In 2002, she released The Song They Sang... When Rome Fell. In 2003, she was a winner of the New Folk Competition, at the Kerrville Folk Festival. In 2004, her second album, Hymns for the Exiled, was released (Waterbug Records).
On 8 Dec 2006, Anaïs' 'folk opera' "Hadestown" débuted (written / produced in collaboration with composer Michael Chorney & director Ben T. Matchstick). On 13 Feb 2007, her third album, The Brightness was released (Righteous Babe).
Hadestown, a concept album based on the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, was released on March 9, 2010. It features contributions from Justin Vernon as Orpheus, Ani DiFranco as Persephone, Greg Brown as Hades, and Ben Knox Miller as Hermes; Anais herself sings the part of Eurydice.
Her album, 'Young Man in America' was released on Wilderland Records in the UK on February 13, 2012 and in the US on February 28, 2012.
Wedding Song
Anaïs Mitchell Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Lover, tell me if you can
Who’s gonna buy the wedding bands?
Times being what they are
Hard and getting harder all the time
ORPHEUS
Lover, when I sing my song
All the rivers sing along
To lay their gold around my feet
All a-flashing in the pan, all to fashion for your hand
The rivers gonna give us the wedding bands
EURYDICE
Lover, tell me, if you’re able
Who’s gonna lay the wedding table?
Times being what they are
Dark and getting darker all the time
ORPHEUS
Lover, when I sing my song
All the trees gonna sing along
And bend their branches down to me
To lay their fruit around my feet
The almond and the apple
And the sugar from the maple
The trees gonna lay the wedding table
EURYDICE
Lover, tell me, when we’re wed
Who’s gonna make the wedding bed?
Times being what they are
Hard and getting harder all the time
ORPHEUS
Lover, when I sing my song
All the birds gonna sing along
And they’ll come flying round to me
To lay their feathers at my feet
And we’ll lie down in eiderdown,
A pillow ’neath our heads
The birds gonna make the wedding bed
And the trees gonna lay the wedding table
And the rivers gonna give us the wedding bands
The words "Wedding Song" bring to mind images of love, joy, and the start of a new life. However, Anaïs Mitchell's version of the wedding song is different. The song tells the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, two characters from Greek mythology who are deeply in love. The song starts with Eurydice questioning who is going to buy the wedding bands. Orpheus responds by saying that he does not need to buy them since the rivers will give them to him by laying their gold at his feet. Orpheus, known for his musical talents, explains that when he sings, the rivers sing along, and they will break their banks to get to him.
Eurydice continues to question Orpheus, asking who will lay the wedding table and make the wedding bed. Orpheus again replies with the same answer, that when he sings, all the trees and birds will come to him, and they will lay the wedding table and create the bed of feathers. The song tells us that times are hard, and getting harder all the time, which gives the sense that the only way to move forward in difficult times is through love.
This song is a beautiful tribute to the power of love and how it can bring people together, even in the hardest of times. The lyrics show that love is about more than just the things we can see or touch. It is about the ability to create something beautiful and meaningful out of seemingly nothing.
Line by Line Meaning
Lover, tell me if you can
Who’s gonna buy the wedding bands?
Eurydice is worried about who will buy the wedding bands due to the difficult economic times, and asks Orpheus if he knows.
Lover, when I sing my song
All the rivers sing along
And they’re gonna break their banks for me
To lay their gold around my feet
All a-flashing in the pan, all to fashion for your hand
The rivers gonna give us the wedding bands
Orpheus reassures Eurydice that the rivers will provide the wedding bands as they are moved by his music and will offer their gold to adorn their union.
Lover, tell me, if you’re able
Who’s gonna lay the wedding table?
Times being what they are
Dark and getting darker all the time
Eurydice is concerned about the wedding preparations and asks Orpheus if he knows who will take care of the table arrangements in the midst of difficult times.
Lover, when I sing my song
All the trees gonna sing along
And bend their branches down to me
To lay their fruit around my feet
The almond and the apple
And the sugar from the maple
The trees gonna lay the wedding table
Orpheus explains how the trees will be moved by his music to offer their fruits, including almonds, apples, and maple sugar, to lay on the wedding table.
Lover, tell me, when we’re wed
Who’s gonna make the wedding bed?
Times being what they are
Hard and getting harder all the time
Eurydice asks Orpheus who will take care of making the wedding bed, given the challenging circumstances.
Lover, when I sing my song
All the birds gonna sing along
And they’ll come flying round to me
To lay their feathers at my feet
And we’ll lie down in eiderdown,
A pillow ’neath our heads
The birds gonna make the wedding bed
Orpheus assures Eurydice that the birds will come to him, inspired by his music, and will offer their feathers to create the wedding bed, with eiderdown as a pillow under their heads.
And the trees gonna lay the wedding table
And the rivers gonna give us the wedding bands
Orpheus reminds Eurydice that the natural world will provide for their wedding as the trees will lay the table and the rivers will give them their wedding bands.
Contributed by Emily A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.