What does White Winter Hymnal mean?

Fleet Foxes: White Winter Hymnal Meaning

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Album cover for White Winter Hymnal album cover

White Winter Hymnal Lyrics

I was following the,
I was following the,
I was following the,
I was following the,
I was following the,
I was following the,
I was following the,
I was following the,
I was following the pack,
All swallowed in their coats
With scarves of red...

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  1. anonymous
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     Dec 15th 2017 !⃝

    It's about suicide.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  2. anonymous
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     Dec 13th 2017 !⃝

    Lead singer and songwriter Robin Pecknold : "It's lyrically fairly meaningless"

  3. anonymous
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     Dec 10th 2017 !⃝

    People keep telling me at school that it's a death song. I love to sing this song, but how I think of it is that a boy named Michael made a snowman. His head kept coming off, so Michael took his red scarf off, and put it on the snowman. The neck of the snowman turned red as strawberries because of the dye in the scarf. Or, Michael was playing around outside, and he tripped on a branch (for example), fell, and got a scrapped knee so bad, that it bled through his snow pants.

  4. anonymous
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     Dec 8th 2017 !⃝

    This song is not about death. It's about friendships falling apart in a christmas world.

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  5. Izzy
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     Dec 5th 2017 !⃝

    I’m almost 100% sure it’s about the French Revolution. If people did not wear red hats or scarves and they would be seen as,”Not supporting the revolution.” So then they would decapitated

    “I was following the
    I was following the
    I was following the
    I was following the
    I was following the
    I was following the
    I was following the
    I was following the pack” part to me resembled. A team of French revolutionist; multiple people a repeating the same thing as they are all following each other.

    “All swallowed in their coats
    With scarves of red tied ‘round their throats to keep their little heads from falling in the snow”

    They had to wear coats because-well-it’s cold. And the scarves resemble the red scarves they had to wear, or else their little heads would get decapitated. (most likely young boys, that’s probably why it says little heads)

    “And I turned ‘round and there you go
    And Michael you would fall and turn the white snow red as strawberries in the summertime.”

    Maybe Michael tripped and his scarve fell off so while he was rushing to find it (so he wouldn’t get decapitated) he possibly accidentally buried it under the snow. Or he was tired of living a miserable life having to fight in the revolution so he took it off wanting the sweet release of death.

    If you listen to the instrumental you can hear drums.OH GOD I HAVE ANOTHER THEORY. Maybe Michael was a young drummer boy who is extremely tired from carrying and playing a heavy drum so he passed it but as he was falling the scarf fell off and he got decapitated because they though he took it off on purpose.(this next one is following my first theory) Maybe the drums resemble the drums that the drummer boys are playing at his funeral, if they even gave him a funeral that is.

    Apart from all the theories, I must say that this is a very catchy and brilliant song.

  6. anonymous
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     Dec 5th 2017 !⃝

    Michael shall not fall. Indeed, in the nature of things, He can never fall. Simply because He is the Source of all life in the universe. His Name is Jesus Christ.
    All they that hate Michael and reject His wonderful salvation shall sadly be ashamed and lost forever. (John 3:16; Daniel 12:1)

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  7. anonymous
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     Dec 3rd 2017 !⃝

    Love this song... it’s swaddled, not swallowed!

  8. anonymous
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     Dec 1st 2017 !⃝

    Ok it’s literally about decapitation

  9. anonymous
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     Nov 2nd 2017 !⃝

    The first thing that came to my head was the Russian revolution. They wore the red scarves to show their loyalty to the rebellion and often when they didn't wear the scarf they were beheaded. So when it says they have scarves of red tied around their throats otp keep their heads from falling in the snow it meant they were for the rebellion so that they did not get beheaded.

  10. anonymous
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     Oct 19th 2017 !⃝

    Jesus fuck-me Christ, ITS ABOUT KILLING PEOPLE IN THE DEAD OF WINTER...
    Read between the lines, people.

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  11. anonymous
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     Aug 29th 2017 !⃝

    its wintertime - young boys and girls wearing scarves walking in the snow - Michael falls and his red scarf falls off leaving the red scarf atop the snow.

    Not as mysterious as others have posted....

  12. Celine
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     May 1st 2017 !⃝

    'I was following the pack'
    : I am a fox hunter. I was following a group of foxes and they had been hunted by me.

    'All swallowed in their coats'
    : All of the foxes were so afraid that they swallowed their own saliva and they were wearing thick comfy fur which will then ended up turning into someone else's possession(leather coats) as they don't feel that their fur belongs to them anymore.

    'With scarves of red tied around their throats'
    : I used red ropes to tied them up together around their throats (like chains) so that they couldn't escape.

    'To keep their little heads from falling in the snow'
    :The foxes were exhausted and riddled with scares so they wanna rest and refused to carry on the journey but I still forced them to keep going by jerking the ropes that were tied to their necks to keep them awake all the time.The word 'little' tells us that the foxes are still young.

    'And I turned around and there you go'
    : I felt footsteps behind me, that must be Michael, the little boy who was a friend to the foxes and he always stands in my way whenever I was hunting foxes. I guess now he is coming to save them but sorry man, I won't let you

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
  13. Ashley Neal
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     Mar 16th 2017 !⃝

    I think this song is about a group snowmen and the scarves keep their heads on. The part about strawberries in the summertime is when the snowman melts and beautiful strawberry cored flowers grow where the snowman, or men, once were.
    In my mind I see a snowman melting and his head rolling off the top of his body

  14. anonymous
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     Mar 16th 2017 !⃝

    I think this song is about a group snowmen and the scarves keep their heads on. The part about strawberries in the summertime is when the snowman melts and beautiful strawberry cored flowers grow where the snowman, or men, once were.
    In my mind I see a snowman melting and his head rolling off the top of his body.

  15. anonymous
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     Jan 26th 2017 !⃝

    i think it is a group of kids and the singer(s) are the adults watching them walk in the snow, then the adult turns around and sees a kid appare tly named Michael fall and bleed in the snow. but in not Christian so i would not know what you are talking about. that is just my assumption. i think it is correct.

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