With their debut, Yerself Is Steam, the band gained an underground following, particularly in the UK. 1993's Boces was critically acclaimed for its alternative sound, and the band's next album, See You on the Other Side, begins a shift away from the extremes of sonic experimentalism towards the elaborately-orchestrated classic rock blueprint of their later work.
With their early records, Mercury Rev offered experimental, psychedelic rock, which gradually shifted to a melodic, ornate sound. Mercury Rev is often compared to The Flaming Lips, and in fact share close ties: soon after the band's formation, Donahue also joined the Flaming Lips as second guitarist and appeared on two of their albums; and since the 1990 album In a Priest Driven Ambulance, Dave Fridmann has co-produced every Flaming Lips studio album to date except 1993's Transmissions from the Satellite Heart.
Despite considerable critical acclaim, their early releases never gave Mercury Rev more than cult popularity, though they appeared on the smaller second stage at some 1993 Lollapalooza stops. Baker left after their second record, Boces (1993), citing musical and personal disputes; he later recorded an album as Shady. With his departure, the darker, more experimental and less accessible features of their music began to disappear.
The band's first post-Baker album, See You on the Other Side (1995), found them in transition, and the 1998 release of the acclaimed Deserter's Songs (which featured appearances by Garth Hudson and Levon Helm of The Band) made Mercury Rev unexpected pop stars. In the UK, NME Magazine made Deserter's Songs their Album of the Year. Donahue's earnest, high-pitched vocals and concentration on relatively concise, melodic songs gave the band's material an entirely new feel and much increased popularity (Deserter's Songs spawned three UK top 40 singles).
All Is Dream was issued in 2001. It managed a UK top 20 single, "The Dark is Rising," which reached #16 in the UK Top 40.
Mercury Rev's much-anticipated The Secret Migration was released on January 24, 2005. This was followed up in 2006 by a compilation album called The Essential Mercury Rev: Stillness Breathes 1991-2006 and the film soundtrack album Hello Blackbird. More recently, the band released a pair of albums on September 29, 2008: Snowflake Midnight, and a free MP3 album of instrumentals, Strange Attractor.
In 2011 the band performed Deserter's Songs in it's complete form live at several festivals in the UK.
The Dark Is Rising
Mercury Rev Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I dreamed of you in my arms
But dreams are always wrong
I never dreamed I'd hurt you
I never dreamed I'd lose you
In my dreams, I'm always strong
And now the creek is rising
And all my bridges burnt
I always dreamed of big crowds
Plooms of smoke and high clouds
But dreams don't last for long
I have my suspicions
When the stars are in position
All will be revealed
But I know that until then
Unless the stars surrender
All will be concealed
And now the snow is falling
And all my fences torn
I know you need someone
And I can hear someone
Somewhere in this song
I dreamed that I was walking
And the two of us were talking
Of all life's mysteries
But words that flow between friends
Winding streams, without end
I wanted you to see
But it can seem surprising
When you find yourself alone
And now the dark is rising
And a brand new moon is born
I always dreamed I'd love you
I never dreamed I'd lose you
In my dreams, I'm always strong
The lyrics of Mercury Rev's The Dark Is Rising are surreal and introspective, reflecting the singer's musings on his life and relationships. The song starts with the singer's dream-like memory of being on his farm with his lover. He holds her close, but the dream shatters as he realizes that it was only his imagination. He acknowledges that dreams are frequently wrong and never anticipated that he would hurt or lose her, and in his dreams, he's always strong. However, reality strikes as he observes the creek rising, and all his bridges have burnt. Here, the lyrics can be interpreted as the singer's realization that his mistakes have caught up with him.
The song's next verse details the singer's aspirations of leading a successful life with popularity and wealth, but he recognizes that dreams are fleeting. He hints at some suppositions about the future when the stars are in position, and everything will be revealed. However, he admits that the truth will remain concealed until the stars surrender. In the background, the snow starts to fall, and his fences are torn down. It suggests that life's obstacles are here to stay, and his dreams of wealth and fame are shattered.
The song concludes with the singer wondering if anyone needs him or if anyone can hear him in this world. He remembers his dream where he saw himself walking with someone while they talked about the mysteries of life. He wanted his friend to see his thoughts and experiences, but before he could, he finds himself alone, and a new moon is born, pushing him into darkness. The song's final lines portray the singer's everlasting dream of loving and never losing his loved one accompanied by a realization of his limitations and fears.
Line by Line Meaning
I dreamed of you on my farm
I had a dream about you being on my farm.
I dreamed of you in my arms
I had a dream of holding you in my arms.
But dreams are always wrong
Dreams are never accurate representations of reality.
I never dreamed I'd hurt you
I never imagined that I would cause you pain.
I never dreamed I'd lose you
I never imagined that I would no longer have you in my life.
In my dreams, I'm always strong
In my dreams, I have a sense of confidence and strength.
And now, the creek is rising
The water in the creek is increasing and becoming higher.
And all my bridges burnt
All connections or possibilities for reconciliation have been destroyed.
I always dreamed of big crowds
I imagined many people coming together in a large group.
Plooms of smoke and high clouds
There is a vision of smoke billowing and high clouds.
But dreams don't last for long
Dreams are temporary and fleeting.
I have my suspicions
I have suspicions or doubts.
When the stars are in position
At a specific point in time when the stars are aligned in a certain way.
All will be revealed
All secrets or mysteries will be disclosed.
But, I know that until then
However, I am aware that until that time arrives.
Unless the stars surrender
Unless the stars reveal what they know.
All will be concealed
All will remain a secret.
And now the snow is falling
Snow is now falling from the sky.
And all my fences torn
All my barriers or defenses are broken and useless.
I know you need someone
I am aware that you require someone to be there for you.
And I can hear someone
I can sense that there is a person out there who can fulfill your needs.
Somewhere in this song
The answer or solution can perhaps be found within this song.
I dreamed that I was walking
I had a dream that I was taking a walk.
And the two of us were talking
You and I were having a conversation.
Of all life's mysteries
We were discussing the mysteries of life.
But words that flow between friends
Conversation between friends is easy and natural.
Winding streams, without end
Words between close friends can continue endlessly.
I wanted you to see
I desired for you to understand.
But it can seem surprising
It may come as a surprise.
When you find yourself alone
You may feel isolated or without companionship.
And now the dark is rising
Darkness is gradually increasing and taking over.
And a brand new moon is born
A new moon has emerged and become visible in the sky.
I always dreamed I'd love you
I always fantasized about being madly in love with you.
I never dreamed I'd lose you
I never imagined that I would lose you or that you would be gone from my life.
In my dreams, I'm always strong
In my dreams, I possess a sense of power and resilience.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JEFFREY MERCEL, JONATHAN DONAHUE, SEAN MACKOWIAK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
LinkToTq
This song came out what my life started falling apart, not through a break up but from the disease of addiction. 20 years later I'm clean listening to this and having a ponder to all those years of madness. I'm so glad to be back to the person I was always ment to be. If you are reading this and you are struggling, it's never to later to change your life around. Take it easy my friend you are loved
Tony Parkin
Well done that’s great news keep up the good work you can do anything if you put your mind to it 👍❤️
LinkToTq
@Tony Parkin Thank you Tony have a good day my friend 🙏
Andrew.p. Connock
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Niall McEvoy
Beautiful sentiments
LinkToTq
Happy new year people. All the best for 2023.
Jess Clay
I've had this song stuck in my head for 20 years, no idea what it was called it who it was by and then BAM! It's just came to me as I'm falling asleep - even better then I remember ❤️
Keith Wickliffe
Been in my head too. Especially those nights in prison.
Sw88
I remember the winter it came out.
Always loved it since.
inthetearoom
so happy you found it!