The Decembrists

First of all this song and genre are very foreign to me. I have never heard of this group or of any group like it. So all in all this was a very intriguing process I went through listening and analyzing this song. This song has a format that is not seen every day. They are three different songs all combined into one. They all have different music to accompany them. The music was something that I found important in analyzing the entire piece. The first part of the song “The Island come & see” had a slow start to it. There was just a guitar playing along with the vocals, then the whole entire band came it to accompany and the song was off to a start. I felt that this part of the song was a type of exploration for the song. They were exploring the ocean and the tide. The next part of the song “The Landlord’s Daughter” had the most up beat tempo of all three, which is ironic because it has the most controversial lyrics. This section of the song is about raping the Landlord’s Daughter. This came as a surprise to me because the music is so up tempo and in a sense overshadows the reality of the lyrics. One would think that lyrics like these would have a slow and low tone to it along with a evil feel to it. The third and final part of the song is “You’ll Not Feel the Drowning” which had a very slow and steady beat to it. This music should have been for the previous section and it would have fit perfectly. But along with the last section, this section is talking about death. The idea that there is no one left and no one care and you won’t fell the drowning because that is the least of your pains.
I also believe that in the last section of the song “You’ll Not Feel The Drowning” is more than what one can see. One might say that it is about the Landlords Daughter and her death while she is with her captor. But I see it as one persons struggle with there own life and there family. Yes family. You can see the references to family and parents all through out the song. “We will not come home again”, “A briar cradle rocks it’s babe to sleep”, and “Think you not on parents” are some examples. This part of the song is a reminder to someone that they have nothing. Don’t think about your parents because they will not be here to save you. “Go to sleep now little ugly”, and “Go to sleep now you little fool”. They are reminding them of what they have been called through out their life and not letting them fell anything different at this very point. They are continuing the process that this individual has gone through their whole life.