Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a picture of an overwhelming, almost supernatural attraction. The "silver wands" are not literal objects but suggest a powerful, enchanting force emanating from "her." This force propels the subject into an "orbit," implying a loss of control and a sense of being swept away. The imagery of her eyes "shining upon you" reinforces this feeling of being divinely chosen or intensely observed, solidifying her status as a "queen." This intense adoration, however, is met with a conflicting internal struggle. The "gallows tree of my heart" is a stark, arresting image, suggesting a deep-seated pain or a fatalistic connection that "keeps us both apart." There's a desperate plea for release: "Be gone and cut me down," indicating a desire to escape this painful, binding emotion. Yet, the setting of a "midsummer evening's long" and the creation of a "midsummer song" hints at a fleeting, perhaps beautiful, but ultimately melancholic moment. The core tension lies between this irresistible pull towards the "queen" and the self-destructive anguish it causes. The repetition of "Each of her silver wands" at the beginning and end acts as a refrain, emphasizing the inescapable nature of her influence. The command to "Kiss her now" arrives after the expression of pain, creating a poignant juxtaposition: a moment of potential connection or surrender amidst profound inner turmoil, suggesting that even with the pain, the attraction is too strong to resist.