“Let me see those eyes” … a Decemberists song of autism
by Beth
I love The Decemberists. Who can argue with a band that has accordion, pedal steel guitar, and upright bass? I like the band’s originality. I like their complicated lyrics. I even like lead singer Colin Meloy’s unapologetically nasal voice.
In an interview in Time Magazine, The Decemberists’ frontman Colin Meloy said he wrote the song Rise to Me on The King is Dead album after his son Henry was diagnosed with autism. I should have known. Here are some of the lyrics :
Hey Henry can you hear me?
Let me see those eyes
This distance between us
Can seem a mountain size
But boy:
You are going to stand your ground.
When the Time reporter asked about the song, Meloy said, “It’s chronicling our feelings as a family and the sort of face that we have to put on to remain sane.”
You can listen to Rise to Me on YouTube — see what you think.