t is difficult to put into words the magic the song can evoke. The story of Rhiannon is an interesting one. Rhiannon is the maker of birds, the goddess of steeds, and the protector of horses. Her music has the effect of a pain pill. A person wakes up and hears the birds singing her song and the danger has passed. Stevie has said that she always thinks of that when she sings the song. Stevie wrote her song without prior knowledge of legend. She was pleasantly surprised to realize that the Rhiannon of her song bore a striking resemblance to the actual story. You cannot catch Rhiannon, no matter how close she appears to be wandering. Only when you cry out to her does she respond. Rhiannon left her magical world to marry a mortal king and lost her powers. She did not lose knowledge of them, she knew what would happen and could do nothing about it, which was difficult. As punishment for a crime she did not commit, Rhiannon was forced to carry people around on her back, thus she was called the Mare-Goddess. Stevie often introduced the song by saying, simply, "This is a story about a Welsh witch." And so it is.......
Rhiannon rings like a bell thru the night
And wouldn't you love to love her
She rules her life like a bird in flight (or Takes to the sky like a bird in flight)
And who will be her lover...
And who will be her lover...
Rhiannon is a mystical and hypnotic character, and the silent night is her setting. She commands attention, like a ringing bell, because she is special, as does Stevie. As one person noted, Stevie's voice resembles the reverberations of a bell. In literature, a bell is often used to beckon. People beckon Rhiannon when they need her to help them. The song itself "takes flight" with the opening chords. Stevie may want to be able to live freely, like Rhiannon, who "Rules her life like a bird in flight." Birds are heavenly creatures, so this is an excellent analogy, as Rhiannon is one also. When she asks "And who will be her lover, " it could be a reference to her relationship with Lindsey Buckingham, which was already stormy. Rhiannon is unnattainable, like a bird in flight. "Wouldn't you love to love her." Rhiannon is unattainable. She is the one with the power. Rhiannon does the choosing. Will anyone be the lucky one she chooses to be with? nd he says, "Rhiannon, don't go."
And he says, "Rhiannon, stay."
And he says, "I still cry out for you. Don't leave me, don't leave me."
These lines are often added at the end of the piano intro. They refer to the people that call out for Rhiannon to end their pain. She helps them and then they want her to stay. She can't, of course. The people think that they will still need her. She may well also refer here to Lindsey. Maybe she has threatened to leave him, and he is begging her to stay. All your life you've never seen
A woman - taken by the wind (or taken by the sky)
Would you stay if she promised you heaven
Will you ever win... (or would you even try)
This shows Rhiannon's uniqueness. No one like her has ever been seen and likely does not exist. She is on the wind like the bird in flight that she is. You can't get to Rhiannon or keep her. She is like the wind, she cannot be captured. She is in the sky where goddesses belong. She is there one moment and gone the next. Of course you would stay if she promised heaven, but then you remember you can never win her. Why would you even try when you know she will vanish? This may also refer to Stevie's relationship with Lindsey. If she promises him paradise, will he try to make things work?
She is like a cat in the dark
And then she is the darkness
She rules her life like a fine skylark-
And when the sky is starless-
This shows just how mystical she is. She can blend into her surroundings like a cat in a dark, and she moves stealthily like one, as well. Cats are associated with witches, and Rhiannon is a witch of sorts. Cats are independent, like Rhiannon, and you never know what they are thinking. The next moment she flies away like a skyl
NsGoddess "NsGoddess" Scared
- 16 years, 10 months, 11 days ago