1) Madelin… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least two artists performing under this name
1) Madeline Adams has been performing simply as Madeline for the last decade. As a teenager she relocated from her hometown of Athens, Georgia to Bloomington, Indiana to work with the punk label Plan-It-X Records (Japanther, Against Me, Defiance, Ohio). After a few years and many punk tours Madeline moved back home to work with Orange Twin Records releasing several albums in collaboration with Phosphorescent, the Athens-based Elephant 6 Collective (Neutral Milk Hotel, Olivia Tremor Control, Nana Grizol), Phil Elverum (Mt. Eerie) and Karl Blau (The Microphones).
2) Madeline also refers to an Australian artist, who released 'I Think I Love You' in 2007
Dead Moon
Madeline Lyrics
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I saw his black tongue
and it was salamander-shaped.
Oh, it moved like a nightcrawler
and I was struck,
was overcome, boys and girls.
I had never seen
the likes of it, binoculars
I turned them back
once I did then I saw
how the most lonesome crow does not call
where did I go
where did I go
where did I go wrong?
I don't even know
I don't even know
what I lost and now it's gone
what I lost and now it's gone
where did I go
where did I go
where did I go wrong?
I don't even know
I don't even know
what I lost and now it's gone
what I lost and now it's gone
gone, gone
gone like the highway crow
when the cars come, the cars come
dead moon tonight
I slid under his thumb,
and he, he called me whistle bait
it hurt me
I hollered till the trees shook birds
from the branches there, boys and girls
I had never seen
such a lot of them ever before
blocking the starlight
darker than dark, it was
and I cried for the loss
when one bird doesn't turn, does the flock?
where did I go
where did I go
where did I go wrong?
I don't even know
I don't even know
what I lost and now it's gone
what I lost and now it's gone
where did I go
where did I go
where did I go wrong?
I don't even know
I don't even know
what I lost and now it's gone
what I lost and now it's gone
gone, gone
gone like the highway crow
when the cars come, the cars come
The lyrics of Madeline's song "Dead Moon" describe a night of ominous and unsettling events that a narrator witnessed. The song begins with a description of the moon, which is referred to as "dead" and "black." The singer notices a strange shape on the moon that looks like a salamander and is fascinated by it, though it scares them. The moon's strange shape is a metaphor for something ominous or foreboding.
As the song proceeds, the singer begins to question themselves, wondering where they went wrong. They don't know what they have lost, but they feel that it is something significant. This sense of loss is reinforced by the image of a flock of birds blocking out the starlight. The singer cries for the loss, but it is unclear what they are mourning.
The song concludes with another reference to the highway crow, which is a metaphor for something fleeting and impermanent. The cars come and go, and the crow disappears, just as whatever the singer has lost is gone. The lyrics suggest a sense of unease and the realization that something has slipped away, leaving the singer feeling lost and uncertain.
Line by Line Meaning
dead moon tonight
Tonight, the moon is not shining as it normally would
I saw his black tongue
I saw something unusual about the appearance of the moon
and it was salamander-shaped.
The unusual shape of the moon's appearance looked like that of a salamander
Oh, it moved like a nightcrawler
The moon's appearance seemed to be moving like a nightcrawler
and I was struck,
This unusual sight struck me
was overcome, boys and girls.
I was taken aback by what I saw
I had never seen
This was the first time I had witnessed something like this
the likes of it, binoculars
I needed binoculars to get a better look at it
I need it farther
I needed to see it more clearly from a distance
I turned them back
I turned the binoculars back towards the moon
once I did then I saw
I then saw something else about the moon's appearance
how the most lonesome crow does not call
The moon's appearance reminded me of the silence of a lonesome crow
where did I go
I feel lost
where did I go
I feel lost
where did I go wrong?
I'm questioning where or when things went wrong
I don't even know
I have no idea
what I lost and now it's gone
I lost something, but I'm not sure what it is and it's now gone
what I lost and now it's gone
I lost something, but I'm not sure what it is and it's now gone
gone, gone
The sense of loss is still there and is now emphasized by repetition
gone like the highway crow
Whatever was lost has disappeared, much like a crow flying away
when the cars come, the cars come
This emphasizes the speed at which things come and go
I slid under his thumb,
I felt trapped or controlled by something
and he, he called me whistle bait
Whatever was controlling me was mocking me
it hurt me
This mocking hurt me
I hollered till the trees shook birds
I shouted so loudly that it caused birds in the trees to fly away
from the branches there, boys and girls
This shouting caused a significant reaction in the environment
I had never seen
This was the first time I had witnessed something like this
such a lot of them ever before
The number of birds that flew away was a first for me
blocking the starlight
The birds flying away made it harder to see the stars
darker than dark, it was
The surrounding area became much darker
and I cried for the loss
The loss of whatever is gone has stirred up emotions in me
when one bird doesn't turn, does the flock?
This loss has made me question the loss of an individual in a greater group
Contributed by Gabriella D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.