Heron Blue
Sun Kil Moon Lyrics
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A crashing sky a rolling screen
A city drowning Gods black tears
I cannot bear to see
She lay under the midnight moon
Her restless body stirring
Until the magic morning hour
Like poison it succumbs her
Her baby skin her old black dress
Her hair it twists round her necklace
Constricts and chokes like ruthless vines
To sleep she overtakes her?
Her room is painted Heron Blue
Lit by candlelight and chandelier
And from her headboard perched so high
A million dreams have passed her
Don't cry my love don't cry no more
It overwhelms my breaking heart
A minor swell of violins
I cannot bear to hear them
A mother shepherds her young birds
She fills their mouths and warms their souls
Till they are strong and good to fly
Away from her alone she'll die
Cradle on quiet old oak limbs
As heaven blue her light fails
A breath of soot into her lungs
A life, a journeys end in one
Don't sing that old sad hymn no more
It resonates inside my soul
It haunts me in my waking dream
I cannot bear to hear it
Don't play those violins no more
Their melancholic overtones
They echo off the floor and walls
I cannot bear to hear them
The lyrics to Sun Kil Moon's song Heron Blue are hauntingly beautiful and filled with imagery that could leave anyone seeking its true meaning. The song is about a woman who seems to be struggling with something, and the singer is trying to comfort her, asking her not to cry anymore. The starting lines suggest that there is some kind of disaster, with the sky crashing and the city drowning in black tears. Perhaps, indicating that the woman is struggling to come to terms with her personal struggles by the cityscape or the external factors that are overwhelming her.
Furthermore, the woman lays under the midnight moon, with her restless stirring body, and the magic morning hour taking poison-like effect on her. Her dress, her hair, and her jewelry all seem to choke her, and she overtakes her sleep. Her room is Heron Blue, lit by candlelight and chandelier, and from her high headboard, a million dreams have passed her. The singer continues to ask the woman not to cry as the violins start to play, and he cannot bear to hear them. The woman in question is dealing with a deep trauma, and the sounds of the violins and the music just stir up too much pain for the singer to bear. He begs her not to sing the old hymn or play the violins as they only resonate inside his soul and haunt him in his waking dreams.
Overall, the song seems to be about the weight of the world in the face of a personal struggle. It speaks to the pain and agony that one feels and the despair of the person trying to release it. The image of a city drowning and a woman succumbing to her inner trauma is so vivid that it plays on the listener's empathy.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't cry my love don't cry no more
Please don't cry, my love, don't feel sad anymore
A crashing sky a rolling screen
The sky is stormy, and the clouds roll by
A city drowning Gods black tears
The city is being flooded with the tears of God
I cannot bear to see
It's too much for me to handle and watch
She lay under the midnight moon
She was lying under the moon at midnight
Her restless body stirring
Her body was moving around restlessly
Until the magic morning hour
Until morning arrives, and the night's magic wears off
Like poison it succumbs her
She's overcome by something harmful like poison
Her baby skin her old black dress
She's wearing an old black dress, and her skin is smooth and youthful
Her hair it twists round her necklace
Her hair is tangled around her necklace
Constricts and chokes like ruthless vines
The hair around her neck tightens and strangles her like deadly vines
To sleep she overtakes her?
She succumbs to sleep, maybe even death
Her room is painted Heron Blue
The color of her room is Heron Blue
Lit by candlelight and chandelier
The room is illuminated by candles and a chandelier
And from her headboard perched so high
From the headboard of her bed which is high up
A million dreams have passed her
She's had countless dreams while lying in bed over time
It overwhelms my breaking heart
The sadness is too much for me to bear; it's shattering my heart
A minor swell of violins
The sound of violins building up gradually, in a minor key
A mother shepherds her young birds
A mother bird is taking care of her young
She fills their mouths and warms their souls
The mother bird feeds and comforts her young
Till they are strong and good to fly
Until the birds are ready to fly on their own
Away from her alone she'll die
If the mother bird is left alone, she will die
Cradle on quiet old oak limbs
The mother bird's nest is in a quiet, old oak tree
As heaven blue her light fails
As the blue sky fades into darkness, her light also fades
A breath of soot into her lungs
She breathes in ashes or soot, perhaps from a fire
A life, a journeys end in one
Her journey comes to an end abruptly due to the soot in her lungs
Don't sing that old sad hymn no more
Please don't sing that old melancholy hymn anymore
It resonates inside my soul
The song touches a sensitive chord deep within me
It haunts me in my waking dream
Even when I'm awake, the song haunts me like a dream
Don't play those violins no more
Please don't play the violins anymore
Their melancholic overtones
The violin music has a sad or depressing quality
They echo off the floor and walls
The sound of the violins bounces and reverberates off the surfaces of the room
I cannot bear to hear them
I can't stand listening to them anymore
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Mark Edward Kozelek
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind