The Cave

I love this song. It is so powerful and passionate. When I first heard it, it struck me as a relationship song. When I read the lyrics, I was unfortunately stuck there for all of 10 minutes. Some of the words and phrases make it sound like the teller of the story had just come out of a serious relationship and was finding himself. I finally had to step back and say to myself, “self, every song in the history of the world can be interpreted as a relationship song. This band has to be better than that. They have to.” And so, I decided that I needed to analyze this song. I took the idea of the song being about two individuals out of the picture.  I think this song is about much more than that. This singer is struggling with something and he sees us out here in the world struggling with the same thing. I think the song is about self-discovery. Mumford & Sons uses the idea of Plato’s Cave as a way to illustrate the conflict of self discovery. The pain and joy of it. The singer, or story teller, plays the role of the escaped prisoner. He has escaped the cave and seen the world, and in doing so is finding truth and self awareness. It becomes his task to shepherd the rest of the prisoners, or us, through the the struggle of facing your fear to leave behind the shadowed world you already know and walk out into the light. Thus, the singer is also going through a change by becoming the philosopher.  Through this song tackles the struggle of discovering knowledge and how that affects us, as well as recognizing reality versus perceived reality. Here, the the escaped prisoner has returned to tell us this story, hoping to enlighten us. Too big? Maybe. Either way, let’s have at it, shall we?

Here are the lyrics:

The Cave

It's empty in the valley of your heart
The sun, it rises slowly as you walk
Away from all the fears
And all the faults you've left behind

The harvest left no food for you to eat
You cannibal, you meat-eater, you see
But I have seen the same
I know the shame in your defeat

But I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck

And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again

Because I have other things to fill my time
You take what is yours and I'll take mine
Now let me at the truth
Which will refresh my broken mind

So tie me to a post and block my ears
I can see widows and orphans through my tears
I know my call despite my faults
And despite my growing fears

But I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck

And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again

So come out of your cave walking on your hands
And see the world hanging upside down
You can understand dependence
When you know the maker's land

So make your siren's call
And sing all you want
I will not hear what you have to say

Because I need freedom now
And I need to know how
To live my life as it's meant to be

And I will hold on hope
And I won't let you choke
On the noose around your neck

And I'll find strength in pain
And I will change my ways
I'll know my name as it's called again


I want to start with the name, itself, The Cave. And, because it is my post, I will.  “The Cave” to me, could symbolize the idea of being trapped or held back, away from the world and the light. Being in a cave is like being in the dark. You are sheltered. While it is safe, you experience nothing. You do not know reality and can only guess at what might be real. This is the obvious connection to Plato’s Cave. Those prisoners chained in the cave only believe that they perceive reality. Only upon escape from the cave does one actually see truth, or reality. Until that point, they are sheltered from everything.

The first verses in the song strike me as representing a struggle. The struggle of leaving the cave. The struggle, perhaps, for each one of us to see ourselves for all of our self. Good and bad alike. When living in a false reality, it would be both sorrowful and painful to finally see the world for what it is. One might even feel overwhelmed, defeated, or unable to make the journey. “it’s empty in the valley of your heart/ the sun it rises slowly as you walk/ Away from all the fears/ and all the faults you’ve left behind.”  There is a sadness here. A person becomes aware of a meaningless life - the valley of your heart is empty. But as you learn to walk from that, the sun rises. Enlightenment. The next lines “The harvest left no food for you to eat/ you cannibal, you meat-eater, you see/ But I have seen the same/ I know the shame in your defeat.” I think this set of lines explains that the storyteller is aware of the pain endured by those who have not left the cave. Those that are enduring the life without knowledge of one’s self. It is shameful and painful, to be starved of what makes us human. Consumption of and sharing knowledge. The escaped prisoner knows this now.

The first verses of the song are also a slower tempo. It is almost a reassuring sound. An air of understanding, even. As if to say, “I know what you are going through, and it is okay.”

The chorus, by contrast, is almost consuming. The speed picks up and the sound becomes almost triumphant. It feels here that the storyteller is almost belting out a battle cry. We can face the pain of finding ourselves and learning who we are. We do not need to be bound by the perceived realities from walking our own path. The chorus also signifies that this is an ongoing battle. It causes ongoing pain. “And I will hold on hope/And I won't let you choke/On the noose around your neck.” The pain it can bring can gives only strength to change ourselves. The result will be knowing our true selves. “And I'll find strength in pain/ And I will change my ways/ I'll know my name as it's called again”

In the next verse, the music sounds forceful and deliberate. The storyteller is making a statement. The the storyteller is saying that there are important things outside of the cave. These “things” are highly individual, as they have to do with the process of self-discovery. The storyteller then seems almost  to see, “let’s go get ‘em!” Seize the knowledge, it is yours, it will make you a whole person, not just a prisoner chained to the inside of the cave that knows nothing about the world. It is finding this and becoming whole that makes the struggle and the pain worth it. “Because I have other things to fill my time/You take what is yours and I'll take mine/Now let me at the truth/Which will refresh my broken mind.”

The next verse speaks to me as a statement of awareness. Knowing what one has to do despite the fear and consequences. You can only try to hold back the determined. They will know the world anyway, in spite of faults and fears.  The sound of the song is almost desperate. “So tie me to a post and block my ears/ I can see widows and orphans through my tears/ I know my call despite my faults/ And despite my growing fears [chorus here]”

This iteration of the chorus seems bigger. We now see harmonies.  Almost to signify the frenzy of which the story is being told. And perhaps to show that slowly, more people are belieiving the storyteller. They say, “listen. I know there is desperation but I believe in you and I believe in us.”

The next part of the song feels like we are being beckoned to come out and see the world, ourselves, and what we were. The music gives that feeling, too. The song switches from this frenzy, this passionate desire to impart knowledge to a quieter, gentler feel. The storyteller uses the phrase to come out walking on your hands and see the world upside down because everything will look different. On the outside, in the actual world, everything is new. And, once they stand outside looking in, they will understand how trapped they have been. The will know the construct they have been living in. “So come out of your cave walking on your hands/ And see the world hanging upside down/ You can understand dependence/ When you know the aker's land.”

The next lines are an challenge to those who might keep the storyteller from remaining an individual, fully aware of himself. o never return to the state of captivity the cave creates. No amount of convincing or lies will lead the singer back to darkness. The music is the same melody as the chorus, but there is no harmony this time. It is a single, strong voice, issuing a challenge almost. “I will not go back to that state of being,” it seems to sing. “So make your siren's call/ And sing all you want /I will not hear what you have to say.”

The next three lines are a state clearly the need to live as an enlightened individual. To have self awareness makes us free. Once reality has been seen and the internal struggle made to become enlightened,  it is time to see how to live your life according to that knowledge. False realities replaced by truth leaves us with the need to redefine ourselves. Free from the cave and out to live the way life was meant to be lived. As you. Again, the music is the same as the chorus, but this time, the harmonies have returned, making it this strong cry out. This is the way it must be! “Because I need freedom now/ And I need to know how/ To live my life as it's meant to be”

And then back into the chorus. “And I will hold on hope/ And I won't let you choke On the noose around your neck/ And I'll find strength in pain/ And I will change my ways /I'll know my name as it's called again” The sound of the final chorus is the brightest yet. Passionately, we are called out into the light. Called into life. Then, it is quiet. No trailing off. The song just ends. The story is done. We can choose to go learn our true selves or remain in the dark.

I have no idea if that is correct or not. Seems almost too simple, so it has to be wrong. :) I like this interpretation better than the relationship theory, which seems to be pretty popular. I would much rather think of the band, who loves music and wants to create songs that make a difference, would play the part of the escaped prisoner and help us all see the truth and guide us through our own self discovery. So, that is where I will leave it in my little head.