Many of her songs are in Faroese, some are in Icelandic and the three albums leading up to Slør were all mostly in English. On Slør she returned to singing in only Faroese.
Tides
Eivør Pálsdóttir Lyrics
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Tides collided in my eyes
Waves can wound a moonlit shore,
But they can't hurt me anymore
Tangled in my mother's hair
Currents combed my bones bare
Her currents swirled though my ribs
Ashore I dance the sacred night
A surging wave of pale moonlight
A seal-spun daughter of the tides
Never again a captive bride
The lyrics of Eivør Pálsdóttir's "Tides" capture the essence of a woman who has emerged from the shackles of a captive life. The first two lines talk about the tears, she has shed seven tears, making a significant number in many cultures, and how it felt like the tides were colliding in her eyes. The comparison of her emotions to the sea sets the tone for the rest of the song. The next line conveys how the waves can hurt the moonlit shore but cannot hurt her anymore, implying that the singer has developed resilience in the face of struggles like the unyielding sea.
As the song progresses, the lyrics reveal that the singer has a connection to her mother and everything that has made her who she is. The third line talks about being tangled in her mother's hair, and currents combing her bones bare, helping her connect to everything she has learned over time. The line, "spinning seaweed to selkie skin," denotes the idea of transformation that is central to the song. The singer has gone through a metamorphosis and is now something new and wondrous, something like the selkie-creatures of mythology.
Line by Line Meaning
Seven moonlit tears I cried
I wept seven tears on a moonlit night
Tides collided in my eyes
The tides of my emotions clashed with each other, causing me pain
Waves can wound a moonlit shore,
But they can't hurt me anymore
Although waves can damage the shore, they cannot harm me anymore
Tangled in my mother's hair
My hair got entangled in my mother's hair
Currents combed my bones bare
The currents of the sea removed everything from me, leaving only bones
Her currents swirled though my ribs
The tides of the sea flowed through my ribs
Spinning seaweed to selkie skin
The seaweed was transformed into selkie skin
Ashore I dance the sacred night
I dance on the beach on the holy night
A surging wave of pale moonlight
A wave of pale moonlight is surging
A seal-spun daughter of the tides
I am a daughter of the tides, created by a seal's magic
Never again a captive bride
I will never be a prisoner again
Writer(s): EIVOER PALSDOTTIR, TRONDUR BOGASON, RANDI WARD
Contributed by Victoria P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.