|
|
Post by TM on Dec 20, 2011 17:48:13 GMT -5
Well maybe not quite on a weekly basis - but feel free (at any time) to select a track you would like to discuss both lyrically as well as musically.
I listened to this one today in my SUV (turned up loud) and I thought it was just an incredible piece of music.
I've never been one for mythology so the lyrics escaped me.
Anyone care to discuss, or dare to unravel the lyrics?
Cold Wind to Valhalla
And ride with us young bonny lass
with the angels of the night.
Crack wind clatter flesh rein bite
on an out-size unicorn.
Rough-shod winging sky blue flight
on a cold wind to Valhalla.
And join with us please
Valkyrie maidens cry
above the cold wind to Valhalla.
Breakfast with the gods. Night angels serve
with ice-bound majesty.
Frozen flaking fish raw nerve
in a cup of silver liquid fire.
Moon jet brave beam split ceiling swerve
and light the old Valhalla.
Come join with us please
Valkyrie maidens cry
above the cold wind to Valhalla.
The heroes rest upon the sighs
of Thor's trusty hand maidens.
Midnight lonely whisper cries,
"We're getting a bit short on heroes lately."
Sword snap fright white pale goodbyes
in the desolation of Valhalla.
And join with us please
Valkyrie maidens ride
empty-handed on the cold wind to Valhalla.
|
|
|
|
Post by Nonfatman on Dec 20, 2011 23:50:37 GMT -5
Well maybe not quite on a weekly basis - but feel free (at any time) to select a track you would like to discuss both lyrically as well as musically. I listened to this one today in my SUV (turned up loud) and I thought it was just an incredible piece of music. I've never been one for mythology so the lyrics escaped me. Anyone care to discuss, or dare to unravel the lyrics? Cold Wind to ValhallaAnd ride with us young bonny lass with the angels of the night. Crack wind clatter flesh rein bite on an out-size unicorn. Rough-shod winging sky blue flight on a cold wind to Valhalla. And join with us please Valkyrie maidens cry above the cold wind to Valhalla. Breakfast with the gods. Night angels serve with ice-bound majesty. Frozen flaking fish raw nerve in a cup of silver liquid fire. Moon jet brave beam split ceiling swerve and light the old Valhalla. Come join with us please Valkyrie maidens cry above the cold wind to Valhalla. The heroes rest upon the sighs of Thor's trusty hand maidens. Midnight lonely whisper cries, "We're getting a bit short on heroes lately." Sword snap fright white pale goodbyes in the desolation of Valhalla. And join with us please Valkyrie maidens ride empty-handed on the cold wind to Valhalla. It's nice to revisit our Look Into The Song sub-board in our Parse the Word department, where we've had some very interesting lyric discussions and musical analyses in the past, but not recently. I have no idea what this song means, as I'm not really familiar with Norse mythology. This could be something Morthoron knows....he likes fantasy kind of stuff, and probably knows something about about the Norse gods. Greg? Also, we should check to see whether Jan has any annotations on this song over at Cup of Wonder. He probably does. As is characteristic of the Minstrel album, there is a lot of alliteration and word play, such as 'frozen flaking fish raw nerve" and "moon jet brave beam split ceiling swerve", but the overall meaning is obtuse. Jeff |
|
|
|
Post by Dan on Dec 21, 2011 9:10:22 GMT -5
Well maybe not quite on a weekly basis - but feel free (at any time) to select a track you would like to discuss both lyrically as well as musically. I listened to this one today in my SUV (turned up loud) and I thought it was just an incredible piece of music. I've never been one for mythology so the lyrics escaped me. Anyone care to discuss, or dare to unravel the lyrics? Cold Wind to ValhallaAnd ride with us young bonny lass with the angels of the night. Crack wind clatter flesh rein bite on an out-size unicorn. Rough-shod winging sky blue flight on a cold wind to Valhalla. And join with us please Valkyrie maidens cry above the cold wind to Valhalla. Breakfast with the gods. Night angels serve with ice-bound majesty. Frozen flaking fish raw nerve in a cup of silver liquid fire. Moon jet brave beam split ceiling swerve and light the old Valhalla. Come join with us please Valkyrie maidens cry above the cold wind to Valhalla. The heroes rest upon the sighs of Thor's trusty hand maidens. Midnight lonely whisper cries, "We're getting a bit short on heroes lately." Sword snap fright white pale goodbyes in the desolation of Valhalla. And join with us please Valkyrie maidens ride empty-handed on the cold wind to Valhalla. It's nice to revisit our Look Into The Song sub-board in our Parse the Word department, where we've had some very interesting lyric discussions and musical analyses in the past, but not recently. I have no idea what this song means, as I'm not really familiar with Norse mythology. This could be something Morthoron knows....he likes fantasy kind of stuff, and probably knows something about about the Norse gods. Greg? Also, we should check to see whether Jan has any annotations on this song over at Cup of Wonder. He probably does. As is characteristic of the Minstrel album, there is a lot of alliteration and word play, such as 'frozen flaking fish raw nerve" and "moon jet brave beam split ceiling swerve", but the overall meaning is obtuse. Jeff The Wikipedia definition: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ValhallaI don't know how to add things to Wikipedia but under modern influences they reference Led Zepplin's "Immigrant Song" and most certainly our JT should be listed there.  Dan |
|
Cousin Jack
One of the Youngest of the Family
Posts: 55
|
Post by Cousin Jack on Dec 21, 2011 12:29:37 GMT -5
Valhalla is a mythical hall located in Asgard, ruled over by the god Odin. Chosen by Odin, half of those that die in combat travel to Valhalla led by valkyries who are Nordic angels.  |
|
|
|
Post by macdaigh on Dec 25, 2011 16:56:31 GMT -5
Well, to me it sounds a little like the description of a "trip" under the influence of "funny" cigarettes (well loaded ones, in that case) ;D
|
|
Zombywoof
Ethnic Piano Accordian-ist
Weird Music Fanatic
Posts: 192
|
Post by Zombywoof on Jan 10, 2012 12:39:28 GMT -5
Valhalla is heaven in Norse mythology and Valkyrie maidens are 'angels' that carry the fallen heroes to home. I believe that Ian sets a scene throughout most of the song, and the most important line is "we're getting bit short on heroes lately" and "Valkyrie maidens ride, empty-handed on the cold wind to Valhalla" are meant to put the Norse mythology into modern times, making the statement that things aren't so black and white now and that heroes are perhaps as flawed as villains.
|
|
|
|
Post by Nonfatman on Jan 10, 2012 13:16:27 GMT -5
Valhalla is heaven in Norse mythology and Valkyrie maidens are 'angels' that carry the fallen heroes to home. I believe that Ian sets a scene throughout most of the song, and the most important line is "we're getting bit short on heroes lately" and "Valkyrie maidens ride, empty-handed on the cold wind to Valhalla" are meant to put the Norse mythology into modern times, making the statement that things aren't so black and white now and that heroes are perhaps as flawed as villains. Welcome to the Board, Ian, and thanks for your initial post helping to explain this song, which I've never really understood so well. It's good to see you over here too! I'll have to get you an avatar, do you have anything in mind? Or can I just choose one for you temporarily, which you can keep if you like or change later on?  Jeff |
|
Zombywoof
Ethnic Piano Accordian-ist
Weird Music Fanatic
Posts: 192
|
Post by Zombywoof on Jan 10, 2012 15:00:16 GMT -5
Valhalla is heaven in Norse mythology and Valkyrie maidens are 'angels' that carry the fallen heroes to home. I believe that Ian sets a scene throughout most of the song, and the most important line is "we're getting bit short on heroes lately" and "Valkyrie maidens ride, empty-handed on the cold wind to Valhalla" are meant to put the Norse mythology into modern times, making the statement that things aren't so black and white now and that heroes are perhaps as flawed as villains. Welcome to the Board, Ian, and thanks for your initial post helping to explain this song, which I've never really understood so well. It's good to see you over here too! I'll have to get you an avatar, do you have anything in mind? Or can I just choose one for you temporarily, which you can keep if you like or change later on? Jeff I'm interested to see what you pick out, if it's Tull-related! |
|
|
|
Post by Geoff CB on Jan 10, 2012 18:25:46 GMT -5
Valhalla is heaven in Norse mythology and Valkyrie maidens are 'angels' that carry the fallen heroes to home. I believe that Ian sets a scene throughout most of the song, and the most important line is "we're getting bit short on heroes lately" and "Valkyrie maidens ride, empty-handed on the cold wind to Valhalla" are meant to put the Norse mythology into modern times, making the statement that things aren't so black and white now and that heroes are perhaps as flawed as villains. A good analysis - yes, I think this sums it up nicely.  |
|
|
|
Post by TM on Jan 10, 2012 21:06:27 GMT -5
Valhalla is heaven in Norse mythology and Valkyrie maidens are 'angels' that carry the fallen heroes to home. I believe that Ian sets a scene throughout most of the song, and the most important line is "we're getting bit short on heroes lately" and "Valkyrie maidens ride, empty-handed on the cold wind to Valhalla" are meant to put the Norse mythology into modern times, making the statement that things aren't so black and white now and that heroes are perhaps as flawed as villains. Yes, sounds exactly like something Ian would write. Thanks for an interesting read. A good analysis - yes, I think this sums it up nicely. |
|
|
|
Post by Morthoron on Jan 15, 2012 9:33:02 GMT -5
It's nice to revisit our Look Into The Song sub-board in our Parse the Word department, where we've had some very interesting lyric discussions and musical analyses in the past, but not recently. I have no idea what this song means, as I'm not really familiar with Norse mythology. This could be something Morthoron knows....he likes fantasy kind of stuff, and probably knows something about about the Norse gods. Greg? Also, we should check to see whether Jan has any annotations on this song over at Cup of Wonder. He probably does. As is characteristic of the Minstrel album, there is a lot of alliteration and word play, such as 'frozen flaking fish raw nerve" and "moon jet brave beam split ceiling swerve", but the overall meaning is obtuse. Jeff Hey, I just noticed this discussion! Well, to add to what's already been said (and to actually use my English Degree for more than a few lines on a resume), the alliteration Jeff refers to are elongated versions of the Old English, Finnish and Norse poetic trope known as "kennings", which are descriptive compounds used to figuratively describe an action or character. Epic poems such as Beowulf or the Icelandic Eddas are full of these figures of speech. For instance, the ancient kenning for blood might be "slaughter-dew" or "battle-sweat", death would be "sleep of the sword", and war is "weather of weapons", and the words would be alliterative in the Anglo-Saxon or Old Norse, such as: felli fjörnets goða flugstalla This translates as "flayer of the life webs of the gods of the flight-edges" and refers to cutting the thread of life (the Norns were keepers of each soul's life thread or web, and to cut it means death) of the giants of the mountains (flight-edge refers to the eagles whose aeries were on the slopes). In the Norse poem Þórsdrápa ( Thorsdrapa, Lay of Thor) Thor is the slayer of mountain giants, and the above kenning describes his prowess. Ian Anderson, one of the most literate of all rock perfomers, uses colorful kennings because a) the song deals with the Norse valkyries and Valhalla, therefore keeping the song in poetic context, and b) as the "Minstrel in the Gallery" Anderson is recalling the Norse skaldic and Anglo-Saxon scopic traditions, for the skalds and scops were the poets, bards and chroniclers of their people, and were the noble predecessors of the minstrels and troubadours of the Middle Ages. |
|
|
|
Post by jtul07 on Jan 15, 2012 11:29:50 GMT -5
 List of Valkyrie names in Norse Mythology -Valkyries Brynhildr, she was also called Brünnhilde or Brynhild. She was a shieldmaiden and Brynhildr was the daugther of Budli.Meaning of name: Bright Battle Eir, she was a goddess and or a Valkyrie, she was associated with medical skill. Meaning: Peace, Clemency, Help, or Mercy Geiravör - Meaning: Spear Vör/Goddess......... Geirdriful - Meaning: Spear Finger Geirönul - Meaning: The one charging forth with the spear Geirskögul, it was two separate or an individual Valkyrie. Meaning: Spear Skögul and Skögul: Shaker or High Towering Göll - Meaning: Tumult, or Noise Battle....... Göndul - Meaning: Wand Wielder Gunnr - Meaning: War or Battle....... Herfjötur - Meaning: Host Fetter or Fetter of the Army Herja - Meaning: Devastate....... Hlaðguðr svanhvít, she was the sister of the Valkyrie Hervör alvitr. - Meaning: Swan White Hildr, she had the power to revive the dead on the battlefields, and used it to maintain the everlasting battle between Hedin and Högni. Meaning: Battle Hjalmprimul - Meaning: Helmey Clatterer, or Female Warrior Hervör alvitr, she was the sister of the Valkyrie Hlaðguðr svanhvít - Meaning: All Wise, or Strange Creature Hjörprimul - Meaning: The Sword Warrioress....... Hlökk - Meaning: Noise, Battle Hrist - Meaning: Shake, Quake, The Quaking one........ Hrund - Meaning: Pricker Kara - Meaning: The Wild, or Stormy One ;D....... Mist - Meaning: Cloud or Mist Ölrun - Meaning: Ale Rune.... Randgrior or Randgrid - Meaning: Shield Truce, or Shield Destroyer Ráðgríðr - Meaning: Council Truce, The Bossy.... Reginleif - Meaning: Power Trace, or Daughter of the Gods Rota - Meaning: Sleet and Storm Sanngrior, she has been the mentor of the Norse hero Sigurd. - Meaning: Very Violent, Very Cruel  Sigrun - Meaning: Victory Rune....... Skalmöid - Meaning: Sword Time Skeggöld - Meaning: Axe Age...... Skuld - Meaning: Dept or Future Sveid - Meaning: Vibration or Noise......... Svipul - Meaning: Changeable Tögn - Meaning: Silence....... Trima - Meaning: Fight Thrud, she may or may not have been a Valkyrie, but there was a Valkyrie with the name Thrud. Thrud was the daughter of Thor and Sif. She is the half sister to Magni and Modi. Meaning: Strength or Power |
|
|
|
Post by likeparty on Apr 4, 2016 9:42:40 GMT -5
This is such a fine example of the interplay between Martin and Ian (regardless of who wrote it...and performed it in the studio). While I don't doubt that Ian controlled the recording, I just love seeing this song live.
Like the rest of this album...very well executed. The boys were on top of the studio game at this stage of their career.
Thanks for saving this bit of time for us to enjoy 30 years on.
|
|
|
|
Post by Biggles on Apr 5, 2016 21:51:12 GMT -5
This is such a fine example of the interplay between Martin and Ian (regardless of who wrote it...and performed it in the studio). While I don't doubt that Ian controlled the recording, I just love seeing this song live. Like the rest of this album...very well executed. The boys were on top of the studio game at this stage of their career. Thanks for saving this bit of time for us to enjoy 30 years on. The interplay with the whole band for that matter. Barlow's drumming always comes to mind when I think of or hear this piece. |
|
