He Who Guards the Fire - A Song By Dennis Liu

This song, or perhaps my interpretation of it, made me cry. It did this by making me think of the relationship between a father and a son as they and their relationship developed and aged to the point that one of them, the father, passes on. It is full of metaphors - many of which I'm sure I don't entirely follow but all of which I enjoy because of the possible interpretations they raise - I am particularly fond of the reference to an evergreen forest which, to me, suggests a desire to preserve the relationship or some golden aspect of it in a way that it never changes.

Gripes:

The lyrics feel a bit thesaurus-y at times and the odd line feels a bit out of place or unnecessary. While I really like the idea of echoes being more frightening than the sound of any beast I'm not convinced that the clarification of the reason that they are frightening is necessary, this explanatory line also lengthens the verse to the point where it becomes out of step with the others. Personally I feel that the echoes here are the sound of silence/the absence of the father. The explanation of why they are frightening runs counter to this though suggesting that it is what the echoes tell or have the potential to tell our narrator something about himself that is frightening, the echoes serve as a mirror.

In writing this I am talking myself round a bit. This is something I am always wary of when talking about something that is feeling based rather than fact based as it means I've pushing myself away from thinking with feelings and towards thinking with thoughts. That move feels dangerous. That being said that additional line could suggest to us that our narrator has not lived up to the expectations he has set for himself through his time with his father. This is very different from simply being alone in that it also reflects some sense of failure and/or disappointment.