Nadler studied painting at the Rhode Island School of Design, where she began her performing career after writing songs for many years.
The foundation of her sound is her haunting mezzo-soprano, and a delicate 6-string acoustic guitar, often accompanied by a variety of instruments, including electric guitar, theremin, and piano. Nadler writes strange, yet classic, melancholy songs. Her voice is often bathed in a wash of reverb and space echo and creates a ghostly, atmospheric feeling to the music.
She has American Gothic leanings; her songs often take place in an imagined, idealistic time with a cast of characters of her own creation.
Official Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Marissa-Nadler/300932499775
Bandcamp: http://marissanadler.bandcamp.com/
07. The Whole is Wide
Marissa Nadler Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Time ago my friend
And they're hanging on the wall
With wax and thread
When you were young
Did you think it would ever end?
When you were young
Sylvia was a girl
That I knew best
And she wore the finest
Eyelid dress
And she sits in her room
Painting golden moons
And she sits in her room
Painting golden runes
Oh, what am I to do
Without a man to see me through?
Oh, what am I to do
Without a man to see me through?
I'm more than blue
I'm violet
Lyla met a man
That she loved best
And he died in a fiery crash.
And the hole is wide
The hole is wide
The hole is wide
And the hole is wide
The hole is wide
The hole is wide
Oh, what am I to do
Without a man to see me through?
Oh, what am I to do
Without a man to see me through?
I'm more than blue
I'm violet
Sylvia was a girl that I knew best
The song "The Whole is Wide" by Marissa Nadler is a poignant reflection on the fleeting nature of life, the death of loved ones, and the pain of living without a partner. The opening lines "Flowers died a long time ago my friend, and they're hanging on the wall with wax and thread" evoke a sense of melancholy and decay. The flowers on the wall were once vibrant and full of life, but now they are dead and preserved with wax and thread.
The song then moves to reminiscing about Sylvia, a girl that the singer knew best. She is described as wearing a fine eyelid dress and sitting in her room painting golden moons and runes. The lyrics "When you were young, did you think it would ever end? And the hole is wide" suggest that the singer is reflecting on the moment when Sylvia's life was cut short too soon, leaving a hole in the singer's life.
The third stanza is about Lyla, who met the man she loved best, only to lose him in a fiery crash. The repetition of the line "the hole is wide" emphasizes the gaping void left by the loss of a loved one.
The song ends with the haunting refrain "Oh, what am I to do without a man to see me through? I'm more than blue, I'm violet." The color violet symbolizes mourning and grief, and the line implies that the singer is struggling to cope with the loss of their loved ones.
Overall, "The Whole is Wide" is a powerful reflection on mortality, grief, and the struggle to move on after the loss of someone close.
Line by Line Meaning
Flowers died a long
Time ago my friend
And they're hanging on the wall
With wax and thread
The flowers that once represented beauty and life have long since died, and are being preserved as a reminder of their faded glory.
When you were young
Did you think it would ever end?
When you were young
Did you think it would ever end?
As a child, did you ever consider that the good times would come to an end? The innocence of youth can make us believe in eternal joy, but reality eventually sets in.
Sylvia was a girl
That I knew best
And she wore the finest
Eyelid dress
And she sits in her room
Painting golden moons
And she sits in her room
Painting golden runes
Sylvia was someone who the singer was very close with, and was very creative with her art. She spent long periods of time alone in her room, meticulously creating.
Oh, what am I to do
Without a man to see me through?
Oh, what am I to do
Without a man to see me through?
I'm more than blue
I'm violet
The singer feels lost and unable to find direction without a male figure to support and guide her. This dependence on men has caused her to feel deeply unhappy and unfulfilled.
Lyla met a man
That she loved best
And he died in a fiery crash.
Lyla's lifelong love was ripped away from her in a sudden and violent accident, leaving her to grieve and come to terms with her loss.
And the hole is wide
The hole is wide
The hole is wide
And the hole is wide
The hole is wide
The hole is wide
The hole left by the loss of loved ones can feel like an infinite void, with no end or comfort in sight. It's a deep and dark pain that seems to never heal completely, no matter how much time passes.
Lyrics © TERRORBIRD PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: MARISSA NADLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind