The Love of a Lighthouse

I have always been incredibly moved by the combination of poetry and music. This mostly takes place in a song written by various artists- The Beatles, Eagles, Weezer, and many more. Music is powerful on its own, without lyrics, and the combining of lyric or poetry to a song makes something that can at times leave me speechless.

I wanted to write about a song called “The Lighthouse Tale” from a little folk group called Nickel Creek. My brother, Dane, had introduced the song to me when we were living near Denver, Colorado. I had always been incredibly interested in the music tastes of my siblings. I knew they didn’t waste their time listening to shallow artists or meaningless songs, and when he played this song for me, I knew it would mean something special to me. I wish I could describe the beautiful guitar, mandolin and violin that plays with the amazing harmony, but I can’t. You might just have to listen to it while you read.

The Lighthouse Tale
     I am a lighthouse, worn by the weather and the waves.
     I keep my lamp lit, to warn the sailors on their way.
     I'll tell a story, paint you a picture from my past.
     I was so happy, but joy in this life seldom lasts.

     I had a keeper, he helped me warn the ships at sea.

     We had grown closer, 'till his joy meant everything to me.

     And he was to marry, a girl who shone with beauty and light.

     And they loved each other, and with me watched the sunsets into night.

I think this was the first time I fell in love with a story the moment I heard it. I thought it was so interesting that a lighthouse could exist, and alongside that existence, it had feelings, emotions, things that brought it joy and things that made it optimistic. I remember feeling happy at the beginning, yet concerned when the lighthouse warned that “joy in this life seldom lasts.” 

I had always considered myself the romantic type, even as a kid. I’m not super sure why, but I always found the idea of love and relationships something beautiful and enticing. I was moved by the different types of love that were presenting themselves in this poem:

There was the selfless, duty love that came from the lighthouse. The lighthouse loved the keeper and was concerned for his happiness. This kind of love reminded me of the kind of love a dog has for its master; not a care for the world besides its worry to love the human.

The lighthouse also had a love for the keeper’s girl. The girl was not the keeper, but the keeper loved her, and they spent their time with the lighthouse. I can imagine the keeper and his girl talking to each other about their dreams while sitting on the sand by the lighthouse, and the lighthouse simply watching with them, listening, happy to be a part of their lives. I’m not exactly sure how to title this kind of love, but it’s similar to the love that a parent has for their child’s spouse.

Then, there is the romantic love that the keeper and the girl have. I wondered if they had first met at the lighthouse, on the beach. I figured they had, and that they spent their evenings walking in the cool sand and talking to each other about their hopes and dreams. I remember wanting to find a girl like that- a girl that the keeper had. The idea of simply being with a girl and enjoying one an other’s presence seemed like such a great way to live.

     She'd had to leave us, my keeper he prayed for a safe return.
     But when the night came, the weather to a raging storm had turned.
     He watched her ship fight, but in vain against the wild and terrible wave.

     In me so helpless, as dashed against the rock she met her end. 

I remember this line breaking my ten-year-old heart. I was so confused and sad. Why did she have to leave? What was it that caused her to leave her fiancée, and why did the timing have to be so disastrous? Could she not have waited another day at the sight of the coming storm, or was something so urgent that required her attention that she had to hope the storm wouldn’t affect her? 

      Then on the next day, my keeper found her washed up on the shore.
     He kissed her cold face, that they'd be together soon he'd swore.
     I saw him crying, watched as he buried her in the sand.

     And then he climbed my tower, and off of the edge of me he ran.

This also brought my little mind into a lot of confusion. I didn’t understand why the keeper had to commit suicide. I understood that he loved her, and that her loss was a lot for him to take, but did he not have any other things in his life to fight for? His faith, or his family, or the lighthouse itself? Was the lighthouse’s love returned to him through the keeper, or did the keeper only care for the girl? I felt that it was foolish for me to judge the keeper. I didn’t know what he had in his life. I have never myself, then or now, experienced anything close to the heartbreak that revolves around death, and especially the death of a spouse (or future spouse). To this day I try to keep that mindset of not judging others, especially when it comes to things I haven’t been close to experiencing. 

     I am a lighthouse, worn by the weather and the waves.
     And though I am empty, I still warn the sailors on their way.

I was happy with the way it ended. Although the lighthouse had little to hold on to in life, it stayed true to its promise of watching over the sea. I was hopeful in thinking that the lighthouse would learn to love again, as another keeper would most likely find their way to the lighthouse. I hoped that the lighthouse would be okay with the new story and experiences that another keeper would bring.

I am a firm believer that a song can help people change. Music has helped me see light in dark situations. It has helped me want to forgive others and myself. It has shaped the way I see people, the way I see myself, and the way I see God. It has helped me realize what kind of woman I want to share my life with, and what kind of man I need to be for that. When I feel lost or burdened, I listen to “The Lighthouse Tale”. I feel like the lighthouse is singing to me, and helping me, a lot sailor, on my way.

*The video at the top is “The Lighthouse Tale” performed by Nickel Creek. TheRoyalavery does not own the rights to the song.