Song Meaning
This song lays bare a raw, desperate wish for an end to suffering, framed by a stark contrast between a desired future and a present agony. The narrator's plea, "I wish, I wish / My baby was born," immediately establishes a profound yearning for a different reality, one where a child is safe and present, contrasted with the narrator's own imagined demise: "Were dead and gone / And the green grass / Growin' o'er my feet." This isn't just about wanting a child; it's about wanting to escape the pain of her own existence, even if it means ceasing to be.
The central tension lies in the impossible nature of the narrator's desires and her persistent, almost defiant hope. She acknowledges her own perceived inadequacy and the unnaturalness of her situation with the striking image, "The sweet / Apple grows / On a sour apple tree." Yet, despite this bleak self-assessment, she clings to the hope that "The time will come / When you and I / Shall be as one," suggesting a deep, perhaps doomed, love that fuels her longing for a future she can barely conceive.
The lyrics employ a chilling, almost gothic sensibility to convey the depth of her despair. The second wish, "I wish, I wish / My love had died," is particularly unsettling, revealing a desire for a reunion in death, "Where the ravens fly." This morbid imagery culminates in the final stanza with the owl, a creature often associated with ill omens, carrying "someone's blood / There on his wing." This final image amplifies the pervasive sense of dread and hints at a violent, tragic undercurrent to the narrator's suffering, making her wish for oblivion feel like a desperate bid for peace.
Ultimately, the power of these lyrics stems from their unflinching portrayal of extreme emotional pain and the desperate measures the narrator's mind conjures to escape it. The stark, almost childlike repetition of "I wish, I wish" underscores the depth of her yearning, while the unsettling natural imagery and the focus on death and blood create a haunting atmosphere. It’s this raw, unvarnished expression of a desire for an end to unbearable pain, juxtaposed with a flicker of hope for union, that makes the song so potent.
