Lullaby
Loreena McKennitt Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To drown the throat of war! - When the senses
Are shaken, and the soul is driven to madness,
Who can stand? When the souls of the oppressed
Fight in the troubled air that rages, who can stand?
When the whirlwind of fury comes from the
Throne of god, when the frowns of his countenance
Drive the nations together, who can stand?
When Sin claps his broad wings over the battle,
And sails rejoicing in the flood of Death;
When souls are torn to everlasting fire,
And fiends of Hell rejoice upon the slain.
O who can stand? O who hath caused this?
O who can answer at the throne of God?
The Kings and Nobles of the Land have done it!
Hear it not, Heaven, thy Ministers have done it!
The first stanza of Loreena McKennitt's song, Lullaby, is a direct quote from William Blake's poem "The Tyger." In this stanza, the singer expresses his yearning for a strong voice and tongue to overpower the destructive force of war. He ponders who can stand up against the madness that consumes the senses and drives the soul to the brink of despair. He introduces the idea of oppressed souls fighting back against their oppressors, using the imagery of a troubled air that rages.
The second stanza continues this theme of chaos and destruction. Here, the singer describes the whirlwind of fury that comes from the throne of god, causing nations to unite in conflict. He personifies sin as a winged creature that rejoices in the death and destruction wrought by war. The singer questions who can stand under these conditions, particularly when souls are being condemned to eternal damnation and demons revel in the slaughter of the innocent.
The final stanza shifts the focus to the cause of this chaos and destruction. The singer points the finger at the Kings and Nobles of the Land and calls out to Heaven, asking that they not hear the cries of those who suffer at the hands of these rulers. He concludes with a powerful condemnation of those who have caused this violent state of affairs - "thy Ministers have done it!" It is a provocative and challenging piece of poetry that forces the listener to confront uncomfortable truths about the nature of power and oppression.
Line by Line Meaning
O for a voice like thunder, and a tongue
I wish for a commanding voice that could silence the sound of war and a powerful tongue to speak against it.
To drown the throat of war! - When the senses
To overpower, suppress or eliminate war's voice, which is causing such chaos while our minds remain baffled with confusion, unable to comprehend and process the scale of the atrocities.
Are shaken, and the soul is driven to madness,
When our thoughts and contemplations are disturbed to the point of irrationality and absurdity due to the violent upheavals of war.
Who can stand? When the souls of the oppressed
Who can withstand the psychological trauma suffered by those subjected to violence, humiliation and oppression?
Fight in the troubled air that rages, who can stand?
Who can remain firm and courageous in the midst of such chaos and tumultuous emotions that fill the air with disturbance and unrest?
When the whirlwind of fury comes from the
When the uncontrollable storm of anger or malicious intent emerges from the throne of the divine being.
Throne of god, when the frowns of his countenance
when the god shows disapproval or disgust for the actions or intentions of humanity.
Drive the nations together, who can stand?
Who can overcome the divisions or conflicts in nations caused by the will of the heavens?
When Sin claps his broad wings over the battle,
When sinful or malevolent ideologies and entities support or take over battles or conflicts.
And sails rejoicing in the flood of Death;
And shifts its focus to revel in the widespread death and destruction caused by their actions.
When souls are torn to everlasting fire,
When souls are subjected to endless and unbearable agony after death.
And fiends of Hell rejoice upon the slain.
When the demons and agents of hell are elated by the death and destruction caused by their agents on earth.
O who can stand? O who hath caused this?
Who can persevere against such relentless and pervasive suffering? Who is responsible for the vicious circle of violence?
O who can answer at the throne of God?
Who can provide a satisfactory justification for the afflictions and injustices humanity experiences before the divine entity?
The Kings and Nobles of the Land have done it!
The leadership and elites have contributed to the escalation of conflict and the spread of suffering.
Hear it not, Heaven, thy Ministers have done it!
Even the religious authorities and their agents are implicated in causing or promoting conflict and injustice.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: WILLIAM DONALD PHIPPS, JOSIENNE CLARKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@binoimathew1
Loreena McKennitt - Lullaby
O for a voice like thunder, and a tongue
To drown the throat of war! - When the senses
Are shaken, and the soul is driven to madness,
Who can stand? When the souls of the oppressed
Fight in the troubled air that rages, who can stand?
When the whirlwind of fury comes from the
Throne of God, when the frowns of his countenance
Drive the nations together, who can stand?
When Sin claps his broad wings over the battle,
And sails rejoicing in the flood of Death;
When souls are torn to everlasting fire,
And fiends of Hell rejoice upon the slain,
O who can stand? O who hath caused this?
O who can answer at the throne of God?
The Kings and Nobles of the Land have done it!
Hear it not, Heaven, thy Ministers have done it!
@susanneulrike2761
Some years ago, when I was a young child who couldn't understand English yet, my mother showed this to me and I thought the man's voice was God's and the other voices came from angels.
@janjones8006
Awww Susan that's a precious memory ! :-D
@Alanoudd
You absolutely give it the right Description👏🏻😍
@stakeandburn
We need to keep our inner child more alive than ever...this world is not getting better sadly.
@amiraelo2069
And you know that god and angels doesent exist
@gormoboskos
William Blake really put a voice (and some would say a figure) on God in his works. It's amazing and uncanny
@bardess5
Thank you for keeping Douglas Campbell's voice in the world - I saw him do Lear many many years ago - extraordinary actor, very nice guy. I have loved this piece for decades - completely unique and perfect.
@CanadianSpiritBear
I heard this about 5 years ago, I am not sure now how long it was exactly. It moved my soul back then and about two years later as I sat staring up at my ceiling i suddenly remembered it. I spent months, years even looking for it; put up posts in ask jeeves, google, everywhere I could think of. Now after 3 years of looking I have found it, I don't know why I have decided to post this. I only know that this made it all worthwhile, maybe i only wanted to share my joy with you all. Anyway Thank You
@binoimathew1
Loreena McKennitt - Lullaby
O for a voice like thunder, and a tongue
To drown the throat of war! - When the senses
Are shaken, and the soul is driven to madness,
Who can stand? When the souls of the oppressed
Fight in the troubled air that rages, who can stand?
When the whirlwind of fury comes from the
Throne of God, when the frowns of his countenance
Drive the nations together, who can stand?
When Sin claps his broad wings over the battle,
And sails rejoicing in the flood of Death;
When souls are torn to everlasting fire,
And fiends of Hell rejoice upon the slain,
O who can stand? O who hath caused this?
O who can answer at the throne of God?
The Kings and Nobles of the Land have done it!
Hear it not, Heaven, thy Ministers have done it!
@amiraelo2069
William Blake 😍