Sixteen, Fifteen, Fourteen - explanation ?

[Lilium]

I really love this song, and the more I listen to it, the more I realize there is a certain clear scenario in the lyrics - which I think is the one Polly and John thought about.

"Erica, Erica
Is watching
Daniel(le), Daniel(le)
Is hiding
Erica, Erica
Is counting"

Two kids are merely playing a game of hide-and-seek.

"Sixteen, fifteen, fourteen
Twelve, eleven, ten, nine"

Erica is just counting.

"Erica, Erica
Is counting
The sun is setting the scene
In the garden it's starting to rain
The trees are trembling
Erica's repeating"

The setting is getting darker and darker : something bad is gonna happen.

"Erica!
There is no laughter in the garden"

It makes me think of a mom yelling at her daughter; especially because of the despair in the voice of Polly when she sings it. That is a clue about what is gonna happen in the end : as kids always laugh and make noise when they play, it means that something strange happened and their laughters have stopped.

"Erica is feeling something
Daniel(le) is hiding
She's counting"

She's feeling something, probably a dark feeling, a dark desire?

"Sixteen, fifteen, fourteen,
Thirteen, twelve, eleven, ten,
Nine, eight"

She's counting...

"The sun is leaving the scene
Took a look and turning away
The trees are trembling
Erica's repeating"

Even the sun is afraid of what is happening. It took a look at the situation and turned away, because of fear.
Still the scene is dark.

"Erica !
There is no laughter in the garden"

And again this sentence, which seems very important in the story.
To be short, I think Erica was playing to hide-and-seek with Daniel(le), then she felt "something" (a dark and creepy desire), she found him (or her) and ended up murdering him (or her). And this is why "there is no laughter in the garden".

Anyway, it has always sounded as a very creepy song to me.

What do you guys think?

[Black Hearted Love]

it could give a dark and creepy emotion
but i think that it could even be a fun time scenario,
if you play hide&seek you shouldn't move or laughts...
when she perform this song she laughts a lot, even at the end

[March]

I think it could be interpreted as having something sinister happening, but I also agree with Black Hearted Love that it could be just Hide & Seek. When I picture the song, Erica and Daniel are playing, it starts to rain and Erica decides to go inside or is called inside leaving Daniel in the yard hiding which is why there is no laughter. Toward the end the "Ericas" sound a bit like a question, as though Daniel has realized Erica is not coming to find him and is calling to her. I always think the laughter at the end is Erica laughing at her leaving Daniel unaware in the yard.

[Amanda_ataxia]

This song gives me the chills when she sings "there's no laughter in the garden" . For me is a very sinister song. Kids are playing, scenario turns darker (the rain and the trees trembling...)I imagine that Daniel got lost (not just hiding), and when Erica goes seek him she feels something strange in the air. And when the mother notices that there's no laughter in the garden, she calls Erica and go look for him ( in the end the character seems kinda breathless and desperate).
I also imagine this Daniel is the same Daniel on "The Chair" song

"Where? Where have you gone
Daniel, my youngest son?"

[Lilium]

It's interesting how our interpretation can be completely opposite.

but i think that it could even be a fun time scenario,
if you play hide&seek you shouldn't move or laughts...

True. Though if it's a fun time scenario, I don't know why the whole situation would be described in such a sark landscape.
Maybe the laughts thing is more like a notion of a presence of kids.

when she perform this song she laughts a lot, even at the end

When I listen to her Abbey Road performance, it sounds more like a very creepy sound of despair to me. And as Polly always feels the situation of the song, I still think it's a sinister song.
The breath she makes at the end of the performance sounds like a relief breath.

This song gives me the chills when she sings "there's no laughter in the garden" . For me is a very sinister song. Kids are playing, scenario turns darker (the rain and the trees trembling...)I imagine that Daniel got lost (not just hiding), and when Erica goes seek him she feels something strange in the air. And when the mother notices that there's no laughter in the garden, she calls Erica and go look for him ( in the end the character seems kinda breathless and desperate).

We're in the same kind of interpretation.

I also imagine this Daniel is the same Daniel on "The Chair" song

"Where? Where have you gone
Daniel, my youngest son?"

Oh probably... And that would intensify the idea of Daniel's death or loss!

Anyway we can all agree that the strength of Polly's lyrics is really amazing. It totally lets our imagination free.

[Black Hearted Love]

It's interesting how our interpretation can be completely opposite. [...] Anyway we can all agree that the strength of Polly's lyrics is really amazing. It totally lets our imagination free.

That's true!!!

[dumb]

That's funny. I always had quite a different interpretation. I always thought it was setting the scene of someone getting off, lol. Which I find quite appropriate considering (to me anyway,) it's an extremely stimulating song. I never got a sinister feeling from this song, but rather of ecstasy.

A hide-and-seek game as a metaphor. the song seems to link the experience of childhood play, laughter, & exploration with the adult experience of passion. "no laughter in the garden" to me kind of feels like they've "graduated," lol. :P

"Erica is feeling something" - definite tip off.
"counting" - the building anticipation to the moment you're about to get off.
"in the garden it's starting to rain" - to me that line has always been about well.... "fluids," on "Erica's" part.
"the trees are trembling" - pretty easy to figure that one out...

someone said that throughout the song it seems to get "darker." I can see that, but to me "darker" evokes: more exciting, sexually charged, intense, etc. - dark in a pleasurable way as opposed to dark in a sinister way. Scorpio energy one could say. That's just my interpretation though. ;)

[Black Hearted Love]

thank you for that dumb, love to know others feelings on a same subject
it's illuminating

[Lilium]

Mhmm, I realize I should have called this thread "Sixteen, Fifteen, Fourteen - interpretation?".
Obviously there's NO explanation, everything is about the way you see the song - and it's interesting to figure out others' impressions about it.

[Pitifuljoy]

That's funny. I always had quite a different interpretation. I always thought it was setting the scene of someone getting off, lol. Which I find quite appropriate considering (to me anyway,) it's an extremely stimulating song. I never got a sinister feeling from this song, but rather of ecstasy.

A hide-and-seek game as a metaphor. the song seems to link the experience of childhood play, laughter, & exploration with the adult experience of passion. "no laughter in the garden" to me kind of feels like they've "graduated," lol. :P

"Erica is feeling something" - definite tip off.
"counting" - the building anticipation to the moment you're about to get off.
"in the garden it's starting to rain" - to me that line has always been about well.... "fluids," on "Erica's" part.
"the trees are trembling" - pretty easy to figure that one out...

someone said that throughout the song it seems to get "darker." I can see that, but to me "darker" evokes: more exciting, sexually charged, intense, etc. - dark in a pleasurable way as opposed to dark in a sinister way. Scorpio energy one could say. That's just my interpretation though.

This is rather brilliant. I never even thought about it that way. Your interpretation made me want to listen to the song again.

[dumb]

thanks Pitifuljoy! i'm glad you got a kick out of it. i agree with everyone. i love to hear different people's interpretations of the same song. its really interesting how people read into song lyrics differently depending on their personality and life experience. even though sometimes i wish i could know what Polly was referencing in songs, I find that I'm kind of glad that she doesnt just give everything away and reveal their meaning outright, because it's so much more fun to see where the imagination takes me, and also exciting to try and investigate what they might mean, like i saw some people did in a few other threads on here. it was neat to see what you all found!

[Black Hearted Love]

she doesen't like to give lyrics explanation for the same reason

[DrDark]

That's funny. I always had quite a different interpretation. I always thought it was setting the scene of someone getting off, lol. Which I find quite appropriate considering (to me anyway,) it's an extremely stimulating song. I never got a sinister feeling from this song, but rather of ecstasy.

A hide-and-seek game as a metaphor. the song seems to link the experience of childhood play, laughter, & exploration with the adult experience of passion. "no laughter in the garden" to me kind of feels like they've "graduated," lol. :P

"Erica is feeling something" - definite tip off.
"counting" - the building anticipation to the moment you're about to get off.
"in the garden it's starting to rain" - to me that line has always been about well.... "fluids," on "Erica's" part.
"the trees are trembling" - pretty easy to figure that one out...

someone said that throughout the song it seems to get "darker." I can see that, but to me "darker" evokes: more exciting, sexually charged, intense, etc. - dark in a pleasurable way as opposed to dark in a sinister way. Scorpio energy one could say. That's just my interpretation though.

An excellent interpretation. I've always felt there was something sexual going on with this song. It's unsettling that it's in the context/metaphor of children playing. I've never perceived the 'darkness' as being necessarily sinister either. I think you nailed it.

[dumb]

thanks drdark! it's validating that people are getting my interpretation.
after i first posted it i thought, "shit, this is my first post on this forum,
i hope people don't think i'm some kind of weird nympho or something!"
lol nice to hear that i'm not the only one who got that interpretation
from the song. :)
and you're right, a bit unsettling with the children. totally fits with her
style though. and mine too actually, which is probably why she's the one
songwriter that i never tire of.

[DavidWishengrad]

Spot on!

That's funny. I always had quite a different interpretation. I always thought it was setting the scene of someone getting off, lol. Which I find quite appropriate considering (to me anyway,) it's an extremely stimulating song. I never got a sinister feeling from this song, but rather of ecstasy.

A hide-and-seek game as a metaphor. the song seems to link the experience of childhood play, laughter, & exploration with the adult experience of passion. "no laughter in the garden" to me kind of feels like they've "graduated," lol. :P

"Erica is feeling something" - definite tip off.
"counting" - the building anticipation to the moment you're about to get off.
"in the garden it's starting to rain" - to me that line has always been about well.... "fluids," on "Erica's" part.
"the trees are trembling" - pretty easy to figure that one out...

someone said that throughout the song it seems to get "darker." I can see that, but to me "darker" evokes: more exciting, sexually charged, intense, etc. - dark in a pleasurable way as opposed to dark in a sinister way. Scorpio energy one could say. That's just my interpretation though.