The Flood
Rose Polenzani Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Danny, mind your momma.
Run on upstairs and shut the windows,
it's raining.
Daddy, he'll be home any minute.
You quiet your sister.
Someday the wind is gonna shame that girl!
Hush, boy, how many times?
Rock, these walls are, not feathers,
still this could be the weather
for sailing.
Aim your blows at the river,
keep your crying a secret.
She needs no one to call for her,
streets or children.
When it hit, I don't know
where my kids are
what part of this house.
We could swim for it
but my sweet girl wants to open
her mouth
and shout
and shout
and shout
Well. I don't know if if I survived,
but Danny says I'm alive,
and if feels nice to hear his voice.
I feel spun like a feather.
I am made of a piece of her
and Danny
and It feels nice.
The Flood by Rose Polenzani is a powerful and emotional song that explores the experience of a mother and her children during a flood. The opening lines set the scene, with the singer feeling stiff in her knees and instructing her son Danny to mind his mother as she sends him upstairs to close the windows while it's raining. The father is expected to come home any minute, and the singer asks her son to quiet his sister. She then talks about the shame her daughter will feel when the wind eventually comes to silence her wails.
The next verse speaks to the destructive power of the flood, with the singer urging her son to keep his crying a secret and aim his blows at the river. She acknowledges that her daughter needs no one to call for her, as she is strong enough to protect herself from the raging waters. The third verse is the most powerful, as the singer describes the chaos and terror of the flood as it hits their home. She doesn't know where her children are in the house, but she knows they could swim for it if they needed to. However, her daughter insists on shouting and shouting, which puts them all in danger. The final verse suggests that the family has survived the flood, but the mother feels spun like a feather and made of a piece of her daughter and son, which feels nice.
Line by Line Meaning
I feel stiff in my knees.
I am anxious and uneasy, nervous of what may come.
Danny, mind your momma.
Danny, pay attention to what I say and be careful.
Run on upstairs and shut the windows, it's raining.
Go upstairs quickly and close the windows because it is raining heavily outside.
Daddy, he'll be home any minute.
Daddy will arrive soon; prepare yourself for his arrival.
You quiet your sister.
Make sure your sister stays quiet and calm.
Someday the wind is gonna shame that girl! She will wail no more.
One day her pain and agony will be forever gone.
Hush, boy, how many times?
Please be quiet; this is not the time to talk or ask questions again.
Rock, these walls are, not feathers, still this could be the weather for sailing.
These walls are sturdy, but the weather outside is still severe enough to cause danger and trouble.
Aim your blows at the river, keep your crying a secret.
Direct your anger towards the river instead of crying out loud and being heard.
She needs no one to call for her, streets or children.
No one needs to call her, no one needs to be volunteering, no need for children to come over or for the neighborhood to help.
When it hit, I don't know where my kids are what part of this house.
When the flood started, I lost track of where my kids were and which part of the house they are in.
We could swim for it but my sweet girl - wants to open her mouth and shout and shout and shout
We could escape by swimming, but my daughter refuses to remain silent and wants to shout out loud.
Well. I don't know if I survived, but Danny says I'm alive, and if feels nice to hear his voice.
I do not know if I survived or not, but Danny confirms that I am alive, and it brings me comfort to hear his voice.
I feel spun like a feather. I am made of a piece of her and Danny and It feels nice.
I feel light and weightless, like a feather, and I feel good knowing that I am made of my daughter and my son.
Contributed by Jeremiah F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.