The Call
Wendy Rule Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Night falls
So slow
Day follows
The day follows

Ancient is
The world
Below

Day follows the day
Calling me home

Wax
And wane
And ebb
And flow

Wave follows
The wave follows
The wave

Oceanic undertow
Wave follows
The wave
Falling below

This is the call

This is the call

This is the call

This is the call

In life is death
In death is life

This is the call

In life is death
In death is life

This is the call

This is the call





This is the call

Overall Meaning

The opening stanza of Wendy Rule's "The Call" sets the mood of the song with its ethereal and reflective vibe. The repetition of "night falls" and "day follows" suggest a cycle of time and the inevitability of change. The line "ancient is the world below" implies a connection to the past and the idea that everything that exists now has deep roots in history. The next stanza uses the metaphor of the waxing and waning of the moon and the ebb and flow of the waves to evoke the cyclical nature of life, death, and rebirth. The oceanic undertow represents the unrelenting force of nature that draws everything back into itself, echoing the earlier theme of the world's ancient and enduring presence.


The repetition of "This is the call" acts as a kind of refrain that underscores the song's message: there is a force beyond our control that beckons us toward our ultimate destiny, whether that be death or something else. The final lines use a powerful repetition of the phrase "in life is death, in death is life" to hammer home the idea that existence is a continuum, and there is no real separation between what we think of as life and what we think of as death. Overall, "The Call" is a haunting meditation on the nature of existence and the inevitability of change.


Line by Line Meaning

Night falls
The sun sets and the darkness of the night gradually descends upon the world.


So slow
The transition from daylight to darkness seems to happen slowly and gradually.


Day follows
After the night ends, a new day begins.


The day follows
Every new day follows the previous one, as if going in a cycle.


Ancient is
The world has existed for a long time, older than any humans or civilization.


The world
The planet Earth and everything it contains.


Below
Beneath the surface or the visible world, there are deeper, hidden layers of reality.


Day follows the day
The sequence of time and events repeats itself every day, with each new day following the previous one.


Calling me home
The natural order of things is drawing the artist back to their place of origin or belonging.


Wax
The moon appears to grow larger over time as more of its surface reflects sunlight.


And wane
The moon appears to shrink and disappear over time as it moves further away from the sun in its orbit.


And ebb
The tide of the ocean moves further away from the shore and recedes over time.


And flow
The tide of the ocean moves closer to the shore and rises over time.


Wave follows
Every wave on the ocean follows the previous one, with no break in the cycle.


The wave follows
The pattern of waves on the ocean is constant and unbroken, following the rhythm of the moon and the tides.


Oceanic undertow
The deeper currents and movements of the ocean that are invisible from the surface.


Wave follows
Every wave on the ocean follows the previous one, with no break in the cycle.


The wave
The waves on the ocean that are visible on the surface, constantly following one another.


Falling below
The waves and currents of the ocean eventually disappear and move deeper into the uncharted depths.


This is the call
The natural order and cycles of the world are calling out to the artist, reminding them of their place in the grand scheme of things.


In life is death
Death is an unavoidable part of life, and the two are intertwined.


In death is life
Out of death and decay comes new life and growth, as part of the larger cycle.


This is the call
The singer hears the call of the natural order, reminding them of the larger cycles of life and death.


In life is death
Death is an unavoidable part of life, and the two are intertwined.


In death is life
Out of death and decay comes new life and growth, as part of the larger cycle.


This is the call
The natural order and cycles of the world are calling out to the singer, reminding them of their place in the grand scheme of things.


This is the call
The singer is being pulled back into the natural cycle of life and death, called by the larger forces of nature.


This is the call
The repetition of this phrase emphasizes the overwhelmingly powerful and universal nature of the call the artist is hearing.




Writer(s): Wendy Rule

Contributed by Brooklyn S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions