maudlin of the Well is an American progressive rock band from Boston, Massa… Read Full Bio ↴maudlin of the Well is an American progressive rock band from Boston, Massachusetts who formed in 1996 and disbanded in 2003, revived in 2008. Their music contained elements from many different genres including death metal, doom metal, indie rock, and new age. They released three full-length albums before disbanding: 1999's My Fruit PsychoBells... A Seed Combustible and 2001's Bath and Leaving Your Body Map. These last two albums were considered companion albums.

motW had a consistent core membership which consisted of Jason Byron, Greg Massi, and Toby Driver. Throughout motW's career, they saw a sort of "revolving door" of members and session musicians as they were needed. In this regard, it may be more accurate to think of motW as a project rather than a typical band, akin to Chuck Schuldiner's influential death metal project/band, Death.

motW's music, lyrics, and atmosphere dealt predominantly with the subject of astral projection. The band tried to find music rather than compose it. This was attempted through practicing astral projection and lucid dreams, from which the band were purportedly able to "bring back" pre-existing music from the astral plane. This idea is similar to the common dogmatic notion that "all good things come from God", but with a new-age spin.

In late 2001, motW began working on a fourth studio album. During this time, the band lost longtime members, changed labels, and ultimately renamed themselves to Kayo Dot. This fourth motW album was released in 2003 as Kayo Dot's Choirs of the Eye.

Bath and Leaving Your Body Map were re-issued by Dark Symphonies in 2006 and the label has recently announced plans to re-release My Fruit PsychoBells...A Seed Combustible in September 2007.

On July 27, 2008, Toby Driver released a statement in his blog which confirms that a new studio album will be recorded starting February, 2009. The album, entitled Part the Second, was released in May 2009 on the band's website. The record was entirely fan-funded, and people who contributed to the funding of the record are listed on their website. A double-LP edition pressed at 45rpm was issued in November 2010 thanks to fan donations.

In 2012, the bands whole discography was re-released on CD through Blood Music, including The Secret Song single and the first CD release of Part the Second.

Blight of River Systems
maudlin of the Well Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Snow, and drugs
That make every visage angelic!
Then came my secret dream of the girl
My warrior with a foot like a doe
Walking for inspiration,
I learned which of you is the One.
Kissing, but not moving
Loving, unmoving

But this is said in a coquettish trance
Dampens my book, thoughts come quick
I almost love you,
But I kiss you the way I kiss Maria
And she, with a foot like a doe!
I was swept away
When the choirs in your shiny eyes cast
Little drops of water on everything
O, Slayer of trickery!
My shoulders hold more than a swarm of devils!.
Whence came the Blight of the churning rivers?
You spoke like a dragon
My queen, my angel
Scion of anguish, I cherish your anguish
This is a promise and you are a dove
I quit this grief with obsequies
Snowfall beautifies humanity

But charm is lost with enhanced design
Bind my lips with the purest vine!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Blight of River Systems is undoubtedly esoteric and abstract, but the intrigue it evokes is undeniable. The song appears to be a complex interplay of emotions, with themes of love, desire, and grief woven intricately together. There is a constant oscillation between intense emotions that build and disintegrate through the verses, leaving the listener in a state of deep contemplation.

The song opens with the singer discussing an experience in which snow and drugs have made everything look beautiful to him. It is only then when he sees his 'secret dream of the girl' who he describes as his warrior with a 'foot like a doe.' This sets the stage for a dreamlike sequence of events that follow. The singer is continuously searching for inspiration from the girl he loves, but the interactions between them remain stagnant, with unrequited love still present. The singer is haunted by the blight of the churning rivers, symbolizing grief and despair, which he seemingly associates with the girl. He looks upon her as a queen, his angel, but as an entity, he cherishes her anguish.

The song ends on a note where he declares his passion and promises to 'quit this grief with obsequies' but still has an underlying sense of sadness permeating through it all. The song's lyrical impact is executed effectively, leaving the listener with ambiguous emotions, leaving them with more questions than answers.

Line by Line Meaning

Snow, and drugs
The singer is under the influence of drugs and seeing snow.

That make every visage angelic!
The drugs make everyone's face look beautiful.

Then came my secret dream of the girl
The singer has a hidden desire for a girl.

My warrior with a foot like a doe
The girl the artist desires is delicate and graceful like a doe, but also strong.

Walking for inspiration,
The artist is trying to find inspiration through walking.

I learned which of you is the One.
The singer has found inspiration and knows their purpose.

Kissing, but not moving
The singer is kissing someone, but not progressing in the relationship.

Loving, unmoving
The artist loves the person, but they are not making any progress in the relationship.

But this is said in a coquettish trance
The artist is in a flirtatious state when saying this line.

Dampens my book, thoughts come quick
The artist's thoughts are coming too fast to write down and they are smudging the ink on the page.

I almost love you,
The singer is close to loving the person they are addressing.

But I kiss you the way I kiss Maria
The artist is comparing the way they kiss the person they are addressing to how they kiss someone else named Maria.

And she, with a foot like a doe!
Maria is also delicate and graceful like a doe.

I was swept away
The singer was emotionally overwhelmed in a moment.

When the choirs in your shiny eyes cast
The singer sees something beautiful in the person's eyes, like a choir.

Little drops of water on everything
The sight of the person's eyes causes the artist to feel like everything is covered in dew.

O, Slayer of trickery!
The person the artist is addressing is skilled at manipulating others.

My shoulders hold more than a swarm of devils!.
The singer is capable of carrying a heavy load.

Whence came the Blight of the churning rivers?
The singer is asking where the source of the problem with the river came from.

You spoke like a dragon
The person the artist is addressing spoke with force and authority.

My queen, my angel
The artist views the person they are addressing as royalty and divine.

Scion of anguish, I cherish your anguish
The artist feels a connection to the person they are addressing because they both share a sense of sorrow.

This is a promise and you are a dove
The singer is making a promise to the person they are addressing and views them as fragile and gentle like a dove.

I quit this grief with obsequies
The artist is ready to move on from their sadness with a funeral ceremony, symbolizing closure.

Snowfall beautifies humanity
The singer sees the snow as making the world more beautiful.

But charm is lost with enhanced design
The beauty of the world is lost when it becomes too artificial or manufactured.

Bind my lips with the purest vine!
The singer is asking to be restrained from speaking by something pure and natural.

Contributed by Xavier M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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