Thirteen Lyrics
Pull me out
Can't you stop this all from happening?
Close the doors and keep them out
Oh, dig me out
Couldn't you have kept all this from happening?
Dig me out from under our house
This probably has something to do with Sylvia Plath's first suicide attempt. She overdosed on sleeping pills and hid herself under her house.
One, oh my god this album is GREAT.
The album undeniably makes reference to Sylvia Plath. There's just no way that it doesn't. It alludes to her suicide attempts and in the song Sylvia, the lyrics "Sylvia, get your head out of the oven" clearly makes that unarguable.
Now I think the album uses Plath and situations with her as well as situations not necessarily associated with her to create this other meaning about a couple and blah blah blah you know the rest.
I connected this song to Plath's suicide attempts because I was not able to make very specific conclusions about the story with the couple and whatnot, although they are surely there.
"Pull me out Pull me out Can't you stop this all from happening? Close the doors and keep them out"
I think the above refers to her suicide, in which she stuck her head in the oven and turned on the gas. She sealed the doors with rags and whatnot so that the gas wouldn't get to her children ("close the doors and keep them out"). It was also speculated that Plath really had just become a cry for help, hence the "pull me out pull me out can't you stop this all from happening"
The second verse has pretty much already been spoken of. The whole thing with the overdose while being buried under the house and whatnot.
jklitten's theory sounds right -- another hint is that in Plath's semi-autobiographical novel, The Bell Jar, the attempted suicide happens at the end of the thirteenth chapter.
I think this song is the dream/nightmare that is mentioned in the next song on the album "two." The whole sound of this sound is very wavy and sweeping, with a haunting female vocal. It would be cool if it was anyways, thats my interpretation
She's dying of cancer and begging to be pulled out of the downward spiral.
She's dying of cancer and begging to be pulled out of the downward spiral.
I agree wholeheartedly with BiblicallyBeyondRepentance (great user name, by the way!)
The only thing I would add is that, for me, this song is one of the most crucial unifying factors for the various layers of this album.
For the top layer, (the surface story), it is a cancer patient begging for help that no one can give her.
For the second layer, (the emotionally abusive relationship), it is the abusive partner in one of her moments of depression. This bit only really makes sense when you listen to epilogue and get a very clear glimpse at the nature of the relationship.. she was clearly a depressive with lots of outbursts.
The next part, and probably my favorite layer of Hospice, is Slyvia Plath. Here we see the reference to her early suicide attempt and her final act of shutting the kids out of the kitchen. BiblicallyBeyondRepentance already did a great job of covering these aspects, and I agree that the main intention of this song was to capture her silent scream for the help that never came.
I do love how understated and simple this song is, all while being so VERY important to the album. I have heard it said that Slyvia Plath's entire life was an unanswered cry for help. The clarity of the connection to the other layers of the album is really striking to me here... because who can help a terminally ill cancer patient?
I disagree about the patient begging for help. She seems to resist help more than ask for it. This is made clear on Sylvia, as she hides under the covers and refuses to take her head out of the oven. She does nothing to fight death.
I disagree about the patient begging for help. She seems to resist help more than ask for it. This is made clear on Sylvia, as she hides under the covers and refuses to take her head out of the oven. She does nothing to fight death.
Also, while there may be some Sylvia Plath parallels, Silberman never actually read the Bell Jar. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/may/13/antlers-concept-album)
Also, while there may be some Sylvia Plath parallels, Silberman never actually read the Bell Jar. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/may/13/antlers-concept-album)
I think this is just the wife asking, "couldn't you have stopped this from happening".
The album isn't about Sylvia Plath, its about a couple dealing with a cancer death
I think you're both right. In the linear notes at http://www.antlersmusic.com/linernotes.pdf
I think you're both right. In the linear notes at http://www.antlersmusic.com/linernotes.pdf
He calls the song 'Thirteen, Or Sylvia Speaks' I think he's comparing Sylvia Plath to the cancer patient, as he does in 'Sylvia' because of the hopelessness and cries for help.
He calls the song 'Thirteen, Or Sylvia Speaks' I think he's comparing Sylvia Plath to the cancer patient, as he does in 'Sylvia' because of the hopelessness and cries for help.