Founded by Creager in 1992, they have long held true to their mission of enlightening the common man as to the power and versatility of the mighty cello. Historically influenced, and constantly costumed, Rasputina keeps a small legion of incredibly passionate admirers enthralled with their earnest musicianship. Considered to be quite a pioneer and visionary, Melora and her group have inspired countless young people to pick up the cello, and have re-inspired many uninspired string players. Rasputina considers this to be the finest payment for their work.
Professional involvements have included Nirvana, Ultra Vivid Scene, Marilyn Manson, Porno For Pyros, Belle and Sebastian,and Cheap Trick.
Former Members of Rasputina:
Julia Kent (89-99)
Kris Cowperthwaite (00-02)
Zoë Keating (02-06)
Sarah Bowman (06-08)
Jonathon TeBeest (00-08)
1816 The Year Without A Summer
Rasputina Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There began an era of unpredictable weather.
It did not lift until 1851.
You remember 1816 as the year without a summer
June 1816,
A sudden snowstorm blankets all the countryside,
So Mary Shelley had to stay inside and she wrote Frankenstein,
Grain couldn't ripen under these conditions,
It was brought indoors in urns and pots.
It'd go from ninety-five degrees to freezing within hours,
A brutal struggle for the people and the starving livestock.
During the most severe years of this little ice age
We looked for scapegoats to blame.
Many people tried to blame it all on a vast Freemason conspiracy,
Or Benjamin Franklin and his experiments with electricity.
The eruption of the volcano Tambora
Blanketed the earth with ash.
That was a real cause discovered by some explorer
Years later, looking back at the past.
I will give you my red colour
To take away your sickly pallor.
For you are so very choleric of complexion,
Please beware the mounting sun and all dejection.
1816 was the year without a summer.
The first few lines of Rasputina's song "1816 The Year Without A Summer," explains that in the spring of 1315, there began an era of unpredictable weather that lasted until 1851. This lead to 1816 becoming known as the year without a summer. In June of that year, a sudden snowstorm covered the entire countryside, forcing Mary Shelley to stay indoors, where she ended up writing Frankenstein. The song goes on to describe how the unpredictable weather made it nearly impossible for corn and other crops to ripen, which accounted for the low supply of food. Livestock also struggled to survive due to the freezing temperatures, and the people suffered from starvation as a result.
During this time period, people were searching for someone or something to blame for the unpredictable weather. Some tried to blame a vast Freemason conspiracy, while others accused Benjamin Franklin and his experiments with electricity. It was eventually discovered that the eruption of the volcano Tambora was the real cause of the harsh weather conditions. The ash from the volcano was so dense that it covered the earth, leading to the year without a summer.
The lyrics "I will give you my red colour, to take away your sickly pallor" suggests that there was an effort to combat the pale, sickly appearance of people who suffered from illnesses caused by the harsh weather. Overall, the song raises awareness of the struggles and challenges that people faced during the year without a summer.
Line by Line Meaning
In the spring of 1315,
It was in the beginning of the year 1315 and the weather became unstable
There began an era of unpredictable weather.
The weather became unpredictable and followed no pattern
It did not lift until 1851.
This went on for over 500 years, until 1851
You remember 1816 as the year without a summer
The year 1816 was a year with no summer and left an impression on people's memories
June 1816,
In the month of June of 1816
A sudden snowstorm blankets all the countryside,
There was an unexpected snowstorm that covered all the land
So Mary Shelley had to stay inside and she wrote Frankenstein,
This forced Mary Shelley, an author, to stay indoors which led to her writing her famous novel Frankenstein
Oh, 1816 was the year without a summer.
The year 1816 was remembered as a year without summer due to its unusual weather patterns
Grain couldn't ripen under these conditions,
Due to the weather conditions, crops were unable to mature
It was brought indoors in urns and pots.
The crops were brought inside in containers
It'd go from ninety-five degrees to freezing within hours,
Temperatures varied drastically from being hot to freezing cold in a matter of hours
A brutal struggle for the people and the starving livestock.
People and animals suffered greatly due to the harsh weather conditions
During the most severe years of this little ice age
In the coldest years of a small ice age
We looked for scapegoats to blame.
People searched for someone or something to blame for the unusual weather
Many people tried to blame it all on a vast Freemason conspiracy,
Some people believed a secret society of Freemasons was responsible for the weather
Or Benjamin Franklin and his experiments with electricity.
Others thought Benjamin Franklin's electrical experiments were the cause of the weather
The eruption of the volcano Tambora
The eruption of Tambora volcano
Blanketed the earth with ash.
Ash from the eruption covered the earth
That was a real cause discovered by some explorer
An explorer identified the real cause of the unusual weather
Years later, looking back at the past.
After some time has passed, when looking back at history
I will give you my red colour
I want to give you some of my red color
To take away your sickly pallor.
So you won't look sick anymore
For you are so very choleric of complexion,
Your complexion looks yellow and unhealthy
Please beware the mounting sun and all dejection.
Be careful of the strong sun and don't be too sad
1816 was the year without a summer.
The year 1816 didn't have a summer season due to its unusual weather patterns
Contributed by Mila M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.