Very little is known of Dowland's early life, but it is generally thought he was born in London, or possibly Dublin. It is known that he went to Paris in 1580 where he was in service to the ambassador to the French court. He became a Roman Catholic at this time, which he claimed led to his not being offered a post at Elizabeth I's Protestant court. (However, he had told nobody of his conversion.) He worked instead for many years at the court of Christian IV of Denmark. He returned to England in 1606 and in 1612 secured a post as one of James I's lutenists. He died in London on the 20th February 1626.
Most of Dowland's music is for his own instrument, the lute. It includes several books of solo lute works, lute songs (for one voice and lute), part-songs with lute accompaniment, and several pieces for viol consort with lute.
He later wrote what is probably his best known instrumental work, Lachrimae or Seaven Teares Figured in Seaven Passionate Pavans, a set of seven for five viols and lute, each based on his well-known song "Flow My Tears". It became one of the best known pieces of consort music in his own time. His pavane "Lachrymae antiquae" was also one of the big hits of the seventeenth century.
Dowland's music often displays the melancholia that was so fashionable in music at that time, typified by a consort piece with the punning title "Semper Dowland, semper dolens" ("Always Dowland, always doleful").
The Lowest Trees have Tops
John Dowland Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The fly her spleen, the little spark his heat;
The slender hairs cast shadows, through but small,
And bees have stings, although they be not great;
Seas have their source, and so have shallow springs;
And love is love, in beggars and in kings.
Where waters smoothest run, there deepest are the fords,
The firmest faith is found in fewest words,
The turtles cannot sing, and yet they love;
True hearts have ears, and eyes, no tongues to speak;
They hear, and see, and sign, and then they break
The lyrics of "The Lowest Trees Have Tops" by John Dowland, Sting & Edin Karamazov speak to the universal truth that even the smallest and seemingly insignificant things in life have their own qualities that make them important. The first stanza highlights the idea that even the smallest things have their own unique characteristics. The imagery of the ant's gall, the fly's spleen, and the little spark's heat all illustrate this point. The second stanza emphasizes the idea that there is depth in even the smoothest waters and that true faith can be found in the most few words. The last stanza speaks to the idea that true love is expressed through actions rather than words.
The song is a melancholy ballad that speaks to the cyclical nature of life and the beauty of simplicity. The lyrics suggest that even the smallest things in life have value and meaning. The use of vivid imagery in the lyrics and the somber tone of the music create a poignant and reflective mood.
Line by Line Meaning
The lowest trees have tops, the ant her gall
Even the smallest things have their own version of greatness or importance, for example, even the shortest tree has its own top, and the smallest ant has its own gall.
The fly her spleen, the little spark his heat;
Even tiny creatures have their own unique characteristics and abilities, for instance, the fly has her own spleen while the little spark has a certain amount of heat.
The slender hairs cast shadows, through but small,
Even the delicate and weak things can have their own impact, however small it may be, like thin hairs having the ability to cast shadows.
And bees have stings, although they be not great;
Small things can still be dangerous or lethal, such as bees although they are not large, they still have a painful sting.
Seas have their source, and so have shallow springs;
Everything has its origin or beginning, even the vast seas have their own source while even tiny springs have their own origins too.
And love is love, in beggars and in kings.
Love is a universal feeling that can be felt by anyone regardless of status or wealth, it is just as strong in beggars as it is in kings.
Where waters smoothest run, there deepest are the fords,
Things are not always what they seem, for instance, even where the water seems smooth and calm, there may be hidden dangers or challenges, like deep fords.
The dial stirs, yet none perceives it move;
Change can be happening even if we don't notice it, like the dial on a clock that seems still but is actually moving and changing the time.
The firmest faith is found in fewest words,
True faith doesn't necessarily need to be expressed with many words or grandiose speeches; it is often the quietest and simplest moments that hold the most truth.
The turtles cannot sing, and yet they love;
Even creatures that cannot sing or speak have the ability to experience love in their own way, such as turtles who can still love despite their inability to sing.
True hearts have ears, and eyes, no tongues to speak;
Genuine love is a feeling that can be sensed without words, true hearts don't need to speak to express their love, they just need to listen and observe.
They hear, and see, and sign, and then they break
True love can also be fragile and easily breakable, even with the strongest faith and most intense love, things can still fall apart without warning.
Writer(s): John Dowland, Gordon Matthew Sumner, Edin Karamazov
Contributed by Stella C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ali Enore
простая и красивая песня о любви
João Soares
Beautiful!
Pineapple Records
OK Sting. We get it.
Vivian Hall
❤
Thorsten Bachmann
Great