about loss and how sometimes we try to replace that loss with anything, even if it is less than what we lost, simply because we don't want to feel as empty as before. The line where his heart is warning his head is like saying even if it doing something like that is logical it will hurt you in the end because you will realize it's not worth it and that if you wait a little longer you will see that your feelings will change because nothing lasts forever and it's not supposed to. Similarly it seemed like he did something wrong that shamed him from being close to God yet brought him closer to the girl, and if he loses her he's got nothing left?
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how did ya see it in an islamic view? (just curious :3)
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