And Dream of Sheep

["Andy Gough, x4-2906, pager 420-2284, CH2-59" <@hermes.intel.com:AGOUGH@AZ.intel.com>]

>Subject: *** Great Hounds of Love interview 2 *****
>From:	rhill@netlink.cts.com (Ron Hill)
>Date:	Sun, 23 Feb 1992 00:26:10 -0800
>
>        A: The continuous flow of music on a compact disk masks the fact 
>that Hounds of Love and The Ninth Wave were conceived as two quite separate 
>sides to the album.
>
>        K: Yes they were.  I started off writing, I think, "Running Up That 
>Hill", "Hounds of Love", and then I think probably "Dream of Sheep." And 
>once I wrote that, that was it, that was the beginning of what then became 
>the concept.  And really, for me, from the beginning, The Ninth Wave was a 
>film, that's how I thought of it.  It's the idea of this person being in the 
>water, how they've got there, we don't know.  But the idea is that they've 
>been on a ship and they've been washed over the side so they're alone in 
>this water.  And I find that horrific imagery, the thought of being 
>completely alone in all this water.  AND THEY'VE GOT A LIFE JACKET WITH A 
>LITTLE LIGHT SO THAT IF ANYONE SHOULD BE TRAVELING AT NIGHT THEY'LL SEE THE 
>LIGHT AND KNOW THEY'RE THERE.  And they're absolutely terrified, and they're 
>completely alone at the mercy of their imagination, which again I personally 
>find such a terrifying thing, the power of ones own imagination being let 
>loose on something like that.  And the idea that they've got it in their 
>head that they mustn't fall asleep, because if you fall asleep when you're 
>in the water, I've heard that you roll over and so you drown, so they're 
>trying to keep themselves awake. 

Hey, I think this is some documentation that contradicts the canonical IED
interpretation of what the "little light" is in the song, "And Dream of 
Sheep."  The canonical interpretation, as I remember it, is that 
the "little light" referred to is a lighthouse.

However, in the above, KaTe clearly refers to it as a little flashlight attached
to the life jacket.  I assume it's one of those emergency flashlights that turn
on automatically when exposed to water.  Now that I've heard the explanation of
the reference, it makes perfect sense to me.

I think it also changes the feeling one might vibe from the song.  

Thinking of a lighthouse, one might imagine the person in the water looking 
towards the horizon and seeing the lighthouse beam scanning around.  The 
person would be enveloped in darkness, but would see a light in the distance.  
That light would represent safety and provide hope.

Thinking of a little emergency flashlight attached to the lifejacket, one might
imagine that the person is surrounded by darkness.  The flashlight provides a
little illumination for the person, but everything around her is darkness.  So
no hopeful light to look towards.  The only hope is that someone will see her
little light.  Also, the little light provides some comfort from the darkness.
I imagine the scene as Kate's face illuminated weakly by a small flashlight
below her chin, with total blackness around her.

So, the "lighthouse" interpretation is focused on the horizon and it's hope
and safety.  The "emergency flashlight" interpretation places the focus on
the person, and the fear and lonliness they are experiencing.  

>        A: The Ninth Wave song sequence concludes with "The Morning Fog"
>
>        K: Well, that's really meant to be the rescue of the whole 
>situation, where now suddenly out of all this darkness and weight comes 
>light.  You know, the weightiness is gone and here's the morning, and it's 
>meant to feel very positive and bright and uplifting from the rest of dense, 
>darkness of the previous track.  And although it doesn't say so, in my mind 
>this was the song where they were rescued, where they get pulled out of the 
>water.  And it's very much a song of seeing perspective, of really, you 
>know, of being so grateful for everything that you have, that you're never 
>grateful of in ordinary life because you just abuse it totally.  And it was 
>also meant to be one of those kind of "thank you and goodnight" songs.  You 
>know, the little finale where everyone does a little dance and then the bow 
>and then they leave the stage.  [laughs]

I believe this is another reference that reveals that the person does live
at the end.

Regards,
Andy