The Vampire
Sainte marie buffy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It was long ago
Late November and the snow
Just about to fall
And the moon was big and bright
Cold and sharp and clear
And the air was biting
Softly, swiftly down the road
Never made a sound
Someone came from far away
As I looked into his eyes
No reflections came
And I gave him bedding
Oh my little rosary
How I miss you so
Never used you very well
Now I never will
I am farther from you now
Than the two ends of eternity
Now I do his bidding
In "The Vampire", by Buffy Sainte-Marie, we are presented with a haunting and eerie glimpse of an encounter with a mysterious figure. The setting is late November, with the snow just about to fall. The moon is described as big, bright, cold, and clear, and the air biting. Then, out of nowhere, someone comes down the road without making a sound. When the singer looks into this person's eyes, there are no reflections, and they offer them bedding, as if they needed somewhere to stay. The singer reveals that they miss their little rosary and never used it well, but now they are farther from it than the two ends of eternity, and now they do this mysterious person's bidding.
The lyrics provide a mystifying and poetic account of the encounter. The singer seems to be under some kind of spell or influence from the figure they encounter. The no-reflection detail is particularly creepy, evoking classic vampire lore. Buffy Sainte-Marie's voice, accompanied solely by a steady plucking of a guitar, adds to the haunting ambiance of the song. It's a song that leaves the listener with questions and a sense of unease.
Line by Line Meaning
Shall I tell you of the night
Buffy is setting the stage to tell a story.
It was long ago
The story took place a significant amount of time ago.
Late November and the snow
The setting for the story is in late November and it was snowing.
Just about to fall
The snow was about to start falling.
And the moon was big and bright
The moon was very noticeable because it was big and bright.
Cold and sharp and clear
The night air was cold, sharp and clear.
And the air was biting
The cold air was so cold that it was biting.
Softly, swiftly down the road
Someone or something was moving very silently and swiftly down the road.
Never made a sound
Whoever was moving down the road did not make any noise.
Someone came from far away
A stranger appeared from far away.
As I looked into his eyes
Buffy is now making eye contact with the stranger.
No reflections came
There were no reflections in the stranger's eyes.
And I gave him bedding
Buffy provided the stranger with bedding, perhaps as an act of kindness.
Oh my little rosary
Buffy is expressing sadness for not having used her rosary properly.
How I miss you so
Buffy is deeply feeling the absence of her rosary.
Never used you very well
Buffy is berating herself for not using her rosary as she should have.
Now I never will
Buffy is coming to terms with the fact that she can never use her rosary again.
I am farther from you now
Buffy is far away from her rosary, maybe even spiritually.
Than the two ends of eternity
Buffy feels very distant from her rosary, as if they are separated by an infinite distance.
Now I do his bidding
Buffy is now following the stranger's commands.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Buffy Sainte Marie
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind