The Witching Hour
Rachel Rose Mitchell Lyrics
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It all builds up to now.
Saw none of it coming,
but I don't know how.
This is the only way
it could have ended.
We reached our finale
(In the witching hour...)
What more can we do?
We've tried all that we can
while you place the blame
squarely in the victim's hands.
Watching us fall further
than we could before,
stubbornly saying
"you got what you wished for."
In the witching hour we turn to dust in front of you.
We recollect the pieces and from them are born anew.
In spite of all the good we've done, we are the monsters' prey.
You shun the horrors we'll become and turn your heads away.
It's been like this
as far as we remember.
Chocking on smoke,
stepping barefoot on embers.
In our paper fortress
we wait until nightfall,
the time when our mistakes
burn what's left of our paper walls.
In the witching hour we turn to dust in front of you.
We recollect the pieces and from them are born anew.
In spite of all the good we've done, we are the monsters' prey.
You shun the horrors we'll become and turn your heads away.
We put our endings
before our beginnings
but nobody's told us
just what we are winning.
We fight with our lives
'til we don't even have those.
We fight with all we have
but still nobody knows.
In the witching hour we turned to dust in front of you.
The pieces all were trampled, now there's one thing left to do.
In spite of all the good we've done, we were the monsters' prey.
You shun the horrors we've become and turn your heads away.
"The Witching Hour" is a song by Rachel Rose Mitchell that tells a story of a person or a group of people who are struggling to overcome a situation or circumstance that has now reached its peak. The lyrics suggest that all efforts have been made to resolve or improve the situation, but in the end, they have failed. The line "what more can we do?" indicates that the character has reached a point of helplessness and defeat. The phrase "you got what you wished for" implies that there may have been a sense of vindictiveness or ill will towards the person or group that was struggling in the first place.
The second verse introduces the concept of the "witching hour," a time of night often associated with supernatural entities and magic. The singer talks about "stepping barefoot on embers" and "paper walls," suggesting that they are living in a fragile and impermanent reality. The line "we put our endings before our beginnings" implies that the character(s) have not considered the long-term consequences of their actions or decisions.
The chorus refers to the idea of transformation and rebirth. The phrase "we turn to dust in front of you" suggests a sense of vulnerability and powerlessness. However, the next line "we recollect the pieces and from them are born anew" suggests that there is always the potential for growth and change, even in the darkest moments. The final lines express a sense of resignation and despair, as the character(s) realize that they have become the very thing they were trying to fight against.
Line by Line Meaning
And so it all comes down to this.
The situation has reached its climax.
It all builds up to now.
The situation has been developing up to this point.
Saw none of it coming, but I don't know how.
The situation was unexpected and difficult to predict.
This is the only way it could have ended.
The situation could only end in one way.
We reached our finale sooner than expected.
The conclusion was reached earlier than anticipated.
What more can we do?
We have done everything we can.
We've tried all that we can while you place the blame squarely in the victim's hands.
Despite our efforts, the victim is still blamed for the situation.
Watching us fall further than we could before, stubbornly saying 'you got what you wished for.'
Others are watching us struggle and blame us for what they perceive as our desire for this outcome.
In the witching hour we turn to dust in front of you.
In the darkness of the night, our situation disintegrates.
We recollect the pieces and from them are born anew.
We gather the remnants of the situation to start again.
In spite of all the good we've done, we are the monsters' prey.
Despite our efforts to do good, we are the ones who suffer.
You shun the horrors we'll become and turn your heads away.
Others refuse to acknowledge the negative outcome of the situation.
It's been like this as far as we remember.
The situation has always been difficult.
Chocking on smoke, stepping barefoot on embers.
We are struggling and facing danger at every turn.
In our paper fortress we wait until nightfall, the time when our mistakes burn what's left of our paper walls.
We hold on to false hope until it is inevitably destroyed by our mistakes.
We put our endings before our beginnings but nobody's told us just what we are winning.
We focus on the negative outcome instead of seeking positive outcomes.
We fight with our lives 'til we don't even have those.
We are so invested in the situation that we risk our lives for it.
We fight with all we have but still nobody knows.
Despite our efforts, no one understands or appreciates our struggle.
The pieces all were trampled, now there's one thing left to do.
All previous attempts to fix the situation have failed, leaving one final option.
Contributed by Carter M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@poppymiller4351
Idk if I've interpreted this completely wrong, but it feels like it's about depressed and suicidal people, who seem fine until the "witching hour" when they are alone. Love this song ❤️❤️❤️
@cheyannegiles9772
Madoka Magica. That's what this is about.
@opalishmoth8591
I knew it was based on Madoka Magica but now that I read that comment...
It definitely (intentional or not) relates to what you said!
@kimikonofujiwara9206
@Opalescence MoonLight madoka is an allegory for when emotions become overwhelming, and you spiral downwards from despair. the soul gem, and grief system is perfect.
@RM-mb4hc
This is a beautiful, emotional song. You've got a beautiful voice, and I love all the songs I've heard you sing. Do you have an album out on iTunes?
@cheese6575
Whoa, I never noticed how cool the bass in this song is until now! Combined with the piano gives it such an awesome contrast!
@illluck
This is quite nice! Assume Madoka-inspired?
Edit: I think I've heard this before, but until the name change I somehow never made the connection to Madoka XD
@iceluvndiva21
it's called madoka magica. And while I doubt that was inspiration? It fits
@AmaranthToZinnia
I love your music, and I love how you draw inspiration from fiction. I just can't get enough of songs based off of literature/anime/etc. I know this song is inspired by Madoka (as well as your cover of Sis Puella Magica of course), Hey Alice is inspired by Alice in Wonderland, Watch Out, You're Being Watched Now on Where's Your Wonderland is inspired by Death Note, and Lost Again is inspired by Hunger Games. Are any other songs of yours inspired by fiction? If there's a comprehensive list anywhere I'd love to see it. Anyway, thanks for making your wonderful music. :)
@RachelRoseMitchell
Thank you so much!!
Iron Children, Too Clever By Half and Mockingjay from WYW? are inspired by The Hunger Games, A Thousand Angels and With Me Now are inspired by Neon Genesis Evangelion, What Did We Know? was written knowing vaguely what was going to happen in The Battle Of The Five Armies like a year before it came out, Belltower and Little Bird are somewhat inspired by Sansa Stark of Game of Thrones (Belltower much more loosely so). Say I Matter sprang out of my angsty emo teenaged interpretation of Loki from Thor. Falling Like The Sky's verses are based around Attack On Titan, though if you can believe it I wrote the chorus years AoT's anime was a thing! Hadn't heard of it before then haha.
Uhh, trying to think of more! The Homestuck ones are Temporal Shenanigans, CR1M1N4L, CR1M1N4L, and instrumentals like Indigo Archer and Blood Knight. The instrumental track Madwoman's Waltz is inspired by the Queen of Hearts, but I think it works for the Red Queen of the Looking Glass too. I think that's about it??? I might be forgetting some though.
I also wrote a whole soundtrack to go along with my first book, but I'm not really plugging that as hard as I could as I'm intending to re edit and re release that book under my new name once I get its sequel and a second soundtrack finished. You can find it if you go to my videos and scroll down until you hit a bunch of videos that say Alterworld.