The Lady of Shalott

The re-telling of the story of “The Lady of Shalott,” an Arthurian legend most famously captured in a Tennyson poem. The legend is about a young maiden, trapped by a magic spell in a high tower. She sees the knight Sir Lancelot passing by and she tries to take a boat to Camelot. She drowns on the way and dies.

I love the verse, “The sharp knife/ Of a short life.” This captures two striking aspects of death at a young age and fragility of life. Finally, one quite moving part of this song is “Gather up your tears, keep ‘em in your pocket/ Save them for a time when you’re really gonna need them, oh.” This makes more sense in the video where, at the end, she survives. Clearly, there’s no reason to cry if she’s safe and sound. But I think the line works even if she does die. It is awful to lose a loved one at a young age, but there are much worse tragedies that can affect a person. A slow, painful disease that causes a great deal of suffering for a long time tends to be hard to make peace with than a quick, painless death.

I suppose I would be remiss if I failed to address the spectre of suicide that is lurking in this song. I don’t think the speaker is necessarily suicidal. I think the song works just as well for a young girl who dies of a disease or in an accident. However, if you take the line, “Funny when you’re dead how people start listenin’ ” I have to admit, that sounds an awful lot like suicidal teen crying out for help. There is a notion in that statement that one can express an idea powerfully by the act of dying. But it is tempered by other lines in the song such as “Life ain’t always what you thought it would be” and “I’ve had just enough time.” The overall impression I get is that this young woman is satisfied with the brief spark of life she had.

If I die young bury me in satin
Lay me down on a bed of roses
Sink me in the river at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song
Oh oh Oh oh

Lord make me a rainbow, I'll shine down on my mother
She'll know I'm safe with you when she stands under my colors, oh and
Life ain't always what you think it ought to be, no
Ain't even gray, but she buries her baby

The sharp knife of a short life, well
I've had just enough time

If I die young bury me in satin
Lay me down on a bed of roses
Sink me in the river at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song

The sharp knife of a short life, well
I've had just enough time
And I'll be wearing white when I come into your kingdom
I'm as green as the ring on my little cold finger
I've never known the lovin' of a man
But it sure felt nice when he was holding my hand
There's a boy here in town says he'll love me forever
Who would have thought forever could be severed by

The sharp knife of a short life, well
I've had just enough time

So put on your best boys and I'll wear my pearls
What I never did is done

A penny for my thoughts, oh no I'll sell them for a dollar
They're worth so much more after I'm a goner
And maybe then you'll hear the words I been singin'
Funny when you're dead how people start listenin'

If I die young bury me in satin
Lay me down on a bed of roses
Sink me in the river at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song
Oh oh

The ballad of a dove
Go with peace and love
Gather up your tears, keep 'em in your pocket
Save them for a time when your really gonna need them oh

The sharp knife of a short life, well
I've had just enough time

So put on your best boys and I'll wear my pearls