<… Read Full Bio ↴The Western Den is an American alternative folk group from Boston, MA.
Formed in February 2013, and driven by a shared passion to create music with purpose, The Western Den is the collaborative work of Deni Hlavinka and Chris West, who together, blend compelling folk harmonies with ambient textures to produce a sound all their own. The duo released their debut "Battle Hymns EP" in May 2013 and premiered themselves to the public, opening for Melissa Ferrick on the northeastern leg of her national tour, in the summer of the same year. Their second output "Midwinter EP" was released 05 December 2013. The Western Den is currently based in Boston, performing and working on their full-length album.
https://www.facebook.com/TheWesternDen
First Light
The Western Den Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But the dark, it filled the land he'd known,
And no promise could be made,
Some died for their kin; some, they died alone,
Motionless and even now is darkness' perfect home,
Darkness drowns,
Leave me drowned,
We mourn our morning's loss and alter now our gaze,
For we cannot see the garden's glow,
Nor the night between our days,
Hear our desirous hearts calling out in pain,
To rid ourselves of darkened homes and seek the morn again,
Darkness drowns,
Leave me drowned,
Though the dark will seek your ransomed hands,
He knows the tide has blown his ship, come in,
The beacon shines,
The morn came down and fought to promise brighter days,
Though the dark, it stayed a little while,
The morn, it soon became.
The Western Den’s song “First Light” speaks to the inescapable nature of darkness and how its presence can make it difficult to see hope and light on the horizon. The lyrics evoke a sense of desperation, as people try to navigate the uncertain and perilous terrain of life’s challenges. At the same time, there is a sense of hope that is anchored in the belief that morning will arrive eventually, and with it, the possibility of new beginnings.
The opening lines of the song describe morning’s struggle to break through the darkness and bring light to the world. The ensuing lyrics speak to the emotional weight of darkness, describing how some had to face it alone, while others had the comfort of family and friends. The chorus of “Darkness drowns, Leave me drowned” highlights the sense of despair that often accompanies difficult times, as some seek an escape from the pain of reality.
The remainder of the song speaks to the hope that despite the darkness, eventually, morning will come. The lyrics suggest that even in the darkest times, there is a beacon of hope that can guide us through the storm. Ultimately, the song’s message is one of hope, reminding listeners that in the darkest moments of life, there is always the possibility of a brighter tomorrow.
Line by Line Meaning
The morn came down and fought to promise brighter days,
Despite its efforts, morning only briefly offered hope for a better future.
But the dark, it filled the land he'd known,
However, the darkness consumed the familiar world around him.
And no promise could be made,
There was no guarantee that anything would improve.
Some died for their kin; some, they died alone,
Tragedy struck both those with loved ones and those without.
Motionless and even now is darkness' perfect home,
The stillness of death is ideal for the darkness to thrive.
Darkness drowns,
The absence of light engulfs everything.
Leave me drowned,
This feeling of being overwhelmed by darkness is suffocating.
We mourn our morning's loss and alter now our gaze,
We lament the fading hope of the morning and change our perspective.
For we cannot see the garden's glow,
We are unable to appreciate the beauty of life.
Nor the night between our days,
We cannot find rest in the darkness that separates our struggles.
Hear our desirous hearts calling out in pain,
Our hearts express their longing and agony.
To rid ourselves of darkened homes and seek the morn again,
We desire to escape our oppressive environments and find hope once more.
Though the dark will seek your ransomed hands,
Even when darkness tries to hold onto us, it cannot forever.
He knows the tide has blown his ship, come in,
The darkness understands that its influence is only temporary.
The beacon shines,
There is still a guiding light that leads us through the darkness.
The morn came down and fought to promise brighter days,
Morning attempted to offer hope again,
Though the dark, it stayed a little while,
However, darkness remained for a time.
The morn, it soon became.
Morning eventually returned and offered a new beginning.
Contributed by Jack H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Caroline Campbell
Please put this back up on Spotify or apple! I used to LOVE this song, still do, you guys are so talented.
Celeste Tripp
I love this you guys did a great job!
Caleb Snyder
This is AMAZING! You guys must make more music..
Destiny
Beautiful!!! Praise Jesus! I love this song. It was playing while the credits rolled after an amazing testimony on God tv
Trish Upton
The most underrated group
Begamyte Labs
Amazing sounds! Thank you!
Leah Capelle
So awesome guys! I recognize those faces :) Seeya next year, ya'll are doing amazing things
Steve Hlavinka
Great song!
Raymond OBC
The next Mumford and Sons!
Destiny
What are the words in the chorus?