Widowspeak is a Brooklyn, New York, United States-based quartet that play h… Read Full Bio ↴Widowspeak is a Brooklyn, New York, United States-based quartet that play hazy atmospheric dream pop and shoegaze, formed in 2010.

There are aspects of the band's sound - abrasive guitar hooks, immediate drumming, and incessant codas - that speak to living in a big city. But there's also a dreary sparseness, a David Lynch-esque darkness, culled from the other members' native Washington.

The band's skeletal sound began to take shape, with Robert's rust-belt guitar parts lending a restless, sinister edge to Molly's subdued melodies and soft vocal style. Writing became a collaborative effort, and Widowspeak racked up an arsenal of songs. By fall the trio had recorded a six-track cassette using only a built-in laptop microphone and Garageband. The self-released October Tape, as it was called, fell into the hands of Brooklyn's Captured Tracks. Weeks later, after only their sixth show, Widowspeak recorded the 7" single Harsh Realm, in anticipation of a full LP.

Their eponymous debut LP was released on August 9th, 2011 on Captured Tracks.

http://widowspeak.bandcamp.com

Puritan
Widowspeak Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Four hour drive
Strange world outside
Shattered to see
The sun go down

Don't know ourselves
In this hollow town

Sometime in the written hour (?)
Puritans had all the power
Show them how their eyes were blue

Tell me I'll stay with you
Always waiting
And you're fading, fading out
So I looked my Sunday best
Still inside a (?) dress
Tall, dark ... (?)
Like the time they stood (?)
I was looking

Puritans watching
I, I was watching, watching out

Overall Meaning

The first verse of Widowspeak's song "Puritan" speaks of a four-hour drive to a strange world outside, where they are shattered to see the sun go down. The singer or protagonist of the song seems to have lost their sense of identity in the "hollow town," as they don't know themselves in it. The second verse delves into the past, with references to Puritans having all the power and a desire to show them how their eyes were blue. The chorus then shifts back to the present, with a plea to stay together, despite the fact that the other person is always fading out. The final verse ties everything back to the strange world outside, with the singer looking their Sunday best but still feeling trapped in a dress. There are vague references to someone tall and dark who stood still, while the Puritans and the singer both watched each other.

Overall, the lyrics of "Puritan" suggest a sense of displacement and confusion, tied to the singer's attempts to navigate strange and unfamiliar territory. The past is referenced as a way of grounding themselves or making sense of their surroundings, but ultimately, the singer is left feeling lost and disconnected.

Line by Line Meaning

Four hour drive
Traveling a long distance through different parts of the world

Strange world outside
The world outside is different and unfamiliar

Shattered to see
Overwhelmed with emotions at the sight of something

The sun go down
The day is coming to an end

Don't know ourselves
Feeling lost and uncertain about our identity

In this hollow town
Living in a place with no life or energy

Sometime in the written hour (?
Unclear meaning due to unclear lyrics

Puritans had all the power
A reference to a previous time when the Puritans had control and influence over society

Show them how their eyes were blue
Changing the perception of others about themselves, making them see themselves in a different way

Tell me I'll stay with you
Asking the other person to promise to be with them always

Always waiting
Feeling like they are always waiting for something but not sure what