The Power Of Story: I Was An Eagle (Laura Marling)

Storytelling is a powerful tool to connect. This is known in the corporate world and also very visible in songwriting. On this blog, I’m breaking down songs for you to demonstrate what you can learn from them when it comes to storytelling. Today: ‘I Was An Eagle’ by Laura Marling.

So your grandmother sounds to me
A woman I would be proud to be.

We fall right into the story here: it’s starts with a conclusion, ‘so…’.
That’s interesting! A story (or song) doesn’t have to start at the beginning of the story. Much like films, you can be dropped in the middle and figure out along the way where you are, where you came from and where you’re going.

The sentence that follows gives us a lot of clues. Talking about your grandparents isn’t something you usually do when you just met somebody. There is a history here and we feel it without it being mentioned. But the verse concludes with ‘every little boy is so naïve’ — which leaves us with the impression that the ‘you’ person here doesn’t quite know Marling. The word little is important here; it has a pejorative feel to it, but also adds a sense of youthful ignorance.

Enter the chorus. Contrasting to that little boy naivety, I will not be a victim of romance. This sounds mature, somebody who knows life and has seen things. Strong and independent.

The second verse links back to the first one. Back to the family portrayal and the comparison, which is a nice way of repetition (though it’s the grandfather this time), but with a twist: now, Marling compares herself instead of being compared.
Or does she just repeat what the other person tells her, with a cynical tone maybe even?
The little boy gets replaced by a little girl which then gets us wondering; is she talking about herself? The story unravels a bit here; the strong, independent mood from before suddenly isn’t that much of a given anymore.

The second chorus gets another vibe as a result of this; it doesn’t feel as much an independent claim anymore, but more as if Marling is telling herself to behave a certain way, to convince herself. I love how the feeling of the exact same words can change during a song.

The next couple of lines open up a whole new chapter.

When we were in love
- if we were -
When we were in love
I was an eagle
And you were a dove

When we were in love — there, so they’re not in love anymore. If we were — ah, they might never have been. So much information in so few words!
I was an eagle and you were a dove. This can mean many things, but it certainly implies those lovers were no equals. This is a nice metaphor about the balance of power.

The last verse contains some more information that shines another light on the story.

Today I will feel something other than regret
Pass me a glass and a half-smoked cigarette
I’ve damn near got no dignity left

Back to the history between Marling and the other person; whatever happened, she’s not proud of it. The line ‘pass me a glass and a half-smoked cigarette’ is a wonderful illustration to the mood. Smoking and drinking away sorrow has a sort of melancholic beauty that is so universal that we can all relate, whether we’re smokers or drinkers ourselves or not.

The last chorus ends with a different line:

When we were in love
-if we were-
When we were in love
You were a dove
And I rose above you and preyed

It sounds like this relationship was no romance, as Marling clearly states multiple times, but one where she might have used the other one, feeling not proud of it.

An explanation of the whole story, putting the pieces of the puzzle together, might be that the speaker fell in love, realized that the love was of a naive, young sort of rush, and now regrets that she hurt the other person, declaring to herself that she will not act this way again. Another explanation might be that she preyed on her lover purposely.
Of course there are other interpretations, that’s the beauty of good songwriting!

So what can we get from this poetic pearl when it comes to storytelling?

• The order of your story; you can choose where you want the listener to drop in. Don’t be too vague though; drop them where there are at least a couple of signs pointing in the direction you want them to go.
• Show don’t tell; a couple of well-chosen words can paint a whole picture or tell us a whole history.
• The use of metaphors!
• The use of repetitions, and
• The use of twists in these repetitions that impact the story.

Here’s ‘I Was An Eagle’ by Laura Marling, including its lyrics, in its entirety.

So your grandmother sounds to me
A woman I would be proud to be
And you say she reminds you of me
Every little boy is so naive

I will not be a victim of romance
I will not be a victim of circumstance
Chance or circumstance or romance, or any man
Who could get his dirty little hands on me

So your grandfather sounds like me
Head up shoulders back and proud to be
Every little girl is so naive
Falling in love with the first man that she sees

I will not be a victim of romance
I will not be a victim of circumstance
Chance or circumstance or romance, or any man
Who could get his dirty little hands on me

When we were in love (if we were)
When we were in love
I was an eagle
And you were a dove

Today I will feel something other than regret
Pass me a glass and a half-smoked cigarette
I’ve damn near got no dignity left
I’ve damn near got no dignity left

I will not be a victim of romance
I will not be a victim of circumstance
Chance or circumstance or romance, or any man
Who could get his dirty little hands on me

When we were in love (if we were)
When we were in love
I was an eagle
And you were a dove

When we were in love (if we were)
When we were in love
You were a dove
And I rose above you and preyed