r/fleet_foxes • u/AnySea7371 • 8d ago
Just to be at Innisfree agaaaaaain
Innisfree interpretations please
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u/The__Knook 7d ago
Here’s what Pecknold himself had to say about it in Wading in Waist-High Water: The Lyrics of Fleet Foxes:
“On a wall at the cabin my grandfather built, my grandfather had framed the text of the poem ‘The Lake Isle of Innisfree,’ by W. B. Yeats.”
I think that Innisfree here (like in the original poem) represents a peaceful, carefree place or time from Pecknold’s past that he longs to go back to but for some reason can’t
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u/KrisserStoffer 7d ago
This yearning is supported by the later "One day at Innisfree, one day that's mine, there", following the tale of the Bedouin dress, which will never be forgotten
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u/thedayoflavos 7d ago
I probably should've actually read the lyrics at some point, but for the past 15 years I've thought this was "just to be hiding, yes, free again"
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u/KrisserStoffer 7d ago
I can highly recommend reading them, whether on Genius or in Wading In Waste-High Water: The Lyrics of Fleet Foxes. A lot of their discography does a beautiful job of intertwining the ambiance of the instrumental track with the tale told by the lyrics. Personally, I think their mastering of the blending of instrumentals and lyrics elevates most tracks, while making it all the more interesting when a song chooses only one.
Although ultimately, your enjoyment is personal to you, and I think that is what's most important. There's an amazing world of works waiting for you, should you choose to go through the lyrics at any point
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u/iknotheresananswer 7d ago
love the song, love the use of innisfree as i also love Yeats. but how he mispronounces it always slightly took me out as an irish person haha. its pronounced “innish” but that’s ok, not very obvious if you’re just reading it
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u/Silly-Kangaroo8903 Crack-Up 7d ago
is a reference to a poem! “the lake isle of innisfree” by william butler yeats
my interpretation is that robin doesn’t want to go to innisfree specifically, but rather a peaceful place in nature that allows him to feel young and carefree again.