Darby's Castle
Darby's Castle: A Tale of Obsession and Ruin
Lyrics
See the ruins on the hill where the smoke is hanging still
Observing the remains on the hill with lingering smoke, reminiscent of a bygone era.
Like an echo of an age long forgotten
Comparing the scene to an echo from a long-forgotten age.
There's a story of a home crushed beneath those blackened stones
Describing a home crushed beneath blackened stones, conveying a tragic story.
And the roof that fell before the beams were rotten
Highlighting the roof's collapse before the beams deteriorated.
Cecil Darby loved his wife and he labored all his life
Introducing Cecil Darby, emphasizing his love for his wife and lifelong dedication.
To provide her with material possessions
Depicting Darby's effort to provide material possessions for his wife.
And he built for her a home of the finest wood and stone
Portraying the construction of a fine home for his wife using the best materials.
And the building soon became his sole obsession
Describing how the building became Darby's sole obsession.
Oh it took three hundred days for the timbers to be raised
Noting the extensive time (300 days) it took to raise the timbers for the home.
And the silhouette was seen for miles around
Highlighting the visible silhouette of the home for miles around.
And the gables reached as high as the eagles in the sky
Comparing the height of the gables to the eagles in the sky.
But it only took one night to bring it down
Contrasting the significant effort in building with the swift destruction in one night.
When Darby's castle tumbled to the ground
Reflecting on the collapse of Darby's castle and the associated tragedy.
Though they shared the common bed there was precious little said
Describing a lack of communication between Darby and his wife during shared moments in bed.
In the moments that were set aside for sleeping
Emphasizing Darby's preoccupation with dreams of unfinished rooms, leading to little verbal interaction.
For his busy dreams were filled with the rooms he'd yet to build
Expressing Darby's unawareness of his wife's emotional pain and tears.
And he never heard young Helen Darby weeping
Revealing Helen Darby's silent weeping during her husband's dreams and obsessions.
Then one night he heard the sound and as he laid his pencil down
Depicting Darby hearing a sound one night, prompting him to investigate.
He traced it to her door and turned the handle
Describing Darby discovering a scene of intimacy between his wife and another person.
And the pale light of the moon through the window of her room
Highlighting the moonlight revealing the scene in Helen Darby's room.
Split the shadows where two bodies lay in tangle
Describing the shadows where two bodies lay entangled, suggesting infidelity.
Oh it took three hundred days
Repeating the time it took to build the home, possibly emphasizing the swift end of Darby's dream.
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