The imagery in "Queen of the Pines" is deeply personal, drawing on family stories about surviving fascism in Hitler’s Germany and the Dirty War in Argentina.
There’s a sense of longing in the lyrics, a plea for empathy, understanding and compassion in a world that’s ruled by disfunction, violence, and fear.
The repeated call to the "Queen of the Pines" is asking for mercy from something bigger than all of us, hoping that even in the darkest times, we can find some light, some hope, and maybe even a way back to each other.
Lyrics
If only I had
Change for a dollar
Not a change of heart,
Lacking a quarter
From where I’m standing
Lost among the cedars
Have pity on me
Queen of the pines
Scattered and broken,
Discarded like clothing
Remnants of dreams
Outgrown and torn
Grasping at saplings to
Hold against this storm
Have pity on me
Queen of the pines
At night I can hear
The bodies of angels
Crashing through branches
That won’t break their fall
From my little window
Watching the world fall apart
Have pity on me
Queen of the pines
At night I can hear
A choir of bloodhounds
Wise to the smell
Of fear on the ground
From deep in this valley
No solace or refuge
Have pity on me
Queen of the pines
From deep in this valley
Where the river runs dark
And the cedars usurp
The very rights of the sun
I’ll light a small candle
For a world that’s gone blind
Have pity on me
Queen of the pines
