Track Listing and Interpretations:
1. “Prologue”
Meaning: The song begins with an almost eerie touch to it. In the background, there is a vague hint of female vocals that resonates throughout the song. The mysterious echo it has almost makes it difficult to distinguish whether it is literally a female vocalist or rather and instrument (though I’m guessing it’s the latter). Its mystery only adds to the songs effect; it’s almost like a ghost is calling out through the song, though her words are not distinguishable. Possibly, it is the ghost of the lyricist’s deceased wife, still haunting him even though her body has long since been buried.
2. “Kettering”
Meaning: The title comes from a cancer treatment hospital located in the tri-state area of New York where it is likely that the writer’s wife stays during her final struggle with bone cancer. It is because of this terminal illness that his wife takes out her frustrations on him. All her pent up emotions have no way to release themselves except through the mental and emotional abuse of her husband who she met at a hospital (where he was possibly a male nurse). The abuse only seems to crescendo as her life begins to dwindle into nothing. Despite the abuse, her husband stands loyally by her side even though he knows he’s not disserving of the mistreatment. Even the abusive wife herself tells him that he should just leave, but he refuses to depart; he fights for her when she has lost all hope. Ultimately his efforts are futile no matter what he does; death is imminent.
3. “Sylvia”
Meaning: The title is a reference to the late poet and author Sylvia Plath, who died in 1963. A road to mental breakdown was the source of Plath’s attempts to commit suicide twice; she succeeded in killing herself upon the second try. Many lines in the lyrics directly refer to Plath’s final attempt to kill herself in which she stuck her head inside an oven after sealing the doors and windows shut. It has been argued that Plath never meant to actually succeed in killing herself (though police reports state she fully intended to die); she had left a note to the tenant of her building that instructed him to call a doctor and precisely timed her suicide attempt so that he would find the note before she could die from the gas. Sylvia Plath relates to the story of Hospice in that it could be argued that her suicide attempts were a cry for help, much like the wife of the song writer. The song shows the frustrations that coincide with trying to help someone who both wants and doesn’t want your help at the same time or maybe doesn’t realize how badly they need it.
4. “Atrophy”
Meaning: Atrophy is the perfect word to describe the couple’s relationship. It is slowly wasting away the more the woman abuses her husband who is using all his power to save her from the destructive path she is on. Her bitterness and multiple personalities have pushed her away from all other family and friends; her husband is the sole person who has a care in the world for her - the only one who will be able to pass her story on. She abuses her husband’s love for him by keeping him on an extremely tight leash. The leash that literally binds him to her is the ring of matrimony on his finger that gnaws away at his mind. The relationship is completely dominated by her and she takes full control of every action the lyricist makes. Despite all his efforts to help her and care for her, her mind makes him out to be a terrible person. In an effort to even out their pain she causes him both emotional and mental pain to compensate for her physical pain caused by her bone cancer and the memories from her haunting past. And though all this would be more than enough reason for him to leave her, he can’t find it in himself to.
5. “Bear”
Meaning: Beginning with the iconic children’s melody “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” sets the stage for this song about the couple dealing with an abortion. The title is ironic in the way that they are comparing something as gentle and innocent as a child to something as destructive and forceful as a bear. Separation plants its destructive seed in the couple’s relationship when they return from getting the abortion; suddenly they are strangers. The abortion takes them from people in their early twenties to an old couple. The experience has an aging effect that neither were ready for. The couple is secluded from their old friends and family, leaving them with only each other.
6. “Thirteen”
Meaning: Another connection is made to Sylvia Plath and her semi-autobiographical novel, The Bell Jar. In the thirteenth chapter of the book, Plath recounts her first attempted suicide in which she overdosed on sleeping pills and hid beneath her home. Plath’s desperation is easily relatable to the cancer patient in that they are both trapped in something they never wanted a part of (Plath with her depression and the patient with her terminal illness and shaded past). Both are looking for a release from it all; the patient’s desires are for her husband to ride herself of all the pain without the aid of the doctors. She places her burdens on the back of her spouse.
7. “Two”
Meaning: Dealing with not only a past history of anorexia, but an abusive father as well as a possible split personality disorder, it is obvious that the bone cancer patient as been through a lot despite her young age. Although it is never actually confirmed that there is a split personality disorder, there are multiple suggestions through not only the song “Two”, but others as well. It is also seen through the similarities that the cancer patient and Sylvia Plath have. Her traumatic disease and current problem with cancer have created a wedge in her relationship with her husband. Despite his efforts to repeatedly care for her, she is never satisfied. In the name of love, he stays with her through it all even though it ultimately will make no difference in the final outcome. The relationship exemplifies its destructiveness every time she threatens to leave him (though her threats are always empty). The emptiness that consumes their relationship puts and almost uncomfortable twist on it.
8. “Shiva”
Meaning: Shiva is the Jewish tradition of mourning over a seven day period after a loved one has died. Often the place of mourning is the old domain of the perished person (in this case, the hospital). This song dictates the end of the abusive relationship between the couple. Once his wife passes on, the writer is beside himself with grief. The alternate title of the song that is listed on the CD is “Portacaths Switched”, which is a medical tool that is used on oncology patients that allows blood to efficiently be drained from the body or drugs to be injected. The alternate title shows deeper insight to the song in that the lyricist reveals that his only way to hold onto her is to become her. When the realization hits that her passing leaves him completely alone, he desperately tries to hang onto her. Her ghost comes back to return his ring which truly ends their relationship that has been degraded to mere shambles. Throughout the song echoed cries are heard, almost as if the deceased woman is calling out in a ghost like manner, similar to the tracks “Prologue” and later, “Epilogue”. As the writer lies in the misshapen bed (most likely referring to either her hospital bed or coffin) he lets out a laugh because it is his only way to cope with her loss—the situation is too painful for anything else.
9. “Wake”
Meaning: After the worst of the mourning stage has past, the writer finally comes out from his separated state within the walls of his apartment to confront his friends. It is at last time for him to face the friends who at one time had reached out to help him, but eventually gave up. He is awakening from the tight hold that she had him in so that he can reconnect with the past relationships that he has been cut off from or lost. In a sense, the song is his apology and explanation to them of the full story. He explains that it was easier for him to simply cut himself off from the outside world than to verbally vent his feelings. With a more clear perspective of the events that occurred, he is able to understand that his wife’s misfortunes were not his burden. He doesn’t have to blame himself, even if she did.
10. Epilogue
Meaning: Meant to be from a time long after the death of his wife, the lyricist writes of a nightmare he has in which he relives all of his past events even though he has worked so hard to distance himself from those memories. The entire story plays out before him: from the time they meet in a hospital and he falls in love with her to her death. It is likely that she was in and out of hospitals all her life, whether it be for her anorexia or caner. Everything is eerily similar to the life of Sylvia Plath like several other songs on the album. The multiple personality disorder is alluded to even more in the chorus of the song where it describes how his wife would go from screaming in anger at him one second to crying and pleading with him in the next. And even though she has long since past, her ghost still haunts him with the painful memories they lived through together. What is ironic is that the verses are to the same melody as the song “Bear”, played earlier in the album. While “Bear” focuses on a pregnancy (the idea of a new life), “Epilogue” is focused around the death of his wife and is the closing chapter to the album.
Hospice was written by Peter Silberman from The Antlers. Hospice was realeased on August 18, 2009.
http://www.myspace.com/theantlers
*****
mood: confused
eating/drinking: fruit snack and peach diet Snapple
listening to: "Baby's In Black" - The Beatles
I'm in LOVE with The Antlers and their Album Hospice. Please go check it out if you haven't already heard it. Obviously my insight into the song is up for interpretation and I in no way mean that they are exactly the meanings that the song writer intended for people to take away. They're just what I got fromt he song.
On a side note, today I wore black ripped tights with my dress. My mom didn't like them, but I did. Oh well...
PS- i want a pair of cool combat boots. don't ask me why
PPS- probably lots of typos but i'm to lazy to proof read more than once so i'm sorry haha
Lauren
"snapple real fact #12": A cammels milk does not curdle.
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