First Love
The Goblin Market Lyrics

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Down through the wood
Just out of sight
Through the insects and animals
In the weird summer light
Down toward the water
Through the bamboo
Where yellow eyes
Are waiting for you

It's cold in the grass
And slithering there
You're eleven years old
And gasping for air that won't come

Down by the river
Impossibly thin
He leads you under the bridge
To cleanse away your sin
He leads you under the bridge
To the secret place
Washes the sweat the stickiness
Off of your face

And he's holding you down
His hands in your hair

Your arms swinging wild
You're craving the air that won't come

Overall Meaning

The Goblin Market's song "First Love" is a hauntingly beautiful and disturbingly powerful reminiscence of the singer's first love. The song's imagery is seemingly innocent and romantic - an idyllic summer day, a walk through the woods, a dip in the river - but as the lyrics progress, it becomes clear that something much darker is going on. The opening stanza sets the scene, describing a journey "down through the wood / just out of sight" and "toward the water / where yellow eyes / are waiting for you." This imagery is ominous and foreboding, suggesting the presence of danger or evil lurking just out of view.

As the song progresses, we learn that the singer is only eleven years old and is being led by an "impossibly thin" man who is cleansing away her sin. This is a disturbing image, suggesting abuse or exploitation, and it is made even more unsettling by the fact that the man is described as holding her down and washing the sweat and stickiness off her face. The final lines of the song, "He's holding you down / his hands in your hair / your arms swinging wild / you're craving the air that won't come," paint a vivid picture of a child struggling and suffocating under the weight of an adult predator.

Overall, "First Love" is a haunting and unsettling reflection on the dark side of childhood innocence and the power dynamics that can exist between adults and children. It is a powerful reminder that not all first loves are happy or healthy, and that some memories are better left buried.

Line by Line Meaning

Down through the wood
Walking through the dense forest

Just out of sight
Where no one can see you

Through the insects and animals
Amongst the buzzing and crawling creatures

In the weird summer light
During an eerie summer evening

Down toward the water
Following the path that leads to the river

Through the bamboo
Walking through clusters of bamboo trees

Where yellow eyes
In a place where eyes are watching

Are waiting for you
Someone or something is waiting for your arrival

It's cold in the grass
Feeling the chill on the ground below you

And slithering there
Witnessing movement of something that crawls

You're eleven years old
At the tender age of eleven