Helen fell in love with writing music as a child, enthralled by how many worlds were contained in sound, how profoundly it spoke of the feelings there are no words for. What began as a hobby became a necessity, a passion and an alchemic path. Inspired in her teens by the unlikely charms of old-school video game soundtracks, her first musical endeavours on the internet were soundtracks for independent video games and arrangements of existing video game themes, which she unleashed to the online world under her alias 'Destiny'.
In 2005 she won the categories of 'Best Unsigned Artist' and 'Best Song By Unsigned Artist' at Radio Rivendell's Fantasy Awards with her haunting orchestral work The Mermaid, based on Jan Siegel's book Prospero's Children - the song was later released by Waerloga Records on the Radio Rivendell Compilation CD.
Rapunzel
Helen Trevillion Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Foundationed by fears of being on your own
Cemented by trenches between 'you' and 'they' -
Your sanctuary - or so you say…
Cos you put the bars against your window view
And you built the walls that isolate you
A foolish Rapunzel - afraid of yourself -
Cos outside
Life seems so busy
And your mind
Makes you so dizzy
Oh what can you do
But embrace this confusion
And love this madness?
Life: A story you tell yourself in the night
A lullaby fiction, a bitter delight
Where voices, distant and muffled, combine
In a chaos beyond your control
It all depends on your perspective
You're only alone if you see it that way
Oh come now Rapunzel, so hard on yourself
You're just as deserving as anyone else
Outside
Life seems so busy
And your mind
Makes you so dizzy
Oh what can you do
But embrace this confusion
And love this madness?
Time doesn't wait
You've got to reach out
And make your mistakes
Let down your hair
Rapunzel, Rapunzel
There's a world out there
There's a world out there!
Outside
Life seems so busy
And your mind
Makes you so dizzy -
Oh what can you do
But embrace this confusion
And love this madness?
Love this madness.
The song "Rapunzel" by Helen Trevillion is a metaphorical representation of the internal struggles and external apprehensions that an individual might face in their journey towards self-discovery and self-acceptance. The song starts with Rapunzel being confined to her tower, which represents the fears and doubts that keep us from realizing our true potential. She has created a sanctuary inside her tower, but in reality, it is a prison that restricts her from experiencing the world outside. The bars and walls that she has built in her tower symbolize the boundaries that we often create for ourselves due to our insecurities and self-doubts. Rapunzel is fearful of the version of herself that exists outside her comfort zone, and this fear is holding her back from discovering who she truly is.
As the song progresses, we realize that Rapunzel's struggles are not unique to her but are relatable to all of us. The chaos and confusion that we experience in our lives are a result of our own perceptions and choices. Life is like a story that we tell ourselves, and the perspective that we take can be the difference between feeling alone and feeling connected to the world. The song encourages us to embrace the madness and confusion that comes with life and to love ourselves for who we are. It urges us to take risks and make mistakes, to break free from the confinements that we have created and explore the world outside.
Line by Line Meaning
Up in your tower, away from the world
You are isolated from the world, living in a tower.
Foundationed by fears of being on your own
Your isolation stems from your fear of being alone.
Cemented by trenches between 'you' and 'they' -
The boundaries between you and others contribute to your isolation.
Your sanctuary - or so you say…
The tower is your safe space, at least in your mind.
Cos you put the bars against your window view
You limited your own view of the outside world by installing bars on your window.
And you built the walls that isolate you
You created the barriers that separate yourself from others.
A foolish Rapunzel - afraid of yourself -
You are like Rapunzel, fearful of yourself and your own capabilities.
A stranger, a prisoner inside your head
You've become a captive of your own thoughts, feeling out of place in the world and disconnected from others.
Cos outside
The outside world seems different to you.
Life seems so busy
The world outside your tower is full of activity.
And your mind
The way you think about things...
Makes you so dizzy
...confuses you and makes you feel overwhelmed.
Oh what can you do
You feel like you can't do anything.
But embrace this confusion
Accept that the confusion is part of life and try to look at it differently.
And love this madness?
And try to find some enjoyment in the chaos of life.
Life: A story you tell yourself in the night
The way you tell the story of your life is a personal invention, created by you.
A lullaby fiction, a bitter delight
It's a comforting story, but not always satisfying.
Where voices, distant and muffled, combine
You hear voices out in the world, but they always seem very far away and unclear.
In a chaos beyond your control
The chaos of the world is beyond your power to control.
It all depends on your perspective
Every situation can be viewed in different ways.
You're only alone if you see it that way
Being alone is all in how you interpret it.
Oh come now Rapunzel, so hard on yourself
Don't be too critical of yourself.
You're just as deserving as anyone else
You deserve happiness and fulfillment like any other person.
Time doesn't wait
Time keeps moving forward.
You've got to reach out
You need to take action.
And make your mistakes
Mistakes can be valuable learning experiences.
Let down your hair
Release yourself from your own limitations.
Rapunzel, Rapunzel
You are Rapunzel in this story.
There's a world out there
The world is vast and full of opportunities.
Love this madness.
Try to find joy in this chaotic world.
Contributed by Ruby B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.