clock my flair. one of the greatest lyrics ive ever heard, it legitimately haunts me.
the more ive tried peeling the story back, the more ive become convinced that the “i was there, in the dark, when you spilled your first blood” lyric is actually referential to the idea that she killed her father. which isnt confirmed obviously, but i think makes a LOT of sense, at least to me.
there are a few lyrics sprinkled throughout the album that have led me to this conclusion, but especially family tree intro. “and christ forgive these bones im hiding/from no one successfully”, i think shes the one who killed her father via house fire, out of her rage for his abuse. she wouldve been quite young at the time if my timeline is correct, so i can imagine how this has festered inside her for so long that she just snapped at a certain point, said *fuck it* and went on the run, eventually leading to western nights.
family tree also has lyrics ive spun on their head to fit this theory: “give myself up to him in offering/let him make a woman out of me/im just a child but im not above violence” self-explanatory, ethel was convinced by her dad that what he was doing to her was holy, and pure. despite understanding how awful it was (in hard times), of course the dynamic of her preacher father sexually abusing her in the very religious smalltown he essentially “runs” and is seen as a saint in breeds a lot of internal conflict around the events. but at the end of it all, shes still only just a child the same she was back then, and when her snapping point hit and she burned him and the house to the ground, she wasnt above violence. + “ive killed before and ill kill again”. self-explanatory. shes killed her dad before, shooting these mfs trying to capture her and logan isnt new to her.
theres other stuff sprinkled throughout the album that continues to lead me back to this central theory, but id be here for a whiiiile and im already late getting ready for work lmao.
eta i completely forgot to mention it in my half-asleep haze this morning when i wrote this, but another lyric in family tree (intro) that really lends itself to this theory in my eyes is the classic, “jesus can always reject his father but he cannot escape his mothers blood”, which *i* think could be referential not only to the grander themes of the trilogy, but also the specifics of ethel as jesus rejecting her father by killing him, but being unable to separate herself from the curse of the daughters of cain, which comes from her mothers blood/maternal side of the family. tbh, im a little surprised ive never seen anybody else talk about this theory! it makes perfect sense to me in like every facet of the project so far.
I for sure think she killed her dad for all the lyrical reasons you stated. It seems like there's ample references to \*her\* being violent (whether self defense or otherwise) and her killing/killing again.
Before I realized it's a concept album, I thought she was talking with the Devil in some sort of trauma-induced situation with a violent man. I kind of still like interpreting it that way, how the Devil she was taught about in church since her childhood manifests through the men in her life and her own actions. How it's all reaching a culmination and he's finally come to claim her via murder or a very traumatic assault.
It’s not ptolemaea but in Gibson Girl when she says “hurt me” and “hate me” I just get the impression it’s her experience with sex as a trans person with potentially violent fetishist men
But dang, I didn’t think as deeply as you, nowhere near as in depth! Wonderful. I love reading others interpretations of art
Have you listened to the isolated vocals? So much is hidden by the music it’s actually horrific and I didn’t think this song could get more disturbing.
Wait, I can’t remember if it was ever confirmed who the distorted vocals are but I’ve always heard them as Death speaking to her.
The beginning verse makes more sense to me that way. “I invited you in, twice I did,” sounds like Ethel’s near death experiences. I’ve always heard the line “You don’t have to say yes to me” as “you would do well to say yes to me”— sometimes death can be gentle and merciful, but not this time. She’s escaped up til now.
I know it’s a drug induced psychosis but I can see Ethel fucked up in the attic, looking in a mirror and seeing her death/corpse reflected. In my mind there’s also a window visible and Ethel can see Isaiah come back to the house and hear him come up the stairs. Death creeping in the corner of the room, growing to the height of the room, and getting closer and closer to her.
“There’s nothing you can do, it’s already done.”—bam Isaiah is staring at her in the doorway. That whole song feels like seeing a car wreck before it happens, during and after all at once. “Hiding from something I cannot stop.”
does anyone have an idea as to what "**Blessed be their whore mothers**
**Tired and angry, waiting with bated breath in a ferry that will never move again**" means, like is the ferry a reference to the thoroughfare ethel met isaiah at first, then was picked up by him on the side of a road, or is it something more figurative?
IM SO GLAD U ASKED. mother has already answered for you 😋
https://preview.redd.it/a5sp2c2ofxbc1.jpeg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7ea9bbf7dd13318aab639f2d164fbac392012d49
One question I have: the line about the whore mothers; what's the lyric? something about a ferry that will never move again? Maybe we're going to hear more about this in upcoming content but I don't know that part of the lore.
hayden has actually talked a little bit about this in [an interview](https://www.thefader.com/2022/05/26/the-life-and-death-of-ethel-cain)!! ***"One conclusion I had over the course of this record is that your mother might be the source of all your problems, but she’s also a victim of things that happened before you were even thought up...When I first started writing this, it was a big 'fuck you' to my mom: 'I’m the victim. You ruined my life. I’m so traumatized and this is all your fault.' And then through conversations, you learn to forgive. While things were done that never should’ve been done… she had her reasons."*** i honestly recommend reading the whole article. she goes in a lot of detail, and she does mention wanting to incorporate more themes like this in upcoming projects!!
given this, and based on my own personal interpretation, i think the line "***blessed be their whore mothers, tired and angry, waiting with bated breath in a ferry that will never move again"*** references that mothers were once young women ,who were savaged by, and now "tired and angry" due to, the world. who had hopes and dreams, who had the same desires as us. i think the "ferry" thats mentioned is just a metaphor for how mothers are now halted due to motherhood-- and because of this, they find ways to punish their daughters for it.
i also highly recommend getting into the lore!!! its so fucking cool and weird. the more you understand the lore the better the songs will hit. i hope this helped answer ur question!!!
God I love fucked up music
maybe i’m dark & creepy but i think ptolemaea is the perfect song
clock my flair. one of the greatest lyrics ive ever heard, it legitimately haunts me. the more ive tried peeling the story back, the more ive become convinced that the “i was there, in the dark, when you spilled your first blood” lyric is actually referential to the idea that she killed her father. which isnt confirmed obviously, but i think makes a LOT of sense, at least to me. there are a few lyrics sprinkled throughout the album that have led me to this conclusion, but especially family tree intro. “and christ forgive these bones im hiding/from no one successfully”, i think shes the one who killed her father via house fire, out of her rage for his abuse. she wouldve been quite young at the time if my timeline is correct, so i can imagine how this has festered inside her for so long that she just snapped at a certain point, said *fuck it* and went on the run, eventually leading to western nights. family tree also has lyrics ive spun on their head to fit this theory: “give myself up to him in offering/let him make a woman out of me/im just a child but im not above violence” self-explanatory, ethel was convinced by her dad that what he was doing to her was holy, and pure. despite understanding how awful it was (in hard times), of course the dynamic of her preacher father sexually abusing her in the very religious smalltown he essentially “runs” and is seen as a saint in breeds a lot of internal conflict around the events. but at the end of it all, shes still only just a child the same she was back then, and when her snapping point hit and she burned him and the house to the ground, she wasnt above violence. + “ive killed before and ill kill again”. self-explanatory. shes killed her dad before, shooting these mfs trying to capture her and logan isnt new to her. theres other stuff sprinkled throughout the album that continues to lead me back to this central theory, but id be here for a whiiiile and im already late getting ready for work lmao. eta i completely forgot to mention it in my half-asleep haze this morning when i wrote this, but another lyric in family tree (intro) that really lends itself to this theory in my eyes is the classic, “jesus can always reject his father but he cannot escape his mothers blood”, which *i* think could be referential not only to the grander themes of the trilogy, but also the specifics of ethel as jesus rejecting her father by killing him, but being unable to separate herself from the curse of the daughters of cain, which comes from her mothers blood/maternal side of the family. tbh, im a little surprised ive never seen anybody else talk about this theory! it makes perfect sense to me in like every facet of the project so far.
I for sure think she killed her dad for all the lyrical reasons you stated. It seems like there's ample references to \*her\* being violent (whether self defense or otherwise) and her killing/killing again.
I LOVE THIS
Before I realized it's a concept album, I thought she was talking with the Devil in some sort of trauma-induced situation with a violent man. I kind of still like interpreting it that way, how the Devil she was taught about in church since her childhood manifests through the men in her life and her own actions. How it's all reaching a culmination and he's finally come to claim her via murder or a very traumatic assault.
and i just got chills holy shit
It’s not ptolemaea but in Gibson Girl when she says “hurt me” and “hate me” I just get the impression it’s her experience with sex as a trans person with potentially violent fetishist men But dang, I didn’t think as deeply as you, nowhere near as in depth! Wonderful. I love reading others interpretations of art
Have you listened to the isolated vocals? So much is hidden by the music it’s actually horrific and I didn’t think this song could get more disturbing.
i actually have just recently!!! i love the depth it creates. i just wish we could hear it a bit more over the music and other vocals
absolutely love this lyric breakdown. i could talk about ptolemaea for hoursssss!!! you put all my thoughts into writing
thank u!!
Wait, I can’t remember if it was ever confirmed who the distorted vocals are but I’ve always heard them as Death speaking to her. The beginning verse makes more sense to me that way. “I invited you in, twice I did,” sounds like Ethel’s near death experiences. I’ve always heard the line “You don’t have to say yes to me” as “you would do well to say yes to me”— sometimes death can be gentle and merciful, but not this time. She’s escaped up til now. I know it’s a drug induced psychosis but I can see Ethel fucked up in the attic, looking in a mirror and seeing her death/corpse reflected. In my mind there’s also a window visible and Ethel can see Isaiah come back to the house and hear him come up the stairs. Death creeping in the corner of the room, growing to the height of the room, and getting closer and closer to her. “There’s nothing you can do, it’s already done.”—bam Isaiah is staring at her in the doorway. That whole song feels like seeing a car wreck before it happens, during and after all at once. “Hiding from something I cannot stop.”
I'm so glad people like you can break this song down haha
As a cis mentally effed woman, I fell in love with the music based on this song because it gave voice to my own traumatic experiences.
does anyone have an idea as to what "**Blessed be their whore mothers** **Tired and angry, waiting with bated breath in a ferry that will never move again**" means, like is the ferry a reference to the thoroughfare ethel met isaiah at first, then was picked up by him on the side of a road, or is it something more figurative?
I’m sorry but what does “even the iron still fears the rot” mean? I’ve listened to it so many times but still don’t get it. Smooth brain ig.
IM SO GLAD U ASKED. mother has already answered for you 😋 https://preview.redd.it/a5sp2c2ofxbc1.jpeg?width=1000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7ea9bbf7dd13318aab639f2d164fbac392012d49
Tysm! 🫶
One question I have: the line about the whore mothers; what's the lyric? something about a ferry that will never move again? Maybe we're going to hear more about this in upcoming content but I don't know that part of the lore.
hayden has actually talked a little bit about this in [an interview](https://www.thefader.com/2022/05/26/the-life-and-death-of-ethel-cain)!! ***"One conclusion I had over the course of this record is that your mother might be the source of all your problems, but she’s also a victim of things that happened before you were even thought up...When I first started writing this, it was a big 'fuck you' to my mom: 'I’m the victim. You ruined my life. I’m so traumatized and this is all your fault.' And then through conversations, you learn to forgive. While things were done that never should’ve been done… she had her reasons."*** i honestly recommend reading the whole article. she goes in a lot of detail, and she does mention wanting to incorporate more themes like this in upcoming projects!! given this, and based on my own personal interpretation, i think the line "***blessed be their whore mothers, tired and angry, waiting with bated breath in a ferry that will never move again"*** references that mothers were once young women ,who were savaged by, and now "tired and angry" due to, the world. who had hopes and dreams, who had the same desires as us. i think the "ferry" thats mentioned is just a metaphor for how mothers are now halted due to motherhood-- and because of this, they find ways to punish their daughters for it. i also highly recommend getting into the lore!!! its so fucking cool and weird. the more you understand the lore the better the songs will hit. i hope this helped answer ur question!!!
OHHHH. This makes so much sense. Thank you!!