Will There Be Weeds Or Wild Flowers When You're Done?
TWD gave me a case of last song syndrome...
I am talking, of course, about Carol's Cookie Theme... er, I mean, Weeds or Wild Flowers by Parsonsfield (formerly Poor Old Shine).
First off, let's enjoy the song and take a look at the lyrics:
(*note: following lyrics are a combination of transcripts I saw online, and my own ear; any mistakes would probably be mine)
Well, I came along to find a little peace of mind,
Neglecting all my duties, stepping off that straightened line.
Now I just sit by my front door filled with indolence and sound.
It's like I'm watching the weeds grow on my brow.
And I had a pure potential in a soiled white shirt,
With love enough to kill me but was unsure of its worth.
And though the night is sweetened by some rising of the moon,
I've lived enough to know the battle's never through.
You pass something down no matter where or how.
Will there be weeds or wild flowers affixed upon your bows?
And there's a crooked burning cigarette rolling on your tongue.
Will there be weeds or wild flowers when you're done?
Remember, you traveled through the desert, you traveled to the sea,
Looking out on some horizon asking what you made of me.*
(*Note: most transcripts say the last words on this line is 'what you mean to me'.)
And we all hang around with a free or toiled mind
While all of our branches entwine.
And as I watched the brick erode from day to day,
The leaves change their colors and the loft fills with hay.
And as a blade of sunshine cuts across my chest,
The blood beneath boils with unrest.
You pass something down no matter where or how.
Will there be weeds or wild flowers affixed upon your bows?
And there's a crooked burning cigarette rolling on your tongue.
Will there be weeds or wild flowers when you're done?
La la, la la, laa,
La la, la la, laa,
La la, la la, laa,
La la, la la, laa.
Blown about by the wind, a worthless little thing.
But the world can feel the changes of a butterfly's wing.
And so that crooked burning cigarette rolling on your tongue
Will leave its weeds before your flowers yet have sprung.
Will there be weeds or wild flowers when you're done?
Now, I am not really very good with poetry, and songs are poems, more or less, right? So I will not pretend to be able to interpret this song fully or correctly, but I suppose there wouldn't really be any harm in trying to think of what it could mean, yes? =P
I've seen comments on YouTube saying this is such a happy song for TWD, but looking at the lyrics, it doesn't really seem to me like a happy song. It's upbeat, yes, but not really 'happy'. What do you think? It isn't a song made for TWD either. The song seems to be at least around 2 or 3 years old. But I think it's generally about life and what you do with it. That's a pretty serious topic and not really a 'happy' one, if you ask me.
I want to say again: I would not claim to be very good at interpreting songs. This one could very well be about wasting time. But in its use in the show ( TWD s6e12) as the theme to Carol's opening scenes, the following is how I understood it:
The song is about someone (Carol in this case) reflecting on her life so far and what she's done with it. You see, as we go through life, the things we do can either have a negative impact (weeds) or a good effect (flowers) on ourselves, and on others as well. So the question is: will there be weeds or wild flowers when you're done? That is, in the end, will we have had an bad effect or good effect overall?
The first stanza seems to reflect what Carol's been up to lately pretty well. She kind of went off on her own, became not so involved with affairs of the group, opting instead to engage in activities such as cooking, foraging for ingredients, baking cookies... So much so that in the episode where Jesus was first met by most of the group, and he complimented the chef (probably Carol) for the cooking, Daryl mentioned that 'she's not here'. Could it be that Carol was trying to 'find a little peace of mind'? But now, she just finds herself alone in her thoughts as she reflects on that notebook of hers where she seems to be keeping count of her kills... =\
The second stanza could mean that we come into this messy world with the potential to do what's right or what's good. And while we get through life somehow, and good things happen, the 'battle' never really ends. By 'battle' here, it could mean the struggle to know or decide what to do and what not to do.
The third stanza tells us that we go through life touching other people's lives. Like that saying goes: no man is an island. We travel here, we travel there, (unless you live as a hermit, I guess), 'while all of our branches entwine'.
The fourth stanza shows the passage of time, maybe. ... ... And I'm sure there's more to this stanza but it either hasn't occurred to me yet, or I am still unsure. =P
In any case, the refrain says that we pass something down, no matter where or how. Meaning we leave our mark somehow, we have an effect. Whatever we do, there are consequences. Will it be weeds or wild flowers then?
The concluding stanza talks about a worthless little thing that's blown about by the wind. It's a small thing that we think is inconsequential, insignificant - there's no harm in it. But then the world can feel the changes of a butterfly's wing. We think it's nothing but its effect can be huge. So that crooked burning cigarette that's rolling on your tongue - that thing you did that left a bitter taste in your mouth. You might think, oh it's nothing, it's ok, there's no big harm in it. But it turns out, it will leave its weeds before your flowers yet have sprung. =(
And that's probably what Carol was feeling. She realizes that these things that she's done that she doesn't really like but she does it anyway for reasons that she feels are good and justifiable, results in not so good things as well. And she's thinking whether she wants to go on doing those things, and whether she'd want to have had a good effect or bad effect overall when she's done. And this is probably why she was conflicted in going with the rest of the group on that mission. She's killed 18. And also, there's Sam... ... ... She doesn't want to add more to that. But she goes anyway because... because it's what is expected or what the rest of the group wants or what's needed, whichever... but she doesn't like it. And when she sees Maggie there, she wants to at least keep her away from all that, wants to stop her from falling as deep as she already has.
(We can also ask the same of the other members of the group - will there be weeds or wild flowers when they're done? To Rick, to Glenn, to Daryl, to Abraham, to Rosita, to Sasha, to Gabriel, to Tara, to Heath, to Michonne, to Morgan, ... to everyone.)
Well, that's it. I better post this before I go see if I can watch the next episode already.
I am talking, of course, about Carol's Cookie Theme... er, I mean, Weeds or Wild Flowers by Parsonsfield (formerly Poor Old Shine).
First off, let's enjoy the song and take a look at the lyrics:
(*note: following lyrics are a combination of transcripts I saw online, and my own ear; any mistakes would probably be mine)
Well, I came along to find a little peace of mind,
Neglecting all my duties, stepping off that straightened line.
Now I just sit by my front door filled with indolence and sound.
It's like I'm watching the weeds grow on my brow.
And I had a pure potential in a soiled white shirt,
With love enough to kill me but was unsure of its worth.
And though the night is sweetened by some rising of the moon,
I've lived enough to know the battle's never through.
You pass something down no matter where or how.
Will there be weeds or wild flowers affixed upon your bows?
And there's a crooked burning cigarette rolling on your tongue.
Will there be weeds or wild flowers when you're done?
Remember, you traveled through the desert, you traveled to the sea,
Looking out on some horizon asking what you made of me.*
(*Note: most transcripts say the last words on this line is 'what you mean to me'.)
And we all hang around with a free or toiled mind
While all of our branches entwine.
And as I watched the brick erode from day to day,
The leaves change their colors and the loft fills with hay.
And as a blade of sunshine cuts across my chest,
The blood beneath boils with unrest.
You pass something down no matter where or how.
Will there be weeds or wild flowers affixed upon your bows?
And there's a crooked burning cigarette rolling on your tongue.
Will there be weeds or wild flowers when you're done?
La la, la la, laa,
La la, la la, laa,
La la, la la, laa,
La la, la la, laa.
Blown about by the wind, a worthless little thing.
But the world can feel the changes of a butterfly's wing.
And so that crooked burning cigarette rolling on your tongue
Will leave its weeds before your flowers yet have sprung.
Will there be weeds or wild flowers when you're done?
Click to viewNow, I am not really very good with poetry, and songs are poems, more or less, right? So I will not pretend to be able to interpret this song fully or correctly, but I suppose there wouldn't really be any harm in trying to think of what it could mean, yes? =P
I've seen comments on YouTube saying this is such a happy song for TWD, but looking at the lyrics, it doesn't really seem to me like a happy song. It's upbeat, yes, but not really 'happy'. What do you think? It isn't a song made for TWD either. The song seems to be at least around 2 or 3 years old. But I think it's generally about life and what you do with it. That's a pretty serious topic and not really a 'happy' one, if you ask me.
I want to say again: I would not claim to be very good at interpreting songs. This one could very well be about wasting time. But in its use in the show ( TWD s6e12) as the theme to Carol's opening scenes, the following is how I understood it:
The song is about someone (Carol in this case) reflecting on her life so far and what she's done with it. You see, as we go through life, the things we do can either have a negative impact (weeds) or a good effect (flowers) on ourselves, and on others as well. So the question is: will there be weeds or wild flowers when you're done? That is, in the end, will we have had an bad effect or good effect overall?
The first stanza seems to reflect what Carol's been up to lately pretty well. She kind of went off on her own, became not so involved with affairs of the group, opting instead to engage in activities such as cooking, foraging for ingredients, baking cookies... So much so that in the episode where Jesus was first met by most of the group, and he complimented the chef (probably Carol) for the cooking, Daryl mentioned that 'she's not here'. Could it be that Carol was trying to 'find a little peace of mind'? But now, she just finds herself alone in her thoughts as she reflects on that notebook of hers where she seems to be keeping count of her kills... =\
The second stanza could mean that we come into this messy world with the potential to do what's right or what's good. And while we get through life somehow, and good things happen, the 'battle' never really ends. By 'battle' here, it could mean the struggle to know or decide what to do and what not to do.
The third stanza tells us that we go through life touching other people's lives. Like that saying goes: no man is an island. We travel here, we travel there, (unless you live as a hermit, I guess), 'while all of our branches entwine'.
The fourth stanza shows the passage of time, maybe. ... ... And I'm sure there's more to this stanza but it either hasn't occurred to me yet, or I am still unsure. =P
In any case, the refrain says that we pass something down, no matter where or how. Meaning we leave our mark somehow, we have an effect. Whatever we do, there are consequences. Will it be weeds or wild flowers then?
The concluding stanza talks about a worthless little thing that's blown about by the wind. It's a small thing that we think is inconsequential, insignificant - there's no harm in it. But then the world can feel the changes of a butterfly's wing. We think it's nothing but its effect can be huge. So that crooked burning cigarette that's rolling on your tongue - that thing you did that left a bitter taste in your mouth. You might think, oh it's nothing, it's ok, there's no big harm in it. But it turns out, it will leave its weeds before your flowers yet have sprung. =(
And that's probably what Carol was feeling. She realizes that these things that she's done that she doesn't really like but she does it anyway for reasons that she feels are good and justifiable, results in not so good things as well. And she's thinking whether she wants to go on doing those things, and whether she'd want to have had a good effect or bad effect overall when she's done. And this is probably why she was conflicted in going with the rest of the group on that mission. She's killed 18. And also, there's Sam... ... ... She doesn't want to add more to that. But she goes anyway because... because it's what is expected or what the rest of the group wants or what's needed, whichever... but she doesn't like it. And when she sees Maggie there, she wants to at least keep her away from all that, wants to stop her from falling as deep as she already has.
(We can also ask the same of the other members of the group - will there be weeds or wild flowers when they're done? To Rick, to Glenn, to Daryl, to Abraham, to Rosita, to Sasha, to Gabriel, to Tara, to Heath, to Michonne, to Morgan, ... to everyone.)
Well, that's it. I better post this before I go see if I can watch the next episode already.