Hello dreamers! We’ve made it through the first day of deliberation. I hope everyone is feeling refreshed from the Wellness Day. This week, for the first time ever, we are going to be analyzing a song about dreams! The song is by one of my favorite artists in the world, Kate Bush, a powerhouse of inventive hooks inspired by subjects like literature (see her song Wuthering Heights), the seemingly impossible exchange of empathy between a man and a woman (see Running Up That Hill), and the way one can overcome cowardice by letting go in love (see Hounds of Love).
I found The Dreaming soon after discovering Kate Bush. When I first listened to it, I recognized the Australian influence, but I didn’t know what the song was about. “The Dreaming” is the name for the Aboriginal Australian philosophy that states that all people and things are interconnected, and represents the time when spirits roamed the Earth. Keep this in mind as you read the lyrics. I like to think that Kate Bush also dreamed this song before she wrote it. Onto the dream!
The Dreaming
“Bang!” goes another kanga on the bonnet of the van
See the light ram through the gaps in the land
Many an Aborigine’s mistaken for a tree
‘Til you near him on the motorway and the tree begin to breathe
See the light ram through the gaps in the land
Come in with the golden light
In the morning
Come in with the golden light
Is the New Man
Come in with the golden light
Is my dented van
Woomera
Dree-ee-ee-ee-ee-
A-a-a-a-a-
M-m-m-m-m-
Ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-
I-i-i-i-i-
Me-me-me-me-me
Dree-ee-ee-ee-ee-
Woomera
A-a-a-a-a-
M-m-m-m-m-
Ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-
I-i-i-i-i-
Me-me-me-me-me
Dree-ee-ee-ee-ee-
A-a-a-a-a-
M-m-m-m-m-
Ti-ti-ti-ti-ti…
The civilized keep alive the territorial war
See the light ram through the gaps in the land
Erase the race that claim the place and say we dig for ore
Or dangle devils in a bottle and push them from the Pull of the Bush
See the light ram through the gaps in the land
You find them in the road
See the light bounce off the rocks to the sand
In the road
Come in with the golden light
In the morning
Come in with the golden light
With no warning
Come in with the golden light
We bring in the rigging
Dig, dig, dig, dig away
Dree-ee-ee-ee-ee-
A-a-a-a-a-
M-m-m-m-m-
Ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-
I-i-i-i-i-
Me-me-me-me-me
Dree-ee-ee-ee-ee-
Woomera
A-a-a-a-a-
M-m-m-m-m-
Ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-
I-i-i-i-i-
Me-me-me-me-me
Dree-ee-ee-ee-ee-
A-a-a-a-a-
M-m-m-m-m-
Woomera
Ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-
I-i-i-i-i-
Me-me-me-me-me
Dree-ee-ee-ee-ee-
A-a-a-a-a-
M-m-m-m-m-
Ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-
I-i-i-i-i-
Woomera
Me-me-me-me-me
Many an Aborigine’s mistaken for a tree
See the light ram through the gaps in the land
You near him on the motorway and the tree begin to breathe
Erase the race that claim the place and say we dig for ore
See the light ram through the gaps in the land
Dangle devils in a bottle and push them from the Pull of the Bush
See the sun set in the hand of the man
‘Bang!’ goes another kanga on the bonnet of the van
See the light bounce off the rocks to the sand
You find them in the road
See the light ram through the gaps in the land
In the road
See the light
Push ’em from the
Pull of the Bush
See the light bounce off the rocks to the sand
Push ’em from the
Pull of the Bush
See the sun set in the hands of man.
The Analysis
The first detail that stands out in the song is the recurrence of “light.” The first iteration of light is after the “bang,” which is presumably a gunshot. This could mean that “light” is referring to the blinding light of a gun being fired. However, light appears later in the pre-chorus when Kate Bush sings “come in with the golden light of the morning.” Light in the song serves two purposes, functioning first as a flashbang and second as the sunlight.
Kate Bush references “Many an Aborigine mistaken for a tree” and begins to mimic Aboriginal songs, indicating that this song is about the plight of the Aborigines. The people who mistake the Aborigines for a tree and implicitly chop them down are mentioned by name once in the song, when Kate Bush says “The civilized keep alive the territorial war.” The ones who wish harm upon the Aborigines are the “civilized,” or Europeans.
The light I mentioned acts as both a symbol for these colonizers and the Aborigines. In the first verse, Kate Bush sings, “See the light ram through the gaps in the land.” Here, the light represents the violence and force of the “civilized.” As the light invades the cracked Earth, the colonizers too invade the Aboriginal people of Australia.
The light also operates as an emblem for the Aborigines’ spiritual life. Kate Bush sings, “Come in with the golden light of morning.” The colonizers come to the bush, where the Aboriginal people view themselves as connected to everything and everyone. There, the colonizers shoot and destroy, rupturing the interconnected peace.
The final line, “See the sun set in the hand of man,” represents the death of the Aborigines, literally and spiritually, at the hands of the colonizers. The colonizers held the Aborigines’ spiritual light in the hands and caused that ever-glowing sun to set.
Overall, Kate Bush’s song, “The Dreaming” about the plight of the Aborigines at the hands of Europeans uses Aboriginal descriptions and music to convey its message and light to represent the colonizers and the colonized. Stay loose and dream lucid!