Something moved in the dark. A face as tall as a man -- a big, round,evil face wandered at random. More faces and the realization: the dead walk the snow. Whistling and chanting, "We have stolen the sun and you will have to live in darkness".
But the women of the tribe, who were hiding in their igloos, then rushed out shrieking and beating their chests, proclaiming their right as the source of life. The dead spirits were frightened by the women and fled into the darkness. As the Eskimo band picked up their song, the women gathered in a circle, symbolizing nature's golden orb, and sang a hymn asking the dead to return the sun to the mothers of the snow.
The men, having removed their "dead spirit" masks, joined the women in festive songs and hand-clapping games until, at last, the first rays of sunlight of the Eskimo year began to appear over the horizon, signaling the end of six months of winter darkness. Gratefully, the dead had released their hold once more.
The Festival Of Death
The Residents Lyrics
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Something moved in the dark. A face as tall as a man -- a big, round,evil face wandered at random. More faces and the realization: the dead walk the snow. Whistling and chanting, "We have stolen the sun and you will have to live in darkness".
But the women of the ribe, who were hiding in their igloos, then rushed outshrieking and beating their chests, proclaiming their right as the source of life. The dead spirits were frightened by the women and fled into the darkness. As the Eskimo band picked up their song, the women gathered in a circle, symbolizing nature's golden orb, and sang a hymn asking the dead to return the sun to the mothers of the snow.
The men, having removed their "dead spirit" masks, joined the women infestive songs and hand-clapping games until, at last, the first rays of sunlight of the Eskimo year began to appear over the horizon, signaling the end of six months of winter darkness. Gratefully, the dead had released their hold once more.
The Festival of Death by The Residents is a song that centers on the Eskimo culture and their belief in the Death Festival. The festival marks the beginning of the yearly cycle and is held at the end of the six-month Eskimo night. The song starts with a description of how the dead walk the snow and their faces wander randomly in the dark. The dead spirits chant, "We have stolen the sun and you will have to live in darkness." This alludes to the fact that darkness will reign until the women of the tribe reclaim the sun.
The women of the tribe, who are the source of life, come out of their igloos shrieking and beating their chests. They are symbolically represented as nature's golden orb, and they sing a hymn requesting the dead spirits to return the sun to them. The dead spirits are scared of the women and flee into the darkness. This scene signifies that women have the power to bring back the sun and prevent the perpetual darkness.
The song then takes on a more joyous tone, and the Eskimo band picks up their song, with the men removing their "dead spirit" masks and joining the women in festive songs and hand-clapping games. As the sun starts to appear over the horizon, the Eskimo people are filled with gratitude, and the hold of the dead is released once again. The Festival of Death is a celebration of death, rebirth, and the natural balance of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Perhaps no holiday is more important to the Eskimo than the DeathFestival.
The DeathFestival is significant to the Eskimos, as it marks the start of their yearly cycle.
Something moved in the dark.
There was movement in the dark.
A face as tall as a man -- a big, round, evil face wandered at random.
A man-sized face, that was round and evil, moved around aimlessly.
More faces and the realization: the dead walk the snow.
There were more faces and it became clear that the dead roam around in the snow.
Whistling and chanting, 'We have stolen the sun and you will have to live in darkness'.
They whistled and chanted that they have taken the sun and everyone will have to live in darkness.
But the women of the ribe, who were hiding in their igloos, then rushed out shrieking and beating their chests, proclaiming their right as the source of life.
The women from the ribe came out of their igloos, screamed and beat their chests, claiming their role as life-givers.
The dead spirits were frightened by the women and fled into the darkness.
The spirits of the dead were scared of the women and ran away into the dark.
As the Eskimo band picked up their song, the women gathered in a circle, symbolizing nature's golden orb, and sang a hymn asking the dead to return the sun to the mothers of the snow.
The Eskimo band started singing and the women formed a circle, representing the sun, and sang a hymn requesting the dead to give back the sun to the mothers of the snow.
The men, having removed their 'dead spirit' masks, joined the women in festive songs and hand-clapping games until, at last, the first rays of sunlight of the Eskimo year began to appear over the horizon, signaling the end of six months of winter darkness.
The men took off their masks and sang and played games with the women until the first rays of sunlight indicating the end of six months of winter darkness appeared over the horizon.
Gratefully, the dead had released their hold once more.
Thankfully, the dead let go of their hold again.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: HARDY WINFRED FOX, HOMER FLYNN, HOMER III FLYNN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jimbo
on BUCKAROO BLUES: The Stampede
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