The Hilliard Ensemble is a British male vocal quartet devoted to the authen… Read Full Bio ↴The Hilliard Ensemble is a British male vocal quartet devoted to the authentic performance of early music. Founded in 1974, the group is named after the Elizabethan miniaturist painter Nicholas Hilliard.

Although most of its work focuses on music of the Medieval and Renaissance periods, the Hilliard Ensemble also performs contemporary music, working frequently with the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt and including in its concerts works by John Cage, Gavin Bryars, Giya Kancheli, and Heinz Holliger.

The group was originally founded by Paul Hillier, Paul Elliott, and David James, although the membership was flexible until Hillier left in the late 1980s. Since 1990 the core members have been David James, Rogers Covey-Crump, John Potter, and Gordon Jones.

The Hilliard Ensemble has recorded extensively for the ECM label. In 1993, when popular interest in Gregorian chant was at its height, the ensemble released the CD Officium, an unprecedented collaboration with the Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek. The disc became one of ECM's biggest-selling releases of all time, reaching the pop charts in several European countries. (Officium's sequel, the 2-CD set Mnemosyne, followed in 1999.)

O Death rock me asleep
The Hilliard Ensemble Lyrics

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O′ DEATH, rock me asleep,
Bring me to quiet rest,
Let pass my weary guiltless ghost
Out of my careful breast.
Toll on, thou passing bell;
Ring out my doleful knell;
Let thy sound my death tell.
Death doth draw nigh;

There is no remedy.
My pains who can express?
Alas, they are so strong;
My dolour will not suffer strength
My life for to prolong.
Toll on, thou passing bell;
Ring out my doleful knell;
Let thy sound my death tell.
Death doth draw nigh;
There is no remedy.
Farewell, my pleasures past,
Welcome, my present pain!
I feel my torments so increase
That life cannot remain.
Cease now, thou passing bell;
Rung is my doleful knell;
For the sound my death doth tell.

Death doth draw nigh;
There is no remedy.

Overall Meaning

The Hilliard Ensemble's "O Death, Rock Me Asleep" is a hauntingly beautiful and sorrowful poem that laments on the inevitability of death. The lyrics are written from the perspective of someone who is about to pass away, and they speak to the idea of acceptance of one's fate. The person is ready to depart the world and seek tranquility in the next realm.

The first two lines of the poem, "O death, rock me asleep, bring me to quiet rest," express a request for a peaceful and undisturbed death. The person wants to be out of pain and to pass away quietly. The next lines "Let pass my weary guiltless ghost out of my careful breast" allude to the idea that the person wants to clear his conscience and forgive himself for any wrongs he may have done.

The phrase "Toll on, thou passing bell" suggests the sound of the church bell ringing for the person's death. The person is saying to ring the bell and let everyone know that he is dying. The following lines express the person's pain and the understanding that death is near and unavoidable. The final lines of the poem, "Farewell, my pleasures past, welcome, my present pain," encapsulate the person's acceptance of death and the fact that the time for regrets is over.

Overall, the song is a poignant reminder that life is short and that we should treasure our time on earth. It emphasizes the importance of accepting one's fate and finding peace with our own mortality.

Line by Line Meaning

O′ DEATH, rock me asleep,
Oh, Death, please ease me into a peaceful slumber

Bring me to quiet rest,
Let me find tranquility

Let pass my weary guiltless ghost
Allow my tired and innocent soul to depart from my body

Out of my careful breast.
From within my attentive heart

Toll on, thou passing bell;
Continue ringing, bell that signifies an ending

Ring out my doleful knell;
Sound my mournful farewell

Let thy sound my death tell.
May your tolling announce my passing

Death doth draw nigh;
The end is near

There is no remedy.
There is no cure or solution

My pains who can express?
Who could fully articulate the extent of my suffering?

Alas, they are so strong;
Unfortunately, they are overwhelmingly intense