the Decemberists - annan water - (13 of 17)

[Crumplepunch]

Heh heh.  Drown in pee.

[YesYouAreIgnorant]

the world would be an even more dangerous place if the music nerds had the physical prowess to harm their musical enemies...

... let the flaming begin

[AtrumDecor]

tumblr has brought me here :) x

[Nadorade]

lol music nerd arguments.

[doicha27]

who the hell disliked this song? appalling

[iamsalzibar]

i think this is my favourite from The Hazards of Love

[MrCigarsandCoffee]

Gotta love how 90% of comments youtube-wide are arguments hahaha

[sprinkleOtea]

@MrCigarsandCoffee THEY ARE NOT ARGUMENTS!!!

[Kumajirou13]

@sprinkleOtea THEY ARE CONTRADICTIONS, GET IT RIGHT YOU CONTRADICTING LOSERS!!!

[NeonRaeon]

What a hauntingly beautiful song.

[AbbreviatedClassics]

It's driving me crazy!!! What is the instrument playing from 3:13 to 3:30 ? It's so awesome! Want!!!

[JetsToReason]

@AbbreviatedClassics mandolin :)

[shazam15]

I prefer kate rusby's.

Hers sounds like a beautiful tale of lost love destroyed by unfortunate chance. The image of a knight charging forth with all his valiance and speed, riding hard into the night. His courage high and spirits strained. But the simple truth that his physical body cannot keep up with the strength of his will ends his quest with tragedy.

This version sounds like hipster nonsense.

[JetsToReason]

@shazam15 it's not the same song...

[shazam15]

@JetsToReason

It is a modern interpretation of the song I referenced. My comment still has validity.

If you dont beliveve me, Go read the lyrics for annan water's kate rusby's version and then the lyrics for this. Same story. This song is public domain property, so there are many interpretations. However, Kate rusby's is closest in lyric to the original poem.

[Vrixjin]

@shazam15 It's a simple Man vs. Nature story. People in this world can control nature. read the music sheet. everything but the "Wild River". This is his attempt to quell the raging current so he can rescue Margret

[shazam15]

@Vrixjin

You clearly have never heard the original. I'll forgive you for this because he presented it in a unique and organized way that wove it in nicely with the rest of the album, but you need to look up the original annan water then, try to unbiasedly compare the lyrics to this one. This song is a modern interpretation.

[Vrixjin]

@shazam15 And have you listened to the whole album?

[shazam15]

@Vrixjin

Why yes. Of course. I happen to be a fan of both The decemberists and Kate Rusby. Now go read the lyrics so you can stop looking so ignorant on the internet.

[Vrixjin]

@shazam15 I hate to break it to you but the most similar thing between the two songs is the river, in her song the river is not some malevolent entity as it is in here. I did read the lyrics... Just because one disagrees with you about a piece of art doesn't make that person ignorant, lets limit the personal attacks. The songs ARE similar, but they do not tell the same story like you said

[shazam15]

@Vrixjin

You are not breaking anything to me. Rusby's song is about a guy who is trying to rescue his lover ( which in this song was given the name margaret), he starts the song by going on a ride towards the only thing that seperates them effectively ( ie. the river) then the rest of the song is about how wild and untamably vile the river is and how no matter how strong his will and frierce he tries, the river will not let him cross. It IS the same song, just altered for a modern perspective

[Vrixjin]

@shazam15 The river lets him cross..... in Rusby's song, he drown because he couldn't wait to take a nap. He was tired from his ride

[shazam15]

@Vrixjin

No. In rusby's song he drowned because the water refused to let him pass. If Colin Meloy kept that ending he wouldnt be able to progress with the story in this album. He just changed the end. You are so freaking dumb. This conversation is over. 

[shazam15]

@Vrixjin

I'll give you a play by play of the lyrics side by side. but in message form, so it wont clutter up the comment section.

[Kenentigern7]

metaphor is clearly an alien concept.

There is something else deep and subliminal in this song but keep digging.

[Candypirate11]

@Questpeace Which do you think Colin has written about more times; drowning, rape, or prostitutes? I'm gonna guess prostitutes.

[BlueZephyr16]

when he says "will drowned be" I always think the says "will drown in pee" haha, but i still can't stop listening to it!

[hampden12]

pardon me..but is this song (originally aboot Annan) in dumfries and galloway?

[Iamthedoorwaymusic]

@hampden12 sort of. the song references the river annan, but the CD it's from also references the taiga and offa's wall. so it doesn't really take place anywhere, since none of those things are anywhere near each other.

[einahnottub]

I typically enjoy it when the Decemberists do a folk song, but I have to say Kate Rusby's original of this song is more appealing to me. This song is so romantic and sorrowful and Colin just isn't doing it for me.

[novembertulip]

I checked out the Kate Rusby song, since I enjoy this song so much, and I was shocked to find that it wasn't an "original of this song", as you put it, but a completely different song based on the same piece of folklore/poetry. I did enjoy her song quite a bit, but you can't compare it to this song just because it's about the same thing. It's like saying you like the Beatles' more because they also wrote love songs. Apples and oranges.

[einahnottub]

I disagree. Of course one can compare the Decemberists take on Annan Water versus Kate Rusby's take; which, being different lyrically both deal with the same subject.

I feel the difference between the songs is better understood in the context of say, two painters, who both paint the same scape. Each painter will approach the subject differently and will produce different works of art.

I happen to prefer Kate Rusby's interpretation and treatment of this folk tale more than this one.

[einahnottub]

Also, when I say that Kate Rusby's song is the original, what I should have communicated was that her song was published first and so I regarded this later version as not being the original cultural take of the Annan Water folk tale.

Perhaps it was a poor choice of words on my part. However, knowing the original source, that is the actual poem...I like that Kate Busby kept the lyrics of her song close to the actual poem. But then that is my personal preference.

[hampden12]

@novembertulip well said

[beezerboy94]

hmmmmmmmm, I like all of this, this song especially, but I don't know that I like them being edgier. But, how great would a song like this be backed to an action movie :D

[BlueZephyr16]

whenever he says "will drowned be" i always think he says "drowned in pee". cracks me up every time.

[guisar81]

Have to love the quiet interlude from 2:32 - 3:10. Beautiful bit.

[Nicolette233]

LOVE IT!!!!!!!

[djdock87]

This whole album was a whole new step for the decembrists. A harder, more edgy step im really glad they took

[xDeathshardx]

This is now my favorite album. Yes, even more than Castaways and Cuttouts.

[Abi314]

what is that instrument at like 3:18?

[alaportanegra]

can anybody tell me the instrument at 3.15? maybe a hammered dulcimer?

[tomalophicon]

It's not hammered. I'd say a heavily effected mandolin or similar.

[tomalophicon]

Actually it sounds more like a picked auto harp or a harp proper.

[guisar81]

I'd say the intrument is a zither- I played one as a teenager and while that was a while ago as I recall it sounded exactly like that. An autoharp is another likely candidate.

[ethanissoamazing]

its an autoharp, if you have the album look at the lyrics and it gives the instrumental and vocal credits after every song

[booneh]

It's a marxophone. It's a zither with courses of two strings like a mandolin. You press a key, and a hammer bounces on the strings, giving a tremolo effect.

There is mandolin throughout the song, and the autoharp starts about 4:29.

[jom000]

definitely my favorite on the album.

probably my least favorite album of theirs though.

[terdymang]

I got the album the day it came out, and I'm glad I did. I've listened to it at least twice a week since then :p

[Vestigial]

I'm obsessed with this song (and the whole album). It's so desperate and wonderful and just beautiful.

[ramondjo]

Wow this album is great, so glad decemberists are keeping it "fresh", and still completely in keeping with themselves. I've listened to this album about 5 times today and will be buying it this week (as a general rule)... hope everyone out there will do the same. Happy listening, thanks a lot for the upload!

[splinteringheart89]

Thanx for posting this album. I went out & bought it after hearing it here on youtube. This is the best song on it. I hope they tour the UK.

[silvanski]

they were brilliant at S by SW

[lizgoguet]

i cannot stop listening to this song.

[wmbat711]

THIS IS MY FAVORITE SONG (as of right now. about 10 min ago it was the wanting comes in waves) SOOOO GOOOOOOOD!!!!!!

[redhed90ar]

beautiful instrumentals.

[VampiressAwsome]

LOVE THIS SONG.....

his voice kinda sounds lonely a bit

[Questpeace]

Colin Meloy has written about drowning a billion times.

[edhusse]

ahahahaha yea

[thecataclysman]

LOL I guess that's something that inspires him. BEAUTIFUL song.

[Theodorkable]

@Questpeace And it gets better every time.

[sdcchemist]

Heard this on NPR.

[TehPostMastuh]

Awesome.