The Decemberists - Crane Wife 1 and 2

[candiegemini]

Its amazing and beatifull ...I wish my life had more of this majesty-romance-love in it...it gives me chills...canmard@gmail.com

[dopeheathen]

Songs is awesome and that story down there is awesome as well. They should make a movie out of it.

[aokinak]

this is based on an ancient japanese folk tale

[dancer132455]

just saw a beautiful ballet/modern piece to this song..the most beautiful thing i have ever seen.. cried my eyes out

[GeekyGalaxy]

the guitar is SO GORGEOUS! Learning to play this

[bryantjudoman]

I still can,t understand why this band isn,t known by everyone by now

[unseen370]

"And Colin Cried, and Colin Cried..."

What? Did I mishear that?

[ApocalypticEcstasy]

@unseen370 Yeah, I think you did. Could it have been "And it called and cried, and it called and cried"?

[unseen370]

@ApocalypticEcstasy Sigh... it seems that no one got the joke. The singer's name is Colin.

[Seaturtlecharm]

gotta luv thiss

[cardinalsinfeathers]

Also, happier note: I'm decorating my apartment now with my fiance, and we've got a huge origami crane on our wall made of black and red thread, with feather-shaped mirrors, and the lyrics to Crane Wife 1 framed and illustrated on our wall. We are such sappy indie fuckers.

[ScottieDawgxD]

@cardinalsinfeathers You're my hero.

[timeconsumerd]

@cardinalsinfeathers Sad sappy suckers. : )

[cardinalsinfeathers]

@nicolfanta: There's no spousal rape in this story. I'd be intrigued to see your sources. It's true the story is a bit more than a child's fable; it's truly tragic. Some things that the song obscures is that the sailmaker never sees the crane become a woman--after he heals the bird he returns home to a beautiful woman on his doorstep. This is why it's just so tragic when he finds out that she's been turning back into the crane and weaving her own feathers into the silk for him.

[Liebesliederable]

I don't really get what it's about.

[kcs4a]

@Liebesliederable It's a Japanese folk tale.

[MrCHUCKIECHEESE666]

@Liebesliederable I didn't get it, till I looked it up so you're not alone ;)

[Chris53456]

AND THE COLIN CRIED!

[MisterTibTib]

Im a high school student. I recently open my literature to find this story: the cane wife. The song follows the story

[omochii123]

we read the story in history of rock class. part one of this song makes me want to cry.

[Daneus05]

These crane wife songs are based off a Japanese children's story for those who didn't know.

[nicolfanta]

@Daneus05 its also a story about spousal rape. which is actually really sad....

[Seaturtlecharm]

i love this song!!!!!

[CrazyInsanelikeafox]

Beautiful...

[LordDuck101]

such a nice cresendo halfway through 1

[sanjnalat]

Reminds me of Neutral Milk Hotel. A lot.

[thebeesknees28]

Fantastic song, fantastic live band.

[TheBlindPig1]

I saw you climb, who cares who hears, the kingdom of heaven is within.

[TheBlindPig1]

God i love too much, i must be a woman or something, or the father of a people.

[nose2bear]

please upload the whole awesome song!! i love it so much!! :)

[RAFGL915]

ghey, not the whole song :(

[AriellLauren]

mr.laroyy (:

[rainbowIchigo]

Do you think you can upload the entire song now that YT has the 15 minute limit please?

[Roggiedodgie]

terrible...music has crapped out nowadays

[aspangsx10]

@Roggiedodgie are you kidding me the decemberists are one of the few modern day bands who hold on to the folk rock style that was respected by america so much back when bob dylan and simon and garfunkel were performing and releasing

[je14100]

 .;

[B34STxSL4Y3R]

Part 1 and 3 are great, but I'm not to crazy about part 2.

[iBombBigHills]

i am a poor man, i havent wealth nor fame, i have my two hands and a house to my name, and the winter is so, and the winter is so long

[youtubister]

People need to listen to this. Love the picture too. 

[xXxForeverMusicxXx]

love love love this song! especially part 1

[mikedelgado8888]

amazing band..

[datalal624]

Maybe you could try re-uploading the song, now that the YT video time limit is 15 min. Otherwise, thank-you for posting this! Such a gorgeous song, and album.

[bubupiscoming]

5:35 is one of the most beautiful things ive ever heard

[dan2granby]

WHAT A SONG....MUSICAL MASTERPIECE.......!!!

[mrbolovski]

not long been into these that long and i have to say, utter class.

[Dudeidontstinkinknow]

<3

[mattburnside]

Cant wait to see these guys when they come to the UK next year!

[kylereeves]

@mattburnside I can't wait to see them tonight! :]

[mattburnside]

@kylereeves Hope the show was a good one!

[JeremyB796]

This song was originally a Japanese folk tale that was told to new solders...

due to the fact that it was not translated until the 1950s the tale changed possibly hundreds of times and the original creator is unknown...plus it is in old English dialect...

[BehemothPhoenix]

its so weird that the time maximum is 15 minutes.. cuz i have all of interstella 5555 by daft punk on my favorites as like an hour long viddeo

[phantasmo14]

The story is very sad. poor crane

[FoxHoundJD]

This song makes me wanna give everyone i've ever truly given a shit about the biggest, warmest hug of thier/my life... very few songs make me feel this way.

[SheHerGirl]

the only true way to understand this song, is to know the japenese tail behind it. Which they should post in the description.

[BDIDDY2526]

thank u fer making me feel again...............

[cookies3000]

You should reupload it seeing how the max is 15 min now!

[jimdawg8990]

just smoked a joint for the first time in a year and a half.

just listened to this song for the first time in a year.

i believe in god now.

[alexdentremont000]

@jimdawg8990 both those are good things. but there's no god, you're just high, trust me, i wouldn't lie to you.

[jimdawg8990]

@alexdentremont000 haha true

[DelightOxygen]

@alexdentremont000

I give you one pound cuz you are a genius

you create evething

you know everything

thanks new god alexdentremont000

[LidGorgeous]

I love this song... So so beautiful

[HufflepuffTheGreat]

This song epitomizes everything I think about when it comes to TRUE, HARMONIOUS LOVE. Yeah. I'm a mush. So what.

[feraro23]

And all the stars were crashing 'round, as I laid eyes on what I'd found.

[randomlyawesomeya]

its such a sad song

[daroxasx]

I'm seriously getting into this band; another band I can tell my older brother to listen to now.

[MysticalChicken]

A lot of Decemberists songs will make me cry the first two or three times I listen to them but this one makes me cry every. single. time.

[Genomefreak177]

the most beautiful song about bestiality ever

[MrCHUCKIECHEESE666]

@Genomefreak177 funny story, it's not about that at all.

[Megatonaxe]

@MrCHUCKIECHEESE666 what is it about

[rockon9106]

@Megatonaxe its depicting a folk tale:A poor man finds an injured crane, takes it in and nurses it back to health.After he releases the crane,a woman appears at his doorstep and he falls in love and marries.Because they need money, his wife offers to weave clothes out of silk, but only if he agrees never to watch her making them.He eventually peeks into see what she is doing.The loom is a crane plucking feathers from her body and weaving them into the loom.The crane flies away and never returns.

[GoldenSpirit1000]

god i love this song

[fizzgigify]

I love this song...could you upload the whole album? Can't find a studio Crane Wife 3 for example.

[BxRGriever]

whoever put a thumbs down, has no taste for real music

[SuperEustress]

sounds like belle and sebastian's boy with the arab strap

[AllegraLegsLoves]

This song is so fantastic. All of The Decemberists' songs are so literary. (The Crane Wife is an ancient Japanese tale)

[HeyTrain]

This song makes me want to "Huzzah"!

[slickmonmon13]

If he nursed her back to health then why does blood appear in human form?

Unless she can lactate blood!

[Litranpnk]

Thanks to the boy of chatroulette that taught this song to me:D

It's fantastic.

[brknspacebar]

Check out my cover of THE RAKE'S SONG

[boomtaylor]

I absolutely love the way he sings the first few lines.

[klumzykidder]

They're just too good, thank God bands like this exist these days.

[SeaSinger12]

In the weirdest, most beautiful way it makes me want to dance a jig or kiss someone.

[Msanon360]

@SeaSinger12 I know what you mean. It is beautiful in a sad sort of way. The story it's based on is the same way.

[07foxmulder]

@SeaSinger12 i want to do both

[celery812many]

Such a beautiful bittersweet tune

[mikeschultz215Wcu]

sweet

[princesspropane11]

love it love it love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the decemberists rock have you seen the music video for this song its good

[kaskade1231]

those little japanese people are creeping me out

[bryantjudoman]

my god what a beautifull song this is!

[XECuteAble]

I have been folding cranes for my lovers

[alive2]

From Wikipedia:

Band leader Colin Meloy found a version of this story and decided to write music based on it.

In a January 2007 interview given on the NPR show Fresh Air, Colin gave this synopsis:

"It's a story about a peasant in rural Japan who finds a wounded crane on an evening walk; there's an arrow in its wing. He revives the crane and the crane flies away. A couple days later, a mysterious woman shows up at his door and he takes her in. Eventually they fall in love and get married...

[sevilla14]

calming, kinda like Pink Floyd, which is good.

[AllerleirauhFable]

They make it sound so beautiful, beastiality almost never crosses your mind...

[beepbopdop]

@AllerleirauhFable

How can you relate this to beastiality...?

[Squitchtweak]

I assume that person took 'crane wife' literally!

[AllerleirauhFable]

I was kidding you guys...

[Squitchtweak]

Sorry. Sarcasm/humour is often missed on the internet, I've noticed. I wasn't sure if you were joking or not as I suppose if you didn't quite listen to the lyrics of these songs you could think they were about marrying a crane! Also, anything even slightly negative tends to rated down on YouTube. This is a weird place.

[mnkyd21]

This song creates various visuals in my mind... it makes me happy ! <3 decemberists

[Gi1BrO]

Great song! 5 stars

[DonZabu]

"Sound the keening bell,

And see it's painted red,

Soft as fontanel"

Ew.

[Squitchtweak]

It's a bit of a creepy simile.

[painterman272003]

Great Song. Saw them in Wolverhamton - Poor Colin had to keep running off stage for 'Tummy issues', Was still really good. Hope they come back!! (And eat the tinned food!)

[kidblink182]

I think I like #1 the best (out of the 3)

[Animutant666]

no, definitely 3... always...

[AzureTorque]

I love how you put this in the Pets & Animals category. XD

[theherk]

@AzureTorque I love how there are categories. I had no idea, but that's a riot.

[Fluffets]

Why does it just cut off suddenly like that? :-/

[ioncewasren]

couldnt fit the entire song on youtube

[Fluffets]

Oh... well, thanks for the reply

[doubleKlutch]

@ioncewasren

Has youtube upped it's limit to 15 minutes? It may be worth re-uploading now, if possible.

[ioncewasren]

then why were you listening to it on youtube?

[Ethaninja]

How come the third one isn't that popular.

[MacDufferfish]

i don't know. I actually like that one more.

[Ethaninja]

Aye same here

[Dharmaville]

2nd one is the best

[Ethaninja]

Thats what she said =D

[Rhiannonfawn123]

this song is amazing.i love this band and every song that they seem to make is amazing

[jlykins82]

Cant wait to see them at The Murat this saturday!

[Sherrylmoon222]

The Decemberists ROCK! And this song is amazing

[jellypop18]

<3 Amazing.

[evmister94]

Hey thanks for the upload. great song

[fdqrnm]

i love this song