Because I Could Not Stop For Death
Susan McKeown And The Chanting House with Natalie Merchant Lyrics
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He kindly stopped for me
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality
We slowly drove, he knew no haste,
And I had put away
My labor, and my leisure too,
We passed the school where children played
At wrestling in a ring
We passed the fields of gazing grain,
We passed the setting sun
We paused before a house that seemed
A swelling in the ground
The roof was scarcely visible,
The cornice but a mound
Since then 'tis centuries but each
Feels shorter than the day
I first surmised the horses' heads
Were toward eternity
Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality
The song "Because I Could Not Stop For Death" by Susan McKeown and The Chanting House is a musical adaptation of Emily Dickinson's poem of the same name. The song relates to the idea of death being personified as a gentleman who shows up unannounced and whisks the singer off in his carriage. Death, however, is not an ominous figure, but rather a polite and patient driver. The singer realizes she has abandoned everything she was once preoccupied with, including her work and leisure, for her final journey.
Throughout the journey, the singer and Death encounter various stages of life's cycle - a school where children are playing, fields of ripening grain, and the sun setting. The final stop is a house that appears to be a swelling in the ground. The singer begins to grasp that this ride is one-way, and that she is heading toward eternity. Although centuries might have passed since that journey, the singer feels that each moment is fleeting, making her aware of the imminence of her own death.
This musical rendition of Emily Dickinson's poem reiterates the poem's idea of death being an inescapable and inevitable reality, perhaps even a welcome escape from the toil of earthly life. The use of the sing-song melody and the repetitive chorus further emphasizes the inevitability of this journey.
Line by Line Meaning
Because I could not stop for Death,
As Death arrived unexpectedly, I did not resist his presence
He kindly stopped for me
Death patiently waited and invited me to join him
The carriage held but just ourselves
Death and I were the only ones riding in his carriage
And Immortality
Immortality accompanied us on our journey
We slowly drove, he knew no haste,
We proceeded at a leisurely pace, Death was not in a hurry
And I had put away
I had set aside
My labor, and my leisure too,
Both my work and leisure time were set aside
For his civility
Out of respect for Death's polite behavior
We passed the school where children played
We went by a school where kids were wrestling in a circle
At wrestling in a ring
Engaging in a wrestling match
We passed the fields of gazing grain,
We traveled across fields of wheat
We passed the setting sun
We crossed paths with the sunset
We paused before a house that seemed
We stopped at a home that appeared
A swelling in the ground
To be a raised mound of earth
The roof was scarcely visible,
The roof was barely discernible
The cornice but a mound
The eaves were nothing but an earthy mound
Since then 'tis centuries but each
Since that day, many centuries have passed, but each one seems shorter than the previous
Feels shorter than the day
Seems to be of shorter duration than the original day we rode with Death
I first surmised the horses' heads
I realized for the first time that the carriage was heading towards eternity
Were toward eternity
The horses were taking us towards the concept of eternal life
Lyrics © DistroKid, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, MMP Mute Music Publishing e.K.
Written by: ANTONIO LUCIO VIVALDI, EMILY DICKINSON, TOM GILBERT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind