#kipling lore

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“Bones”

Lyrics that had the most impact on the chapter:

And you laugh like you've never been lonely / That's alright honey / That's alright with me

Oh you laugh like I'll be there to hold you always / Always here / I'm always here, always here

Commentary

“And you laugh like you've never been lonely / That's alright honey / That's alright with me” - This chapter is really about bridging what distance has formed between Kip and Asra since she started having her nightmares. The lyrics reflect Asra’s patience and nonjudgmental approach to helping Kip overcome her challenges.

“Oh you laugh like I'll be there to hold you always / Always here / I'm always here, always here” - Asra continues to show Kip that she doesn’t have to face her problems alone. Even when her nightmares were at their worst, Asra was there for her. And he’s here with now after everything has calmed down.

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“Depth Over Distance”

Lyrics that had the most impact on the chapter:

Depth over distance was all I asked of you / And I may be foolish to fall as I do / Still there's strength in the blindness you fear / If you're coming too

Commentary

“Depth over distance was all I asked of you” - This chapter really sets the tone for Ozy and Nadia’s relationship. Once Nadia has decided that her feelings towards Ozy are romantic, she immediately wants to know where his level of comfort is / what his boundaries are. Nadia values “depth” in a relationship - growing closer to Ozy as a person, over the “distance” - seeing how far she can get with him physically. 

“Still there's strength in the blindness you fear” - these are uncharted waters “blindness” for both Ozy and Nadia. While Ozy isn’t completely inexperienced, none of his romantic relationships prior to this moment have been very meaningful. Usually because they ended in some kind of miscommunication, which has left him very confused in how to navigate romantic connections. Nadia can see where Ozy’s vulnerabilities lie without him being explicit about it, yet she’s still willing to take that risk. These risks and willingness to be vulnerable are where Ozadia draws “strength” but it’s also a source of “fear” in their relationship.

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“These Waters”

Lyrics that had the most impact on the chapter:

See these waters they'll pull you up / Oh if you're bolder than the darkness / My my, let these songs be an instrument to cut / Oh spaces 'tween the happiness and the hardness

Commentary

“See these waters they’ll pull you up” - reflecting the ocean/sea imagery repeated throughout Kip’s journey. Water plays a significant role in Kip’s magic, her nightmares, and her connection to her childhood.

“Oh spaces ‘tween the happiness and the hardness” - reflects the strained relationship Kipling has with the sea. On one hand it holds positive memories - “happiness”. On the other hand, it’s a constant reminder of everything she has lost - “hardness”

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“Everything”

Lyrics that had the most impact on the chapter:

Seems everything around here / Stays like stone / Seems it's about time, darling / We let this all go

Everything must start again anew / Everything just goes that way, my friend / Every king knows it to be true / That every kingdom must one day come to an end

Commentary

“Seems it's about time, darling / We let this all go” - reflects Ozy’s attitude at this point in the narrative. He feels like his progress with Kipling has stagnated and it might be time to do something drastic in order to move forward. 

“Everything just goes that way, my friend / Every king knows it to be true / That every kingdom must one day come to an end” - these lyrics reflect this ah-ha moment Ozy experiences at the end of the chapter when he realizes the pattern in Kipling’s behaviors - “Every king knows it to be true”. Even though he knows that what he needs to do might put some distance between himself and Kip, he accepts that he has to take that step - “Everything just goes that way, my friend”.

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“Rivers In Your Mouth”

Lyrics that had the most impact on the chapter:

Hold it in, the river in your mouth is pouring out / Water takes the shape of all that it surrounds

Hold it in they come at you from both sides of your mind / Thick and thin; these walls you'll always stand behind / I'm sick and tired, oh I begged for the world to change / But it don't, it ain't all you and that's the thing

Commentary

“Hold it in, the river in your mouth is pouring out / Water takes the shape of all that it surrounds” - reinforcing the water imagery. But these lyrics are actually more of foreshadowing for Kip’s full trial with The Empress. The drowning imagery becomes particularly violent in the next chapter. The “river” also reflects the confessions that Kip makes throughout the chapter. Many of them do not come easily, but rather “pour” out of her as a result of the harsh trial she has to endure.

“They come at you from both sides of your mind” - Kip experiences a lot of overstimulation before she comes to an understanding with how she needs to move forward. Taro becomes a satellite, Ozy steals her necklace, she unlocks her third eye, and she enters The Empress’ realm.

“Oh I begged for the world to change / But it don’t...” - More foreshadowing of the next chapter. This line reflects Kip’s relationship with The Empress. Kip’s patron tends to come off as insensitive and matter of fact – much like how “the world” keeps rotating / functioning as normal regardless of the fate of its inhabitants. Throughout Kip’s trial, she tries to appeal to The Empress through pleas and saying what she thinks the Arcana wants to hear - “I begged for the world to change”. However, the patron doesn’t give Kip a pass or any hints on how to survive her trial - “But it don’t…”

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“Promise”

Lyrics that had the most impact on the chapter:

Meet me there / With bundles of flowers / We'll wade through the hours

Who am I darling to you? / Who am I to tell you stories of mine? / Who am I? / Who am I darling for you? / Who am I to be your burden in time?

Commentary

“Meet me there / With bundles of flowers / We'll wade through the hours” - combined imagery of both Strength and The Empress’ realms. Kip ultimately wants to reunite with Khleo and return to a time when they would escape into nature. Throughout the album, flowers have been one of the clear links between Kip and Khleo, such as the daisies that magically bloom whenever Kip is trying to reconnect with Khleo.

“Who am I darling to you? / Who am I to be your burden in time?” - The Empress is really putting Kip’s bond with Khleo to the test. The Arcana’s trial makes Kip reevaluate what her love for Khleo really means - “Who am I… to you?” She must understand that if she truly loves Khleo, she has to let them go (in her heart) or else she will never be able to fully grow from her mistakes. By holding onto the memory of Khleo “burden in time”, she’s at risk of mistaking love for obsession, which then negatively affects any of the relationships she develops going forward.

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“Keep Your Head Up”

Lyrics that had the most impact on the chapter:

I spent my time watchin’ / The spaces that have grown between us / And I cut my mind on second best / The scars that come with the greenness / And I gave my eyes to the bottom / Still the seabed wouldn't let me in / And I tried my best to embrace the darkness / In which I swim

Keep your head up, keep your heart strong / Keep your mind set, keep your hair long / Keep your head up, keep your heart strong / Keep your mind set in your ways / But keep your heart strong

'Cause I'll always remember you the same / Eyes like wild flowers with your demons of change

Commentary

“I spent my time watchin’ / The spaces that have grown between us” - this line applies to both Ozy and Kipling, who have had to look back on the physical and emotional gaps that developed over time within the trio.

“And I gave my eyes to the bottom / still the seabed wouldn’t let me in” - reflects the frustration that Kip experienced as she wrestled with her magic. Reinforces the ocean imagery throughout Kip’s journey.

“And I tried my best to embrace the darkness / in which I swim” - more of that ocean imagery + sense of directionlessness that both Kip and Ozy experienced before coming together.

“Keep your head up, keep your heart strong / Keep your mind set, keep your hair long” - these lyrics reflect the hopeful tone of the chapter. Also reinforces the heart/mind metaphors connected to Kip and Ozy.

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“Oats in the Water”

Lyrics that had the most impact on the chapter

Go your way / I'll take the long way 'round / I'll find my own way down / As I should

And you'll find loss / And you'll fear what you found / When weather comes / Tearing down

Commentary

“I'll take the long way 'round / I'll find my own way down / As I should” – At this stage, Kipling has had to suffer from the side effects of the resurfacing of her magic without any answers. Since there hasn’t been anyone to help her understand what’s happening to her, she’s been forced to take the long way to arrive at some answers.

“And you'll fear what you found / When weather comes / Tearing down” – Kipling fears her magic because she doesn’t understand it yet. The “weather” alludes to the storms that she’s at the mercy of in her dreams. She wakes up from her nightmares feeling like she almost drowned.

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“The Wolves”

Lyrics that had the most impact on the chapter:

Falling from high places / Falling through lost spaces / Now that we're lonely / Now that we're so far from home / Watching from both sides / These towers been tumbling down / I lost my mind here / I lost my patience with the Lord

Where you been hiding lately? / Where you been from hiding from the news? / Because we've been fighting lately / We've been fighting with the wolves / Red tongues and hands

Commentary

“Falling from high places / Falling through lost spaces” – reflecting the imagery of Kipling falling through the portals into Strength’s realm

“These towers been tumbling down / I lost my mind here / I lost my patience with the Lord” – Kipling is very disoriented when she arrives in Strength’s realm. Seeing Khleo there only adds to her confusion. In this case “the Lord” would be Strength, who is pretty aggressive towards Kipling when she tries to get past her so she can see Khleo. 

“Red tongues and hands” – this imagery goes well with Strength’s description in this chapter. In general, I incorporate a lot of reds and golds into any imagery associated with the Strength Tarot card.

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“Evergreen”

Lyrics that had the most impact on the chapter:

Christmas flared amongst us / And we called it evergreen / Built a world without your love / Now I'm all out at sea

Take me back to the catacombs / I am tempted by her love / Bluest eyes against my own skin / I have never been so caught up / Looking around I see memories / What it was, oh, what it was / There in the lights you said something / But I can't remember what

Commentary

"Christmas flared..." - Christmas is a time of receiving gifts. The “gift” that Kip has is both Ozy and the knowledge that Khleo is somewhere out there. 

"Built a world without your love" - all this time Kip has been without the love of her childhood friends. 

"Now I'm all out at sea" - reinforces the ocean imagery associated with Kipling and this idea that she's still alone / doesn't know what to do with this information.

"I am tempted by her love" - Kip's reading suggests that she's clinging too strongly to the memory of Khleo. 

"I have never been so caught up" - reflection of how Kip’s feelings for Khleo can overwhelm her.

"Looking around I see memories... But I can't remember what" - the more memories Kipling acquires of her time with Khleo, the more she gets lost in them, as shown towards the end of her reading with Muriel.

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“Time is Dancing”

Lyrics that had the most impact on the chapter:

Wrapped up in dissonance / I'm sorry that I just walked away / Lost in the insignificance of mine / I had no words to say / Now I am better / I implore you to say it isn't right

Hold it in, let's go dancing / I do believe we're only passing through / Wired again, look who's laughing / You again, all you, all you, all you

Commentary

“Lost in the insignificance of mine” - this is a nod to Ozy's pursuit of grey magic. Depending on how you look at it, you could definitely make the argument that Ozy going into isolation for a decade wasn't worth what he gained in the end -"insignificance". 

“Wrapped up in dissonance" connects to a lot of the maze/puzzle imagery associated with Ozy and the library where he spent the last ten years. 

"I implore you to say it isn't right" - It's never explicitly said until “I Will Be Blessed”, but there is this uneasiness that Kip experiences in regards to Ozy's choices that suggests she disagrees with the direction he took after she left for Vesuvia.

“Hold it in, let's go dancing” - Ozy helps Kip "hold it in" by distracting her. He tells her to watch the center of his back. He knows the memories of the past are still a very sensitive subject. For much of their reunion they are "dancing" around the subject of what happened with Khleo

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“Burgh Island”

Lyrics that had the most impact on the chapter:

Oh your brown eyes shine a sure light on the way to go / And the sun tries you, reeling home against your glow / And we lost sight of it, breath tied up in summer’s hold / And your eyes screamed it / Burgh Island, in sepia tones

Commentary

“your brown eyes shine… and the sun tries you, reeling home against your glow” - these lyrics reflect the sun imagery associated with Ozy. There is a lot of foreshadowing in this chapter that hints at the ways in which his patron Arcana will become more significant throughout his own character development.

“And we lost sight of it, breath tied up in summer’s hold” - this line echoes the moment that the trio became disconnected from each other all at once - the day that Khleo was taken by the Door. Much of their unresolved interpersonal conflict is “tied up” in that moment from their childhood, which has left all of them “lost” in some important ways.

“And your eyes screamed it / Burgh Island…” - Once again in this chapter, Kip and the Arcana LIs can sense that Ozy has been profoundly affected by his time in isolation. “Burgh Island” in this case would reference the “island” that he’s been stranded on for the past 10 years. In Ozy’s case, it’s his underwater library.

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“The Fear”

Lyrics that had the most impact on the chapter:

I've been worrying / That I'm losing the ones I hold dear / I've been worrying / That we all / Live our lives / In the confines of fear

My, my cold hearted child / Tell me how you feel / Just a grain in the morning air / Dark shadow on the hill

Commentary

“I’ve been worrying / that I’m losing the ones I hold dear” - Kip constantly worries that she’s never going to get back to Khleo or mend things with Ozy.

“We all live our lives / in the confines of fear” - Kip’s fear of intruding in Strength’s realm makes her hesitant to go back there to search for Khleo. Kip’s also been harboring fear of what Asra will think of her reading with Muriel and the emotions she’s been holding onto regarding Khleo.

“Tell me how you feel” - Asra spends time trying to get Kip to open up.

“Just a grain in the morning air / dark shadow on the hill” - Asra easily picks up on Kip’s anxiety around these subjects. He comforts her, knowing that she still feels very helpless “just a grain in the morning air” and uneasy about pursuing the answers that have been haunting her all this time “dark shadow on the hill”. There are more lyrics in the song that reinforce this feeling of problems seeming too big for one person to handle / out of your grasp - “Just a blade in the grass” for example and “A spoke unto the wheel”

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“I Will Be Blessed”

Lyrics that had the most impact on the chapter:

Oh my ghost came by / Said who do you love the most / Who you wanna call before you die

Oh hey, heaven is the place we know / Heaven is the arms that hold us / Long before we go

Oh if you're there when the world / Comes to gather me in, oh if you're there / I will be blessed

Commentary

“Who do you love the most / Who you wanna call before you die” - These lyrics reflect the confrontational tone this chapter takes when it comes to Kip’s feelings towards her childhood friends. The Strength Major Arcana doesn’t take it easy on Kip. She’s very straightforward with how Kip messed up and challenges her to fix her mistakes. Later on in the chapter, Kip is straightforward with Ozy about where she went wrong and how much he means to her.

“Oh hey, heaven is the place we know / Heaven is the arms that hold us / Long before we go” - The more walls Kip breaks down with Ozy, the more she’s able to let go of her pain and replace it with joy and unconditional love. She gets a sense of what “heaven” is like when she finally reaches this point where she can embrace Ozy without all of the tension and guilt that has been holding her back from moving on. Ozy experiences the same feeling when Kip reaches this point. This is the moment when he’s able to start his own journey towards healing.