#folk pop rock

[glass-strawberries]

The Valley by The Oh Hellos: A Biblical Song Analysis

*Full analysis under the cut*

By @glass-strawberries and @glass--grapes

Author's note: we grew up Christian and we love whimsical music so hearing all these references from our childhood hit pretty well. We wanted to analyze it and share all the references because The Oh Hellos are honestly some of the best lyricists we’ve seen. 

This analysis does contain references to Genius Lyrics where we didn’t know what the lyrics were referring to. We didn’t copy them, but we added additional information.

The Valley 

Background/song summary: The Valley is the first track in The Oh Hellos Through the Deep, Dark Valley. Though the album is coined as a concept album, the concept itself is very loose. The album was made in respect to love, journeys, and righting past wrongs. 

This song is about the struggle and confusion of being born into wickedness or sin, as all humans are following the fall of humanity (the original sin). The speaker seeks a leader to the light. 

Lyric Analysis:

We were born in the valley Of the dead and the wicked

A reference to the Valley of Canaan, the ancient land that is now known as Israel/ Palestine. 

That our father's father found And where we laid him down

Moses led the Israelites to the land of Canaan as they were fleeing Egyptian captivity. Before Moses could get there, he essentially pissed off God and was banished from entering the promised land. He dies in Moab and God buries him there(Deuteronomy 34). 

We were born in the shadow Of the crimes of our fathers

 After the fall of humanity, every human ever born is born with sin. The “fathers” in this sense is everyone who came before them(Romans 3:23-24). The speaker struggles with discrimination and labels placed on them from their fathers. 

Blood was our inheritance No, we did not ask for this Will you lead me?

Canaanites were considered wicked, and were killed in a genocide against them. The speaker resents the sin that they have inherited, having been credited to this crime against the Canaanites. They once again yearn for a leader.

We were young when we heard you call Our names in the silence Like a fire in the dark

The speaker did not know God until they started to hope for a leader or divine intervention. God says that He will reveal Himself to those who truly seek him(1 John 3:2). The Bible states that when God calls out to you, He will call you by name and you will know immediately that it was Him that was speaking (Isaiah 43:1).

Like a sword upon our hearts We came down to the water And we begged for forgiveness

Water baptism is a symbolic representation of death in the flesh and being brought back to life in a new “body” that will “live” forever. The purpose of baptism is defined differently in different branches of Christianity and even among churches, but the two popular ones are: 

To proclaim your faith publicly(either way, you are saved as long as you have faith)

To become a true christian and be saved(you will not be saved unless you are baptized)

The singer chose to repent for their sins. Shadows lurking close behind We were fleeing for our lives Will you lead me?

Psalm 23:3- He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

1/24

[thecreativemillennial]

[haveyouheardthisband]

[canmking]

T r a c y

C h a p m a n

[pollherepollthere]

I loveeee rap tbh

[cleopatragirlie]

It's just me and my vinyl against the world.

[entertainersdaily]

Happy Birthday Michelle Gilliam Phillips 🎂 (b. June 4, 1944)

[agendina]

Belatedly realized it's Gene Clark's birthday. A bit saddened it completely flew under my radar considering how much I love his work. Did these byrds sketches back in spring while going through a moment

[haveyoulistenedtothisalbum-poll]

Tracklist:

We're So Starving • Nine in the Afternoon • She's A Handsome Woman • Do You Know What I'm Seeing? • That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed) • I Have Friends in Holy Spaces • Northern Downpour • When the Day Met the Night • Pas De Cheval • The Piano Knows Something I Don't Know • Behind the Sea • Folkin' Around • She Had the World • From a Mountain in the Middle of the Cabins • Mad As Rabbits

Spotify ♪ YouTube

[rhapsodynew]

Bruce Springsteen at the LA Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, 1978.

[nightbynightfly]

An Album a Day 2024: Day 334

Nov. 29, 2024

Joni Mitchell - Blue (1971)

Folk rock, Pop rock

[yourfavealbumisgender]

A Moon Shaped Pool by Radiohead is Nonbinary!

requested by anon

[haveyouheardthisband]

[naxalite1967]

Being anti-establishment requires you also to understand what the establishment is.

It's about keeping you poor, it's about keeping you divided, and it's about keeping you ignorant.

Over the past 2 decades, the American government moved rapidly towards authoritarian policy, trump is just the most overt about it to the point of being fascistic.

Keeping you poor: this is done more so through the banks (FICO, credit, cars, property) but is also done by ensuring more rights for businesses and allowing them to easily subvert legislation with capital

Keeping you divided: fun topic. The division is tough to mend at a base level. It requires the higher class to reach down to the oppressed (white people must reach down for racism. The Wealthy must mend the gap of poverty, but they never will do that) and mend that damage. The issue is the right thinks they haven't done anything wrong- all while calling the cops on people minding their own business, turning a blind eye to police violence on minorities even openly supporting it in most cases. Conservatives are the tools of division- unempathetic, uneducated, and unreasonable about the discussion of racism or sexism.

Speaking of uneducated:

It's no mystery that they want to keep us ignorant, but the right seems more concerned about their kids gaining a conscience than their math scores. God forbid we teach about the Trail of Tears or Jim Crow, might make Timmy think his white ancestors were not good people and might make him feel bad for others… so they'll turn up at school board meetings and whine and scream about rainbows in a classroom while their kid is coming home unable to simplify fractions.

TL;DR: the right is and always will be pro-establishment, and it is because they like the establishment and they want it to benefit them. When it doesn't only benefit them they have a problem with it. Honestly read the whole thing if you care.

[poprocklyrics]

I need my golden crown of sorrow My bloody sword to swing My empty halls to echo with grand self-mythology

King, Florence + The Machine

[pop-punklouis]

so what do we think HS4 and LT3 are gonna sound like? what are the vibes?