Ever listen to that one song; Gallows Pole, by Led Zeppelin?
You know the one where the guy is at the end of the line, imaginably already bound by a noose. His life now resides in that of the hangman who is presumably standing close enough to interact with, and directly affect the man's fate.
He first tells the Hangman to just a wait a little while longer. Tells him words been sent out as to his predicament and that aid would be coming.
He reassures the Hangman that his dear friends are riding posthaste from the horizon, and hopefully with alms to give his would be executioner and purchase his life back from him.
After his friends let him down, telling him they are far too poor to even try saving him from the hand of fate that has now clenched around him, he begs of the Hangman to wait just a little while longer, that of course, his own family would prove his saving grace. Somewhere off in the horizon his brother advances. A little behind him on the horizon his sister also appears, rushing to her brother's aid.
With his brother showing up with a bit of gold and everything else and his own sister even going as far as to sleep with the Hangman, the man begins to really believe he will be let free. What with the gift of riches and the warmth of a woman, how couldn't he be free? How couldn't he believe, hell, even assume he was already free right?
The man now asks of the Hangman if he'd do well to free him. The Hangman only looks on and smiles.
As he prepares to hang the man, he tells him the following
" Your brother brought me silver and your sister warmed me proper, but these are not enough to change my wanting to hang you. "
And so the song finishes with the Hangman laughing as the protagonists body writhes and struggles against a thick rope before finally giving way and snapping at the neck under it's own weight-
I heard this song the other night when I was drinking more than my share of whiskey. I got to thinking about how life can be like this sometimes. Circumstances can change and the results aren't the least bit affected.
You know the one where the guy is at the end of the line, imaginably already bound by a noose. His life now resides in that of the hangman who is presumably standing close enough to interact with, and directly affect the man's fate.
He first tells the Hangman to just a wait a little while longer. Tells him words been sent out as to his predicament and that aid would be coming.
He reassures the Hangman that his dear friends are riding posthaste from the horizon, and hopefully with alms to give his would be executioner and purchase his life back from him.
After his friends let him down, telling him they are far too poor to even try saving him from the hand of fate that has now clenched around him, he begs of the Hangman to wait just a little while longer, that of course, his own family would prove his saving grace. Somewhere off in the horizon his brother advances. A little behind him on the horizon his sister also appears, rushing to her brother's aid.
With his brother showing up with a bit of gold and everything else and his own sister even going as far as to sleep with the Hangman, the man begins to really believe he will be let free. What with the gift of riches and the warmth of a woman, how couldn't he be free? How couldn't he believe, hell, even assume he was already free right?
The man now asks of the Hangman if he'd do well to free him. The Hangman only looks on and smiles.
As he prepares to hang the man, he tells him the following
" Your brother brought me silver and your sister warmed me proper, but these are not enough to change my wanting to hang you. "
And so the song finishes with the Hangman laughing as the protagonists body writhes and struggles against a thick rope before finally giving way and snapping at the neck under it's own weight-
I heard this song the other night when I was drinking more than my share of whiskey. I got to thinking about how life can be like this sometimes. Circumstances can change and the results aren't the least bit affected.
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