All music written and performed by Kevin on the followi… Read Full Bio ↴Liner notes:
All music written and performed by Kevin on the following instruments: acoustic guitar (two tracks), electric guitar, and a shaker, with the electric part (a lead) written approximately 5 minutes prior to recording, and partially improvised as the track rolled.
Lyrics are an amalgamation of several similar retellings of the same Asian myth. Arranged and read by Jordan.
Four
La Dispute Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
and its great king had a beautiful daughter
who passed her days in solitude,
weaving garments for the pleasure of her father.
One day, while she was sitting beside the great river,
peering across, she saw a handsome young shepherd boy leading his flock through the pasture. Immediately, she fell in love. T
hereafter, she became terribly disheartened, knowing that, due
The king, aware that by his bidding such despair had befallen her,
felt great remorse, and arranged for her to marry the shepherd.
Their marriage was one of happiness from the start, and everyday thereafter
they grew happier and happier.
However, in immersing herself in her marriage,
the princess had neglected her weaving and the great king became angry.
Unable to reconcile with that anger, the great king banished each of the lovers to opposite
sides of the great river, allowing them only to meet once each year: on the seventh
day of the seventh month.
On that day, a ferryman would carry the shepherd boy
across the river to the princess, and return him home at day's end.
However, if the princess has not fulfilled her obligations at the loom the king floods the river, and
the two can not meet.
The lyrics to La Dispute's Four tell a tale of a great kingdom, a beautiful princess and a handsome shepherd boy. The princess spends her days alone, weaving garments for her father. When she sees the shepherd boy, she instantly falls in love with him. However, she knows that her duties will not allow her to pursue her love. The king, realizing that his daughter is unhappy, arranges for her to marry the shepherd boy. The couple is happy together, but the princess neglects her weaving to immerse herself in her love. This leads the king to banish them to opposite sides of the river, only allowing them to see each other once a year on the seventh day of the seventh month.
This song is a retelling of the Chinese folktale The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, also known as the Chinese Valentine's Day. The story is believed to have originated during the Han Dynasty and has been passed down for centuries. The tale has been retold in various forms, including a popular Chinese opera, and has become a symbol of undying love in Chinese culture.
The lyrics of Four are told from the perspective of the princess and evoke emotions of longing, despair, and love. Its haunting melody, combined with the emotional weight of the story, makes it a powerful piece of music that resonates with listeners on a deep level.
Line by Line Meaning
There was once a great kingdom,
Once upon a time, there existed a vast and powerful empire,
and its great king had a beautiful daughter
The king of that kingdom had a lovely daughter who was his pride and joy,
who passed her days in solitude,
The princess spent most of her time in isolation,
weaving garments for the pleasure of her father.
She weaved clothing that she offered as gifts to her father,
One day, while she was sitting beside the great river,
While relaxing by the river one day,
peering across, she saw a handsome young shepherd boy leading his flock through the pasture.
She caught sight of a good-looking shepherd boy guiding his flock through a nearby field,
Immediately, she fell in love.
The princess instantly fell head over heels in love,
Thereafter, she became terribly disheartened,
But her newfound love quickly turned to sadness and despair,
knowing that, due to her duties at the loom, she would be unable to pursue that love.
As she knew she had to complete her weaving tasks, she realized she would never be able to have a relationship with this shepherd boy.
The king, aware that by his bidding such despair had befallen her,
The king was aware that his expectations had caused the princess such misery,
felt great remorse, and arranged for her to marry the shepherd.
In an attempt to make things right, the king decided that the princess was to marry the shepherd boy.
Their marriage was one of happiness from the start, and everyday thereafter they grew happier and happier.
The couple started their married life full of joy, and things kept getting better and better as time went by.
However, in immersing herself in her marriage,
Unfortunately, the princess became so absorbed in her marriage that her responsibilities as a weaver fell by the wayside,
the princess had neglected her weaving and the great king became angry.
This prompted the king to become angry and resentful toward her.
Unable to reconcile with that anger, the great king banished each of the lovers to opposite sides of the great river,
The king, unable to let go of his anger, exiled both the princess and her lover to opposite sides of the river,
allowing them only to meet once each year: on the seventh day of the seventh month.
He would only allow them to see each other once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh month.
On that day, a ferryman would carry the shepherd boy across the river to the princess, and return him home at day's end.
During that yearly meeting, a ferryman was responsible for carrying the shepherd boy across the river so that he could be reunited with the princess, before returning him home at the end of the day.
However, if the princess has not fulfilled her obligations at the loom the king floods the river, and the two can not meet.
But if the princess had not completed her weaving tasks, the king would literally flood the river, keeping the lovers apart once again.
Contributed by Leah L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@zombiesquirrels8D
wow... They're so different from regular music. They have stories and poems with background music. It's so nice..
@mymasterpiece19
Jordan Dreyer's kids are going to love bedtime stories with their dad.
@aplacetoforget
I always get so emotional over this song because it makes you think of a fairytale but then you realize that it's sad instead of happy and it just makes you think
@Eve0127
This has been my favorite band for 12 years. I adore them.
@squidgy4180
"Rise!" said the king to the river
@saskia7935
the 7th day of the 7th month is my birthday and also the day I am seeing la dispute live : )
@Aphrodisiabraxas
I have to personally agree with a comment I read on a previous video
All of their songs seem like a puzzle in which if you start from the beginning everything eventually lines up and you can make the connections.
Its almost like in "said the king to the river" the man wishes to keep the lovers apart. There are several other connections you can make but it's not like some kind of top secret grade A conspiracy theory, it's an interesting twist to the poetry and songs, leaving a full all out story.
@smiliepopeilie
+From the Rise and Fall
Thats because this song is a prelude to "Said the King to the River"
@aaronweiss9385
so amazing that they could tell a Chinese folk tale in such a unique way
@nicpaul
Bruh, this is an incredibly simplistic story, it’s probably one that is repeated every 300 mi.² across the face of the earth. I’m sure it’s totally “Chinese” though. Speaking of which, are you Jewish?