Flow My Tears
Andreas Scholl & Andreas Martin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Flow, my tears, fall from your springs!
Exiled for ever, let me mourn;
Where night's black bird her sad infamy sings,
There let me live forlorn.
Down vain lights, shine you no more!
That in despair their lost fortunes deplore.
Light doth but shame disclose.
Never may my woes be relieved,
Since pity is fled;
And tears and sighs and groans my weary days
Of all joys have deprived.
From the highest spire of contentment
My fortune is thrown;
And fear and grief and pain for my deserts
Are my hopes, since hope is gone.
Hark! you shadows that in darkness dwell,
Learn to contemn light
Happy, happy they that in hell
Feel not the world's despite.
The song "Flow My Tears" by John Dowland was written in the Renaissance era, and the lyrics describe a person's sadness and feeling of being exiled. The singer's tears are compared to springs or sources of water that are flowing endlessly, never to be relieved. The sadness depicted in the song is so deep that the writer says "light doth but shame disclose," meaning that even light cannot brighten up the darkness of despair.
The use of metaphors in this song is abundant. The blackbird's sad infamy represents the sorrowful music, which is often used in the Renaissance period to convey melancholy emotions. The vanity of fleeting lights does not make much sense in the twenty-first century society, but people in the Renaissance days often used the word "vain" to describe something that was useless or failing to meet someone's expectations. The final message of the song is quite pessimistic, describing even the shadows in the darkness as mournful figures who do not care about the light. The most striking aspect of this song is the depth of sadness and melancholy described in the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Flow, my tears
Let my tears flow
Flow, my tears, fall from your springs!
Let my tears fall intensely
Exiled for ever, let me mourn;
I am exiled forever, let me grieve
Where night's black bird her sad infamy sings,
I choose to live where the night is dark and the bird's lament symbolic
There let me live forlorn.
Let me live alone and lost
Down vain lights, shine you no more!
Stop shining, superficial lights!
No nights are dark enough for those
The darkness of the night cannot lessen the despair
That in despair their lost fortunes deplore.
Those who regret their lost fortunes and are in despair are in agony
Light doth but shame disclose.
Light only illuminates the shame
Never may my woes be relieved,
My woes can never leave
Since pity is fled;
Pity has gone away
And tears and sighs and groans my weary days
My days are filled with tears, sighs, and groans
Of all joys have deprived.
As a result, I have been deprived of all joy
From the highest spire of contentment
From the top of the tower of happiness
My fortune is thrown;
My fortune has gone away
And fear and grief and pain for my deserts
In exchange, I receive fear, grief, and pain as a punishment
Are my hopes, since hope is gone.
This is my new hope, as my previous hope has vanished
Hark! you shadows that in darkness dwell,
Listen! You shadows residing in the darkness
Learn to contemn light
Learn to disregard the light
Happy, happy they that in hell
Those who are in hell are fortunate
Feel not the world's despite.
They do not have to endure the world's harshness.
Contributed by Kaylee E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.