Rhea's Obsession consists of a pair of musicians each who brought in an ent… Read Full Bio ↴Rhea's Obsession consists of a pair of musicians each who brought in an entirely different musical background. Sue Hutton brings in experience with Indo-Celtic-Bulgarian style vocals, and a variety of percussion. Jim Field, on the other hand, has spent his time working on experimental and hard core music. And the combination, though unusual, works well. The two reflected upon their differences when naming the group, choosing the Greek goddess Rhea - the daughter of the gods representing Earth and Sky.

In 1995, the two first worked together, doing the soundtrack to an experimental dance film called Tabulae Anatomacae Sex. Canada's Much Music/Bravo TV, which purchased the movie for broadcast, chose the group to score music for the network. This success led the pair to choose to record an album. In 1996, that album, Initiation, was released, and two tracks were licensed for inclusion in USA Network's series La Femme Nikita.

The album received enough attention that they were picked up by Metropolis Records, where their second album, Between Earth and Sky was released in 2000. There was also enough interest in the group at this time that Metropolis took their first album, added bonus tracks, and re-issued it as Re: Initiation.

The score of the Canadian TV-Series ReGenesis (2004-2007) featured some of Rhea's Obsession's songs.

When I Was in My Prime
Rhea's Obsession Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When I was in my prime
I flourished like a vine
Along there came a false young man
Who stole the heart of mine
Who stole the heart of mine
The gardener standing by
Three offers he made to me
The pink, the violet, and red rose

To which I refused all three
To which I refused all three
The pink's no flower at all
It fades away too soon
The violet is too pale a bloom
I think I'll wait till June
I think I'll wait till June
In June the red rose blooms
But it`s not the flower for me
I think I'll pluck the red rose off
And plant a willow tree
And plant a willow tree

And plant a willow tree
And plant a willow tree

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Rhea's Obsession's song "When I Was in My Prime" is a folk ballad about a woman who is reminiscing about her youth and how it was stolen from her by a false lover. The woman compares herself to a flourishing vine that was thriving until a man came along and broke her heart. The lyrics suggest that this false lover has taken away something precious from her that she will never get back.

The lyrics then transition to an interaction with a gardener, who offers the woman pink, violet, and red roses. The woman rejects all three options, describing the pink and violet as inadequate choices for her. She decides to wait until June for the red rose, which is not what she wants either eventually decided to plant a willow tree instead. The willow tree is a symbol of grief and sorrow, indicating that the woman has chosen to embrace her sadness rather than pursue any romantic options.

These lyrics are open to interpretation, but it's generally believed that the song is about lost love and a woman coming to terms with her own heartbreak. Her refusal of the roses could represent her inability to accept anything less than genuine love and her eventual decision to plant a willow tree symbolizing her mourning.

Line by Line Meaning

When I was in my prime
In my youth, I was thriving

I flourished like a vine
I grew and prospered like a plant

Along there came a false young man
Then a deceitful young man arrived

Who stole the heart of mine
Who captured my affection

The gardener standing by
A gardener who witnessed this approached me

Three offers he made to me
He presented three choices to me

The pink, the violet, and red rose
A pink, a violet, and a red rose

To which I refused all three
I declined all three options

The pink's no flower at all
Pink is not a real flower

It fades away too soon
It quickly perishes

The violet is too pale a bloom
Violets are too weak in color