Revival

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a picture of being drawn towards a powerful, perhaps destructive, force symbolized by "revival." The opening lines, "calling from the rocks again / Flipping locks of blond and straw and brown and red," suggest a persistent, multifaceted allure that the narrator feels disconnected from, as "winds in your direction / Severs all my connections." This sets up a tension between the narrator's current state and an irresistible pull towards something new. The central conflict emerges as the narrator is "Getting closer to the siren / Float away from those horizons." This siren represents "revival," a place described with unsettling imagery: "a city called revival made of blocks of poison ivory." The juxtaposition of a city with poison ivory hints at a beautiful but ultimately toxic destination. The encroaching "water's rushing in up through the planks made out of skin" further amplifies the sense of danger and decay, leading to physical distress like "Throat knots up with fault / Lungs filling with salt." The most striking craft element is the radical shift in perspective and tone towards the end. The narrator directly addresses "Daughter, sister, Mother Earth," adopting a defiant, almost violent embrace of nature: "Root up the trees caress the dirt / I kiss your waves and fuck your sky." This is a stark contrast to the passive drifting earlier, suggesting a forceful, perhaps desperate, attempt to reclaim agency or find a different kind of "revival" in a raw, elemental connection, even if it means destruction. The final repetition of "Oh revival" now carries a more ambiguous, charged weight. This lyrical construction is effective because it moves from a sense of external, seductive danger to an internal, primal defiance. The initial imagery of being pulled away by external forces gradually gives way to a visceral, almost violent reclamation of self through nature. The stark contrast between the "poison ivory" city and the raw, physical act of "kiss your waves and fuck your sky" creates a potent emotional arc, leaving the listener to ponder the true nature of this "revival" – whether it's an escape, a destruction, or a radical rebirth.