Songs I wish Were Short Stories: Part Two
May 8, 2023 | Dara Marie | @thornfield_lane
Last year, I wrote about songs I wish were short stories because of the stories they posed that could be better explored in prose. Since then, other songs have come to mind that fit in this category, leading to a sequel post.
So, without further adieu, let’s get into it:
Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles
“All the lonely people, where do they all come from?”
I don’t often listen to The Beatles, but “Eleanor Rigby” is definitely my favorite by them. I love the complexity of both Eleanor Rigby and Father McKenzie: two people trying to find meaning; Eleanor looking for love, and McKenzie trying to save people through religion. And yet, they’re both lonely. There’s enough character posed in several lines that a short story could expand into complete heartbreak.
The Night We Met by Lord Huron
“I had all and then most of you, some, and now none of you. Take me back to the night we met.”
This song was my introduction to one of my most listened-to artists. The song is soft, slow, and quiet–reminiscing an old relationship. The singer wishes he could return to simpler, easier times when they first met. It’s beautiful, sad, and a poignant expression of lost love.
I imagine this taking place in a bar or party, with the character thinking they saw their past lover but are left with disappointing memories.
Meet Me in the Woods + The Yawning Grave by Lord Huron
“I took a little journey to the unknown, and I’ve come back changed–I can feel it in my bones.”
“I tried to warn you when you were a child. I told you not to get lost in the wild.”
I debated keeping this one in here because this past semester, I started the early stages of a new writing project that incorporates the themes of these songs as well as a few others (such as “That Unwanted Animal” by The Amazing Devil and “Work Song” by Hozier). Ultimately, I decided to because it just adds to my point of how it can fit into a different art medium.
These songs are placed together in the album and, I believe, connect. “Meet me in the Woods” is how it sounds: someone asking their lover to meet them in the woods. What’s key in this is the beginning lyrics of “I [messed] with forces that our eyes can’t see.” The “Yawning Grave” is from the perspective of a nature spirit taking revenge after someone has broken the rules; I believe the person being punished is the singer of “Meet Me in the Woods.”
The songs are mystic and vague but compelling. They feel timeless and full of lore it’s been so much fun to play around with in my own work.
In the Woods Somewhere by Hozier
“An awful noise filled the air. I heard a scream in the woods somewhere.”
Continuing the trope of mystic woods, whenever I’m out hiking, I inevitably will end up playing this. And yes, this is also an inspiration for my newest project originally sparked by “The Yawning Grave”.
It tells of a man lost in the woods who witnesses unexplainable things, unsure if he’s dreaming or stumbled on something sinister. The vagueness allows for multiple interpretations and the melodies are haunting.
Indigo by Kississippi
“I can’t move cuz he’s comfortable there; his legs tangled in mine, hands tangled in hair.”
This song is short, simple, and repetitive about a woman waking up in her lover’s arms and afraid of accidentally waking him.
I clearly imagine golden sunlight spilling into a room from between the open slits of window blinds, onto the bed and blankets, waking the singer. Their first thoughts upon waking are their lover, though I can’t decide if the person is there, no longer there because they’re broken up and moved on, or was never there to begin with. Maybe the only way I can find out is by trying my own hand at writing a similar scene.
What songs would you like to read as short stories? I'd love to hear from you! You can connect with me through thornfield.lane@gmail.com or on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter: @thornfield_lane.
