Mood: Context is Key
Genre: Folk
The Oh Hellos is a folk band that always gives all the feels. I first listened to them 3 years ago when “Hello My Old Heart” popped up on my Spotify discover weekly.
What I didn’t know— they have a whole album based on C.S. Lewis’ writing. (side note: I’ve been reading Mere Christianity by him and I highly recommend) Thanks to my lovely Benjamin, he updated me on this beautiful album in the car on a three-hour drive back to Dartmouth.
I am an emotional person (most people know this); yet, it has been a long time since I have cried this much (Ben was crying too so).
This song is about the demon called Wormwood in “The Screwtape Letters”. I don’t know the whole entire story, but this song convinces me more that I have to read this book.
It starts with the artist singing about how he didn’t know who this demon was in the story. He didn’t understand the demon, it was just a childhood story. Then, he does into singing, “I know who you are now.”
This realization of this demon, and what he did in the story. But then he gets deeper, saying this demon is not just in the story but in his mind as well.
At the end, although he realizes the demon, and that he has been taunted the whole time, the lyrics say, “I know who I am now.”
That is the most powerful part of the song. That the demons of this world are trying to get him, and break him down (and honestly, break everyone down), and he says, “I know who I am now”, and will not be defined by those things.
So yeah. Listen to this song with the power and build an emotional rollercoaster of these lyrics. I promise you will not be disappointed.
xoxo
Brianna (The Music Bean)