giant X's on your eyes
with your half of the ransom
you bought some sweet, sweet, sweet
sweet sunflowers
and gave them to the night
underneath the star of david
a hundred years behind my eyes
and with my half of the ransom
i bought some sweet, sweet, sweet
sweet sunflowers
and gave them to the night
sweet, sweet, sweet, sweet sunflowers x 4
and gave them to the night
I read a book about the Holocaust called Sunflowers. Quote from Amazon: "Author Simon Weisenthal recalls his demoralizing life in a concentration camp and his envy of the dead Germans who have sunflowers marking their graves."
This literary connection between the Star of David and the sunflowers makes a lot of sense. Note also the prominence of the night theme in this song and therefore a possible link to that other great account of the Holocaust, Elie Wiesel's Night.
This literary connection between the Star of David and the sunflowers makes a lot of sense. Note also the prominence of the night theme in this song and therefore a possible link to that other great account of the Holocaust, Elie Wiesel's Night.
@Annster Another connection between sunflowers and the Holocaust are the oversized paintings by contemporary German artist Anselm Kiefer, in which he juxtaposes World War II imagery with actual dried sunflowers glued to the canvas.One such painting is "Aschenblume," in the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.
@Annster Another connection between sunflowers and the Holocaust are the oversized paintings by contemporary German artist Anselm Kiefer, in which he juxtaposes World War II imagery with actual dried sunflowers glued to the canvas.One such painting is "Aschenblume," in the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.
I think it's about the lull after something big has happened, that sort of "What now?" kind of despair.
I take this song to have more than just its literal meaning of a person buying flowers. The lyrics seem deeper than just that.
The speaker seems to be talking to a good friend, his partner in crime if you will. Their lives were constantly intertwined and in the end those memories were their ransom; making life more bearable they delivered each other out of the darkness. The speaker's other half died, possibly by suicide, either way his friend cashed out his life buying the sunflowers, which could stand for the happiness/love he yearned to feel or bliss to simply end it all. Giving them to the night is where he fell into death. He gave everything up for death.
The Star of David is also known as "the shield of David." The speaker has been living under this shield for what feels like 100 years and he finally felt that it was his time to die. He did as his friend did and gave everything he lived for to death. He continues to compare himself to his dead friend to show how similar they were and how lost he was without him.
or
The references to the Star of David could have it relate to the Holocaust. One died during while the other escaped and survived to live on missing his other half. In the end it didn't matter because death comes no matter what.
But that’s just what I think.
Wow. I just love this song.
I picture soulmates, maybe an elderly married couple ("100 years"), and the surviving member's despair after the passing of his other half. Her life/presence was a beautiful thing to him (sunflowers) and now she is dead and that beauty just disappears into darkness. In despair, he follows suit and gives his life/love/hope to the night as well (an actual or metaphorical death?).
I love the imagery of ransom. Two people held hostage by each other and the ransom is only paid when they release one another in the act of their own death. Brilliant!!!
What an incredible song.
i totally agree! i cant believe nobody has heard of Low!
depressing, but great!
Yes, but I really wish I knew what it meant. It doesn't seem like it'd be all that difficult, but I really can't place an exact meaning on it.
Help?
The reference to the star of david confuses me. as a jewish symbol, this is a very wierd context . I love the song though.
This song always made me think of concentration camps. Thats probably not what its about, but its as good a guess as any