Decemberists, The - Rusalka, Rusalka / The Wild Rushes Lyrics
Rusalka, Rusalka your arms out of water
Your hair like an alien bloom
Dark-eyed Rusalka, your brow tressed in flowers
Pale in a liminal moon
And all that you are is a star on the water
When first I went swimming, I heeded no warning
And dared breach your rippling pool
As I lulled and lingered, the ring slipped my finger
And drifted down the deepening cool
And all that I want is to fall in your shallows
And now we are wed, the water our bed
And bank to bank property lake
And you are my wild-eyed rusalka, my river bride
Drag me down, take me away
Beware the wild rushes, my mother told me
That grow on the bank side along the salt sea
But I being young, I heeded her none
So to the wild rushes the wind carried me
The summer was here and the sun it was high
And to the wild rushes I came by and by
And there took my seat and dipped in my feet
When through the wild rushes, a voice sweetly cried
Come down, my little darling, come closer to me
The water is warm; it is salty and free
I long for your touch but I won't ask too much
And I, being foolish, walked in to my knees
Come down, little darling, and lay at my breast
Oh come a little closer and I'll do the rest
I waited so long for a lover to come
And I, being foolish, walked in to my chest
Come down, my little darling, oh farther come in
For deeper the water, the sweeter the sin
My lily lies here, if you'd only draw near
And I, being foolish, went in to my chin
Oh come, my little darling, do you feel my cool breath
Do you feel my arms around you so warm and so wet?
Swept from my feet, she pulled me beneath
And in the wild rushes, I went to my death
Other Lyrics by Artist
- Decemberists, The - The Queen's Rebuke / The Crossing
- Decemberists, The - Foregone
- Decemberists, The - Burying Davy
- Decemberists, The - I 4 U & U 4 Me
- Decemberists, The - Row Jimmy
- Decemberists, The - Sonnet
- Decemberists, The - The Singer Addresses His Audience
- Decemberists, The - Cavalry Captain
- Decemberists, The - Philomena
- Decemberists, The - Make You Better
- Decemberists, The - Lake Song
- Decemberists, The - Till The Water's All Long Gone
- Decemberists, The - The Wrong Year
- Decemberists, The - Carolina Low
- Decemberists, The - E. Watson
- Decemberists, The - Dear Avery
- Decemberists, The - Annan Water
- Decemberists, The - Margaret In Captivity
Rand Lyrics
- Super Furry Animals - Crys Ti
- Super Furry Animals - Lazy Life (Of No Fixed Identity)
- Super Furry Animals - Death By Melody
- Super Furry Animals - Waiting To Happen
- Super Furry Animals - The Placid Casual
- Super Furry Animals - The International Language Of Screaming
- Super Furry Animals - Demons
- Super Furry Animals - She's Got Spies
- Super Furry Animals - Play It Cool
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Decemberists, The Rusalka, Rusalka / The Wild Rushes Comments
definitely best song on the album. this song would have fit perfectly on hazards of love.
why do all the best decemberists songs involve a good drowning?
Truly believe this surpasses Mariner's Revenge as a storytelling song. Highlight of the album and one of their best songs period
This feels like a classic Decemberists song-- the folkloric subject, the structure. And of course, it ends in drowning.
At least we won’t feel it
The Wild Rushes must be about drugs & partying, to my mind. I mean, what other kind of "wild rushes" does your mother warn you about? What other wild rushes seductively lure men to their deaths?
And the Rusalka is a Slavic/Russian mermaid legend, a river siren that would lure men in only to entangled in her hair and drown. Kind of timely with men being seduced by Russian lies, I'd venture.
Could just be a song about not going down to the water to look for mythological mermaid creatures too.
Wild rushes are like undertows or water that looks still but is a heavy current..
What are you guys on about? Rushes are a plant that grows in or near water.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juncaceae
Hands down best song on this album.
Agreed reminds me of The Island off The Crane Wife
I’m a huge Crane Wife fan and this song is ecstasy
I wish it was just Rusalka... Five minutes of it would be auditorily orgasmic.
"Rusalka, Rusalka / The Wild Rushes"
Rusalka, Rusalka your arms out of water
Your hair like an alien bloom
Dark-eyed Rusalka, your brow tressed in flowers
Pale in a liminal moon
And all that you are is a star on the water
When first I went swimming, I heeded no warning
And dared breach your rippling pool
As I lulled and lingered, the ring slipped my finger
And drifted down the deepening cool
And all that I want is to fall in your shallows
And now we are wed, the water our bed
And bank to bank property lake
And you are my wild-eyed Rusalka, my river bride
Drag me down, take me away
And here we will lie, you and I, 'neath the cold, dark sky
Beware the wild rushes, my mother told me
That grow on the bank side along the salt sea
But I being young, I heeded her none
So to the wild rushes the wind carried me
The summer was here and the sun it was high
And to the wild rushes I came by and by
And there took my seat and dipped in my feet
When through the wild rushes, a voice sweetly cried
Come down, my little darling, come closer to me
The water is warm; it is salty and free
I long for your touch but I won't ask too much
And I, being foolish, walked in to my knees
Come down, little darling, and lay at my breast
Oh come a little closer and I'll do the rest
I waited so long for a lover to come
And I, being foolish, walked in to my chest
Come down, my little darling, oh farther come in
For deeper the water, the sweeter the sin
My lily lies here, if you'd only draw near
And I, being foolish, went in to my chin
Oh come, my little darling, do you feel my cool breath
Do you feel my arms around you so warm and so wet?
Swept from my feet, she pulled me beneath
And in the wild rushes, I went to my death
I love this so much! It's interesting to think about it as speaking metaphorically about toxic relationships (but it's more fun to take it literally)
I believe it is meant to be taken literally. The Decemberists base a ton of their work on folklore of different cultures, the rusalka being a Slavic water elemental which lures and kills men. Like a lot of their songs, it tells a story, straight up, like a fairy tale. That's what folk music is all about :)
It can be literal and still have echoes in real-life scenarios.
Interesting, Sabriel!