Of Angels and Angles by The Decemberists Lyrics Meaning – Unraveling the Lyrical Labyrinth of Meloy’s Mind

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for The Decemberists's Of Angels and Angles at Lyrics.org.

Lyrics

There are angels in your angles

There’s a low moon caught in your tangles

There’s a ticking at the sill

There’s a purr of a pigeon to break the still of day

As on we go drowning

Down we go away

And darling, we go a-drowning

Down we go away

Away

There’s a tough word on your crossword

There’s a bed bug nipping a finger

There’s a swallow, there’s a calm

Here’s a hand to lay on your open palm today

As on we go drowning

Down we go away

And darling, we go a-drowning

Down we go away

Away

There are angels in your angles

There’s a low moon caught in your tangles

The Decemberists’, ‘Of Angels and Angles,’ is less a song and more a work of art to be unraveled. Written with the poetic complexity that fans have come to expect, Colin Meloy crafts a canvas where language and metaphor intertwine, creating a masterpiece of lyrical depth that beckons us deeper into the texture of each stanza.

This song, nestled quietly at the end of the album ‘Picaresque,’ is like a gentle, yet profound whisper amongst the bands’ typically more robust narratives. But do not be fooled by its subtlety; within these few, short verses lies a world of meaning as intricate and elusive as the angels and angles it suggests.

A Celestial Twist in the Tale: Interpreting ‘Angels in Your Angles’

The phrase ‘angels in your angles’ might, at first gloss, seem like a simple play on words, but its implications run deep. Are these the ‘angles’ of a person’s character, fraught with complexity? Or perhaps the play on geometry and divinity hints at the inherent goodness found in the structured chaos of life’s trials and tribulations.

This line, as though plucked from an ethereal sonnet, suggests a duality of existence; that within our flawed human framework, kindness and transcendence are intricately folded, waiting to be acknowledged by those perceptive enough to see beyond the tangibility of the tangles we often find ourselves in.

Deciphering the Duality: The Hidden Meaning of ‘Low Moon’ and ‘Tangles’

Meloy uses natural imagery to paint scenes that parallel human emotions. A ‘low moon caught in tangles’ conjures the image of something grand and beautiful entwined in complications or perhaps struggling against the confines of our earthly dilemmas.

This poetic juxtaposition not only draws us into a visual tableau but reflects our own experiences. We too, like the moon, are caught in the paradoxical dance of aspiring for the celestial while being bound to the earth’s labyrinth.

Ticking at the Sill: Melancholic Metronomes in Meloy’s Murmurations

The ‘ticking at the sill’ introduces an element of time – relentless, impending, and omnipresent. It is the sound of life’s clock, the heartbeat of existence that continues irrespective of our trials and despairs. This ticking is a counterpoint to the stillness, suggesting an undercurrent of urgency against the seeming calm.

Together with the ‘purr of a pigeon,’ these small instances act as reminders that life, with all its minutiae and grandeur, persists. It’s in this persistence that The Decemberists find poetry, casting a vision where every detail holds its own weight and significance.

An Elegiac Voyage: The Symbolism Behind ‘As On We Go Drowning’

Repeatedly crooning ‘As on we go drowning, down we go away,’ there is a sense of resignation laced with intimacy in the acceptance of a shared fate. Whether it’s a metaphor for sinking under the weight of our personal history or the universal struggle against the tides of existence, the song captures the beauty of fated resignation in its most vulnerable form.

This refrain may read as nihilistic, but it holds a romantic quality, suggesting that there is solace to be found in the company of our shared human experience, even as we ‘go a-drowning’ in it together.

Memorable Lines: ‘There’s a Tough Word on Your Crossword’

One of the most relatable and vivid lines, ‘There’s a tough word on your crossword,’ strikes a chord with the everyday struggle against the enigmatic puzzles of life. The song captures the essence of our moments of frustration, where we yearn for clarity amidst the confusion that so often permeates our days.

Here, Meloy encapsulates a feeling that is universally human – the search for answers, the ache for resolution, and the sometimes futile, yet ever-present, desire to solve the riddles that lay in wait, nestled within the familiar pages of our narratives.