Jenny of Oldstones
Florence the Machine Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Jenny would dance with her ghosts
The ones she had lost and the ones she had found
And the ones who had loved her the most
The ones who'd been gone for so very long
She couldn't remember their names
They spun her around on the damp old stones
And she never wanted to leave, never wanted to leave
Never wanted to leave, never wanted to leave
They danced through the day
And into the night through the snow that swept through the hall
From winter to summer then winter again
'Til the walls did crumble and fall
And she never wanted to leave, never wanted to leave
Never wanted to leave, never wanted to leave
And she never wanted to leave, never wanted to leave
Never wanted to leave, never wanted to leave
High in the halls of the kings who are gone
Jenny would dance with her ghosts
The ones she had lost and the ones she had found
And the ones
Who had loved her the most
The song "Jenny of Oldstones" by Florence + the Machine is featured in the eighth and final season of the hit TV series, Game of Thrones. The lyrics are a hauntingly beautiful portrayal of a woman named Jenny, who dances with the spirits of those she had lost, found, or loved the most in the halls of the kings who are gone.
The opening lines evoke the image of a grand, abandoned palace where ghostly figures roam in the shadows. Jenny is one of them, lost in her memories of those she had loved and lost. The damp old stones on which she dances are a symbol of her grief and anguish, but also of her resilience and willingness to cling to the past when everything else is falling apart.
The chorus is a repetition of her desire to stay in this world of ghosts and memories, never to leave the loved ones she has found. The changing seasons, from winter to summer and back to winter again, mark the passage of time, but for Jenny, time stands still in this place of ghosts.
Overall, the song is a poignant ode to the power of memory and the ability of the human spirit to endure even in the face of loss and sorrow.
Line by Line Meaning
High in the halls of the kings who are gone
Jenny used to dance in the grand halls of the ancient kings who are long gone from this world.
Jenny would dance with her ghosts
Jenny would dance with the memories of the loved ones who had passed away and the experiences of life that still resonate with her in the present.
The ones she had lost and the ones she had found
Jenny dances with the memories of those who were no longer with her as well as the experiences of those she had found in life and hold dear.
And the ones who had loved her the most
Jenny reminisces the moments spent with those who had shown her the most love and affection in life and she continues to cherish those memories.
They danced through the day
Jenny would dance all day with the memories that she held so dear.
And into the night through the snow that swept through the hall
Jenny continued to dance even in the harshness of life, represented by the snow sweeping through the hall.
From winter to summer then winter again
Jenny would continue to dance, immersing herself in the cycle of life, experiencing both the joys and sorrows it brings.
'Til the walls did crumble and fall
Jenny would dance until the walls surrounding her memories crumble from the passage of time, never wanting to forget the memories of those she had loved.
And she never wanted to leave, never wanted to leave
Jenny was so lost in the memories and feelings of the past that she never wanted to let go and move on.
The ones who'd been gone for so very long
Jenny's ghosts were with her who had been gone from her world for too many years to count, yet stayed in her heart.
She couldn't remember their names
Jenny holds such a deep attachment to the memories that the individual identities of those who she dances with are less important than the cherished feelings they represent.
They spun her around on the damp old stones
The memories and experiences that Jenny holds so dear would overwhelm her and cause her to lose herself in them in a way that spun her around on the old, wet stones.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Dan Weiss, David Benioff, George R. R. Martin, Ramin Djawadi
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@explicitcontent320
Some context for the song:
Jenny of Oldstones was the wife of Prince Duncan Targaryen, also known as Prince Duncan the small and the Prince of Dragonflies.
Prince Duncan was betrothed to Lord Lyonel Baratheon's daughter. However when he was travelling through the Riverlans one day he met Jenny, a peasant girl, fell in love and married her. His father King Aegon V begged him to set her aside, however Duncan refused and instead abdicated the throne.
Lyonel Baratheon was so enraged that he revolted against the Iron Throne. Lord commander of the Kingsguard, Ser Duncan the Tall fought and defeated Lyonel in single combat and after some negotiations, accepted Aegon's daughter Rhaelle to be betrothed to his heir. Rhaelle is in fact Robert Baratheon's grandmother.
This set off a chain of events that lead to Duncan's siblings Jaehaerys and Shaera to marry each other, breaking bethrothals with Tullys and Tyrells. Jaehaerys would eventually become king and sire Rhaella and Aerys, who would later become known as "The Mad King"
This is why Maester Aemon, King Aegon's brother says "Duncan loved Jenny and the price for their love was paid in corpses."
@g.c.l.kmusic6223
Respectfully, I'm really curious and looking forward to how House of the Dragon will be in the future. But as a Fire and Blood reader, I know there are going to be a few elements missing in the HBO adaptation. The reason being is: the show doesn't start from the very beginning of Fire and Blood.
From the trailers I've watched, HBO starts House of the Dragon's story from the Dance of Dragons (the Targaryen civil war that killed all their dragons).
Well......all in all, whatever the shows gonna be in the future, I'll still watch it regardless of where it starts and give my opinion about it objectively. But that begs the question, though: If HBO is going to make a Game of Thrones sequel about the Targaryen house, why not start House of the Dragon (HOTD) from the very beginning? Why not start it from Aegon the Conqueror himself and his Conquest?
I mean......don't get me wrong.......Dance of Dragons is a pretty good story in itself. Personally, I like it. The story about a family being split into two, they fight each other nonstop for years, etc. It was a hell of a rollercoaster ride for me. I almost cried when Rhaenyra died in the end of the Dance. Really though, never thought I'd get emotional reading about a family feud that involves nations, wars, and dragons.
Back to topic, as a Fire and Blood reader, I feel that there are also many things that make the Targaryen history interesting rather than only the Dance of Dragons.
Aegon's Conquest; Aenys I and Maegor the Cruel's civil war (this is really tragic); King Jaeherys I's rule (my favorite Targaryen king after Aegon I); King Viserys I's rule and the evens prior to Dance of the Dragons.
Those are some events that transpired before Dance of the Dragons that have been written in Fire and Blood. And in my honest opinion, those events may be underrated compared to Dance of Dragons (sans Aegon's Conquest), but all of them have huge impacts in the Targaryen family.
Overall, just like I said, I don't really mind if HBO wants to start HOTD with Dance of Dragons. It's their show, not mine. I'm just a diehard house Targaryen fan with a question and trying to point out that there are many more tragic and impactful events that transpired before the Dance of Dragons. I just hope HOTD won't stray to far from the Fire and Blood book int terms of storyline. And hopefully, in the near distant future, there will be HOTD season 2 or something of the sort, and they adapt the many events before Dance of Dragons.
@illucifer.mylord4976
High in the halls of the kings who are gone
Jenny would dance with her ghosts
The ones she had lost and the ones she had found
And the ones who had loved her the most
The ones who'd been gone for so very long
She couldn't remember their names
They spun her around on the damp old stones
Spun away all her sorrow and pain
And she never wanted to leave, never wanted to leave
Never wanted to leave, never wanted to leave
They danced through the day
And into the night through the snow that swept through the hall
From winter to summer then winter again
'Til the walls did crumble and fall
And she never wanted to leave, never wanted to leave
Never wanted to leave, never wanted to leave
And she never wanted to leave, never wanted to leave
Never wanted to leave, never wanted to leave
High in the halls of the kings who are gone
Jenny would dance with her ghosts
The ones she had lost and the ones she had found
And the ones
Who had loved her the most
@tanimahmeddipto7775
Lyric:
High in the halls of the kings who are gone
Jenny would dance with her ghosts
The ones she had lost and the ones she had found
And the ones who had loved her the most
The ones who'd been gone for so very long
She couldn't remember their names
They spun her around on the damp old stones
Spun away all her sorrow and pain
And she never wanted to leave, never wanted to leave
Never wanted to leave, never wanted to leave
They danced through the day
And into the night through the snow that swept through the hall
From winter to summer then winter again
'Til the walls did crumble and fall
And she never wanted to leave, never wanted to leave
Never wanted to leave, never wanted to leave
And she never wanted to leave, never wanted to leave
Never wanted to leave, never wanted to leave
High in the halls of the kings who are gone
Jenny would dance with her ghosts
The ones she had lost and the ones she had found
And the ones
Who had loved her the most
@fiervechi9076
Night King : *prepares for the attack *
Pod: start's singing
Night king: Hold on let him finish
@pati1943
Know we know why these whores didn't take money from him
After all those years
@pauloeduardo1012
Night King: That's a lovely, lovely voice.
@beatifulthais
That is so true LOL
@NewSwitcher
First a magic cock, now a magic voice, Bronn you better watch out. xD
@extraterrestrialhorse9722
@Paulo Eduardo I UNDERSTOOD THAT REFERENCE!
@thedoctor4327
The song becomes so much better/sadder if you know the origin of the song.
Jenny was a commoner who fell in love with Prince Duncan Targarayen who broke off a betrothal to marry Jenny, which started a small rebellion led by the Baratheons. The rebellion ended when Duncan’s sister was married to the Baratheon heir (their grandsons were Robert, Stannis, and Renly) and Duncan abdicated the throne to be allowed to stay with Jenny. Their marriage ended tragically when Duncan’s father, Aegon V the last good Targarayen King, tried to resurrect the dragons but failed and the resulting fire killed him and Duncan. The hall Jenny’s dancing in is Summerhall (the fire’s location) and the ghosts she’s dancing with are her husband, his family, and everyone else who died because of her love.
So not only did the events of Jenny’s life and love lay the groundwork for the events of the series (the events of Summerhall ultimately put the Mad King on the Iron Throne) but it mirrors the circumstances of Jon’s birth
@CorHellekin
holy shit!
@peterkorver8907
usefull info thx
@writershard5065
See this is why I will always praise George RR Martin. He is fantastic in writing fantasy like a history epic that is incredibly well connected and beautiful to read.