“Abraham’s Daughter” by Arcade Fire

Arcade Fire’s “Abraham’s Daughter” is a fictional recount of one of the most famous stories concerning Abraham and Isaac. It talks about how the former, according to the Old Testament, was on the verge of sacrificing the latter, his son, as instructed from On High. 

As with most of the interesting tales from Genesis, this part of the Abraham/Isaac narrative is often referenced in modern times due to its symbolic implications. And such would obviously be the case with “Abraham’s Daughter”, though the point Arcade Fire is trying to get to exactly is left up to listener interpretation and would likely have something to do with the film this track was designed for.

The Lyrics of “Abraham’s Daughter”

Now concerning the fictionality of these lyrics when compared to the Bible, first of all Abraham did not actually have a daughter. Secondly in terms of the tale which some may refer to as Abraham’s test (of faith), there were only, according to the Biblical account, two actual people involved. These were Abraham and Isaac, his beloved son. 

And readers who are familiar with this legend know that God instructed Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, only to call it off at the very last second, when the former was about to commit the kill and had thus exhibited his unwavering faith. 

But in the case of this song Abraham’s daughter is also on the scene, watching all of this transpire. And it is she who at least attempts to halt the sacrifice as it is about to occur.

Now also on the scene, according to the Bible, was an angel. And it is this figure who Abraham’s daughter protests to. 

Perhaps the most interesting part of this song, all things considered, is in the second verse when said angel asks Abraham’s daughter her name, and her reply is ‘she has none’, as ‘her father never gave her one’. 

Said statement would imply that she is part of a culture where women are repressed or devalued as compared to men (since Isaac verily has a name). And such an idea is kinda buttressed in the third verse also. In this verse, the angel chastises her for ‘defying her father’ in trying to save her brother’s life.

And such is how this narrative ends, with Abraham’s daughter getting barked on by an angel.

A Song Associated with “The Hunger Games”

To reiterate, this track was created for a movie with a female protagonist. Said film, The Hunger Games, is not one we’ve thoroughly studied in terms of religious symbolism or what have you that may be contained therein. But clearly some fans of the flick do see some correlation between this song and the movie’s symbolism.

That said, as big of a hit as The Hunger Games may have been, logic would dictate that many, if not most of the people who end up hearing this song probably never watched the film. 

Moreover, there is no direct indication that the lyrics have anything whatsoever to do with the movie. So yes, it may be that “Abraham’s Daughter” is directly based on the plot to Hunger Games. This is because theoretically the titular character’s disobedience of the angel and her father is symbolic of defying authority, or something like that. 

But in general this piece is a, shall we say feminist take on an established Biblical legend.

Facts about “Abraham’s Daughter”

This song is the opening track on a project entitled The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond. The song and its project are officially associated with the first The Hunger Games (2012) movie. 

Songs from District 12 and Beyond is not the movie’s actual soundtrack. It rather contains works by various artists which are said to have influenced the film itself. However, unlike other tracks on that album, “Abraham’s Daughter” does appear in The Hunger Games, during the film’s closing credits.

Arcade Fire’s Régine Chassagne and Win Butler wrote this piece. But they didn’t compose it alone. They teamed up with veteran musician T Bone Burnett to write it. And the entire band is credited as the producer of “Abraham’s Daughter”.

Republic Records in association with Mercury Records released the song on 16 March 2012.

Although this track was not released as a single, it still managed to be nominated for a Grammy Award in 2013. It received the said nomination in the Best Song Written for Visual Media category. 

And to note, it actually lost that award to Taylor’s Swift’s “Safe & Sound”. This is another track found on Songs from District 12 and Beyond.