Stop Your Tears
Aldous Harding Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I will die waiting for the bells
Death, come pull me underwater
I have nothing left to fear from hell
I was gifted at the music
I was born the day the year was new
Someone has stolen all the water
I keep the pills inside an urn
Lord, show me my daughter
Show me her before she burned
We go walking in the hallways
Now and then a record gives a tune
Sometimes we hang from our chambers
Baudelaire in the afternoon
The yellow rose is a stranger
The devil's invitation in bloom
I stand looking at my chamber
There are many things upon the floor
The blade is ready for the slaughter
The Virgin Mary hangs on the door
I will arrive at death's border
Take back the cover God has torn from me
I am at the river with baby
Her father enters with a leap
Hold her head above the water
She is pale against the streak
I am the horse beneath his daughter
He is the mountain underneath
Aldous Harding's "Stop Your Tears" is a hauntingly beautiful song that depicts a sense of despair and loss. The first two lines in the song, "I will never marry my love, I will die waiting for the bells", suggest the idea of never experiencing happiness or fulfillment in the context of a love life. The sense of despair deepens as the lyrics move on to mention death as an escape from the pain and a symbol of losing hope.
The next lines, "I was gifted at the music, I was born the day the year was new, Someone has stolen all the water, I keep the pills inside an urn", convey a sense of loss of creativity and passion. The imagery of stolen water and pills in an urn gives the listener an idea of feeling empty and lifeless.
As the song progresses, it becomes clear that the song is about a mother reflecting on the tragic loss of her daughter. The line "Lord, show me my daughter, show me her before she burned" distinctly underscores the idea of a mother grieving for her child. The imagery of walking in the hallways, the record giving a tune, hanging from chambers, and the allusion to Baudelaire - all suggest a sense of struggling in a world full of melancholy and despair.
In the final verse of the song, "I am at the river with the baby, her father enters with a leap, hold her head above the water, she is pale against the streak, I am the horse beneath his daughter, he is the mountain underneath" the mother realizes the tragic fate of her daughter and feels helpless to act. The metaphor of being a horse under her daughter conveys her need to support her daughter, while her husband is like the mountain underneath - something sturdy and permanent.
In conclusion, Aldous Harding's "Stop Your Tears" is a heart-wrenching song that masterfully grapples with the theme of loss and grief.
Line by Line Meaning
I will never marry my love
The singer has no intentions of getting married to their love.
I will die waiting for the bells
The singer is willing to wait for death, which is symbolized by the bells.
Death, come pull me underwater
The singer is calling out to death to come and take them away.
I have nothing left to fear from hell
The artist is not afraid of hell anymore since they have nothing left to lose.
I was gifted at the music
The artist possesses a natural talent for music.
I was born the day the year was new
The singer was born on New Year's Day.
Someone has stolen all the water
All of the water has been stolen by someone unknown to the singer.
I keep the pills inside an urn
The artist stores their pills inside an urn, which is an unusual way of keeping medication.
Lord, show me my daughter
The artist asks for God's help in finding their daughter.
Show me her before she burned
The artist wants to see their daughter before she was burned or harmed in any way.
We go walking in the hallways
The singer and someone else walk through the hallways together.
Now and then a record gives a tune
Every so often, they hear music playing from a record player.
Sometimes we hang from our chambers
They occasionally dangle from their rooms, which could be a metaphor for feeling trapped or stuck.
Baudelaire in the afternoon
A reference to the famous French poet, Charles Baudelaire, during the afternoon.
The yellow rose is a stranger
The 'yellow rose' is unfamiliar to the singer.
The devil's invitation in bloom
The 'devil's invitation' is present or growing in some way.
I stand looking at my chamber
The artist is staring at their own room.
There are many things upon the floor
The floor is cluttered with objects.
The blade is ready for the slaughter
A knife or other blade is prepared for killing or harming someone or something.
The Virgin Mary hangs on the door
An image or likeness of the Virgin Mary is hanging on the door.
I will arrive at death's border
The artist knows they will soon be facing death.
Take back the cover God has torn from me
The artist wants God to give them back something taken away.
I am at the river with baby
The singer is by a river with a baby.
Her father enters with a leap
The baby's father jumps into the scene.
Hold her head above the water
The singer wants to keep the baby's head above water to save her life.
She is pale against the streak
The baby looks ill or unwell.
I am the horse beneath his daughter
The singer is like a horse holding up the baby.
He is the mountain underneath
The baby's father is a strong, reliable support like a mountain.
Contributed by Elena W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@maddieanica3455
I will never marry my love
I will die waiting for the bells
Death, come pull me underwater
I have nothing left to fear from hell
I was gifted at the music
I was born the day the year was new
Someone has stolen all the water
I keep the pills inside an urn
Lord, show me my daughter
Show me her before she burned
We go walking in the hallways
Now and then a record gives a tune
Sometimes we hang from our chambers
Baudelaire in the afternoon
The yellow rose is a stranger
The devil’s invitation in bloom
I stand looking at my chamber
There are many things upon the floor
The blade is ready for the slaughter
The Virgin Mary hangs on the door
I will arrive at death’s border
Take back the cover God has torn from me
I am at the river with baby
Her father enters with a leap
Hold her head above the water
She is pale against the stream
I am the horse beneath his daughter
He is the mountain underneath
@magicjoeblack5761
The Universe has been doing its thing for16 billion years old and we were lucky enough to be around for the Aldous Harding section. How incredibly lucky is that?
@scottc2276
Very lucky long may it last !!
@samlawrence1319
I use this analogy all the time for Bowie or Dylan haha happy to see it’s understood
@jis87BE
Where TF do you get 16 billion? Just a random guess? Wrong Google search? Or just too lazy to look it up? The universe is 13.7 billion years old, man....ughhhhhhhhhhhhhh
@realMelonTusk
You’re an idiot
@neilwood8794
She is right up there imo ✌️❤️🏴
@puscifer10000
I am absolutely obsessed with this woman. She has that Bjork quality in that you cannot stop watching her and her voice and words just pull you in, deep down that rabbit hole. I don't ever think she'll be "huge" in the traditional pop star sense because she doesn't spoon feed anything to her audience. But I predict she'll go down in the musical canon alongside Patty Smith, Kate Bush, Bjork, and the like. Fucking brilliant.
@themysticmuse1111
She absolutely deserves that.
@cedricathlan9399
There's definitely some Patty Smith vibes, in the tone of her voice particularly. I wouldn't be surprised if she was a source of inspiration, even if Aldous's style is dramatically different.
@briansmylie
I just love this song, the words "I am at the water with baby" give a feeing of dread and of something dreadful about to happen, but it turns out not to be. If you watch the video without sound she comes across as a complete "nutter". I'm sure that is absolutely intentional. I think I might be a bit obsessed too so I'm off to stick a pencil to my face.