Tiderays by Volcano Choir Lyrics Meaning – Unraveling the Tidal Emotions in Indie Music
Lyrics
Soft denims on the floor
Spent nights last
Sleeping like two fours
We’re tall neither
And the full fever
The dawn quakes
Haste back the seething den
Baby
This is not sin
Its nineteen ink-ings
Or one fresh inkling
On the hard nights
You’re the ace right
And you would break down so gentle in my livery
Now you’re levying
(Past the sediments)
Now you’re leveling
(build up that benevolence)
Tiderays
Yeah, whatcha didnt film matters
Yeah, whatcha didnt feel flatters
Whatcha didnt find tonight
Wont honor them
(Watch you) cross the fast black platter
(Watch you) walk the plain, whats the matter?
Dont calm the evidence
Build up this benevolence
Sway for the tiderays
Brace for the tiderays
In the world of indie music, songs often take on a cryptic fabric, woven with metaphorical strands that listeners may unravel over multiple hearings. Volcano Choir’s ‘Tiderays’ from their 2013 album ‘Repave’ is no exception. Its atmospheric layers and evocative lyrics lead us through a vivid emotional landscape that resonates with a search for meaning amidst the ebb and flow of life.
Justin Vernon, known for his soul-stirring work with Bon Iver, and his ensemble cast in Volcano Choir, use ‘Tiderays’ to paint an impressionist image of the personal tides of change. But what’s beneath the surface of this haunting piece? Grab your diving gear as we plunge into the depths of a song that refuses to skim the waves of introspection.
The Tapestry of Night and the Weave of Intimacy
As the song opens with ‘Soft denims on the floor’, the immediate texture is intimate and raw, suggestive of moments following vulnerability or togetherness. This visceral imagery sets the stage for a contemplation on the proximity of two souls. The cryptic ‘Spent nights last / Sleeping like two fours’ might allude to the uncomfortable contortion of shared hardships or the peace found in unity.
The description belies a relationship dance where being ‘tall neither’ indicates a sense of equality or perhaps a mutual lack of pretense. Volcano Choir echoes the disquiet before dawn with ‘the full fever’ while ‘the dawn quakes’ suddenly reminds us that moments of tenderness are brief, often rocked by the inevitabilities of life.
Navigating the Fluid Power of Adolescence and Innocence
‘Baby, This is not sin / Its nineteen ink-ings / Or one fresh inkling’ may strike as a comforting affirmation against self-doubt or societal judgement. Here the song might be interpreting youth, with its ‘nineteen ink-ings’, as a canvas filled with the scars and stories we collect over time.
Vernon’s use of ‘fresh inkling’ could be a clever play on the naivety and newness of experience. Youth is often a time of tentative steps and ‘hard nights’; to be ‘the ace right’ is to navigate these trials with grace. This interpretation is bolstered by the subtle encouragement to embrace benevolence, which becomes a key motif throughout the song.
In the Wake of Change: The Visceral Pull of ‘Tiderays’
The chorus line ‘Sway for the tiderays’ serves as an invocation to move with the currents of life. The word ‘tide’ itself is naturally associated with constancy and change, and when paired with ‘rays’ suggests hope amidst fluctuation. This could be seen as a meditative instruction to remain flexible and open to the cyclical waves of growth and decay that define our existence.
With this, Volcano Choir seems to command a presence that is attuned to the natural push and pull of emotional landscapes, hinting perhaps at our universal struggle against the desire for stability in a world defined by transience. The act of swaying is also deeply connected to rhythm and music – the song thus becomes an anthem for those moving to the beat of life’s tides.
Unearthing the Hidden Meaning: Benevolence Amidst Turbulence
‘Now you’re levying / (Past the sediments) / Now you’re leveling / (build up that benevolence)’ speaks of a transformation or an equalizing force. To levy past the sediments is to rise above the accumulated particles of past experiences, suggesting an overcoming or a cleansing.
This line could signify a maturation, an enlightenment where one chooses to ‘build up benevolence’, crafting a foundation of goodness as a response to life’s trials. It is a poignant reminder of the strength found in kindness, of the potential for each individual to influence their surroundings positively, even when things seem most opaque.
The Lasting Echo of Memorable Lines: Felt and Film
‘Yeah, whatcha didn’t film matters,’ the song poignantly begins a verse that whispers of authenticity and the unseen moments of our lives. In a world obsessed with documentation and social media representation, these lyrics slice through the facade, reminding us that what is most significant often goes unrecorded; it is the unwitnessed which often holds the most weight.
Furthermore, ‘Yeah, whatcha didn’t feel flatters’ implores a deeper connection to our emotions. It reflects the narrative that perhaps what we fail to feel, or choose not to feel, is what flatters us – an encouragement to engage more deeply with our own raw emotions and those of others. It’s in the authentic and the felt that ‘Tiderays’ asks us to find honor, not in the shallow waters of what ‘whatcha didnt find tonight’.
