The Lighthouse's Tale
Encyclopedia
"The Lighthouse's Tale" is a song by progressive bluegrass
band Nickel Creek
, taken from their debut album, Nickel Creek
, released in 2001.
. At five minutes and one second, it is the longest single ever released by Nickel Creek. A sequel to the song, "The Lighthouse's Tale, Part 2", was played by Nickel Creek at several of their concerts, but not released with the single.
A music video
for the song was released with the single, and featured footage of the band at various locations. These include many location near water, such as a lighthouse by the ocean, a bridge over a small river, and a mountainside lake. The lighthouse in the video is the Cape Neddick Light
, near York, Maine
.
The haunting lyrics that keep repeating are "and the waves crashing around me, the sand slips out to sea, and the winds that blow remind me of what has been and what can never be"
A critic for the Houston Chronicle
said in an article regarding the release of Why Should the Fire Die?
that Nickel Creek once "sung sweetly about foxes and lighthouses", however, two thirds of the characters in "The Lighthouse's Tale" die.
Progressive bluegrass
Progressive bluegrass is one of two major subgenres of bluegrass music. It is also known as newgrass, a term attributed to New Grass Revival member Ebo Walker. Musicians and bands John Hartford, New Grass Revival, J.D. Crowe and the New South, The Dillards, Boone Creek, Country Gazette, and the...
band Nickel Creek
Nickel Creek
Nickel Creek was an American progressive acoustic music trio consisting of Chris Thile , Sara Watkins and Sean Watkins . The band was founded in 1989 and released 6 albums between 1993 and 2006...
, taken from their debut album, Nickel Creek
Nickel Creek (album)
Nickel Creek is an eponymous album by the acoustic/"newgrass" trio known as Nickel Creek. Although the group had released two albums prior to this, they are not produced anymore and the band's style was redefined before the release of Nickel Creek; therefore this album is widely regarded as...
, released in 2001.
Single details
"The Lighthouse's Tale" was written by Adam McKenzie & Chris ThileChris Thile
Christopher Scott Thile is an American musician, best known as the mandolinist and a singer for the progressive acoustic trio Nickel Creek. His current band is Punch Brothers whose most recent album is Antifogmatic...
. At five minutes and one second, it is the longest single ever released by Nickel Creek. A sequel to the song, "The Lighthouse's Tale, Part 2", was played by Nickel Creek at several of their concerts, but not released with the single.
A music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the song was released with the single, and featured footage of the band at various locations. These include many location near water, such as a lighthouse by the ocean, a bridge over a small river, and a mountainside lake. The lighthouse in the video is the Cape Neddick Light
Cape Neddick Light
- See also :* Nobska Light, a similar lighthouse on Cape Cod, constructed in 1876.* Portsmouth Harbor Light, a similar lighthouse in New Hampshire, constructed in 1878.* National Register of Historic Places listings in York County, Maine- References :...
, near York, Maine
York, Maine
York is a town in York County, Maine, United States at the southwest corner of the state. The population in the 2000 census was 12,854. Situated beside the Atlantic Ocean on the Gulf of Maine, York is a well-known summer resort. It is home to three 18-hole golf clubs, three sandy beaches, and...
.
Synopsis
"The Lighthouse's Tale" is about a lighthouse, the keeper, and his fiancée. The lighthouse serves as a narrator to tell how the keeper was going to marry a beautiful woman who had to sail in a fierce storm. She doesn't survive the journey. The next day, the lighthouse "watched as he [the keeper] buried her in the sand. And then he climbed my tower, and off of the edge of me he ran." The lighthouse concludes by saying "and though I am empty, I still warn the sailors on their way".The haunting lyrics that keep repeating are "and the waves crashing around me, the sand slips out to sea, and the winds that blow remind me of what has been and what can never be"
A critic for the Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
said in an article regarding the release of Why Should the Fire Die?
Why Should the Fire Die?
In the time that Nickel Creek spent writing songs for Why Should the Fire Die?, numerous songs did not make the cut, and only fourteen were used in the final draft of the album. When discussing the album, Sean Watkins said that the band "did so much co-writing together and filtering...
that Nickel Creek once "sung sweetly about foxes and lighthouses", however, two thirds of the characters in "The Lighthouse's Tale" die.
Track listing
- "The Lighthouse's Tale" (Radio Edit)
- "The Fox" (Live)
- "Let It Fall" (Live)
- "The Lighthouse's Tale" (Music Video)
Personnel
- Chris ThileChris ThileChristopher Scott Thile is an American musician, best known as the mandolinist and a singer for the progressive acoustic trio Nickel Creek. His current band is Punch Brothers whose most recent album is Antifogmatic...
- Mandolin, Lead Vocals - Sara WatkinsSara WatkinsSara Ullrika Watkins is an American singer-songwriter and fiddler. Watkins debuted in 1989 as the fiddler of the progressive bluegrass group Nickel Creek, which consisted of herself, her elder brother Sean, and mandolinist Chris Thile. As a band, they are notable for three wide-released albums:...
- Violin - Sean WatkinsSean WatkinsSean Charles Watkins is a guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He is a member of the contemporary folk band Nickel Creek, the duo Fiction Family and the supergroup Works Progress Administration.-Nickel Creek:...
- Guitar, Harmony Vocals - Scott Thile - Acoustic Bass
Chart performance
| Chart (2001) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
147 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
49 |