Song Analysis: “Crystals” by of Monster and Men

As a result, Of Monsters and Men excels at creating songs that are enigmatic and metaphorical. Their latest track, “Crystals,” off their next album, Beneath the Skin, gives readers a few hints that make the complex meaning not impossible to grasp for themselves.

In contrast to artists such as Mumford & Sons and Twenty-One Pilots, Of Monsters and Men sounds quite similar to the band’s last album, My Head Is an Animal. This song has the same creepy female voice, chanting harmonies, and dreamy atmosphere as their previous album, Crystals.

Nevertheless, the song’s message has a bit more depth than some of their other songs, and it’s full of symbolism and figures of speech that make it all the more interesting to figure out the meaning of the song.

When Nanna Brynds Hilmarsdottir sings the first line, she uses a lot of harsh words such as “lost,” “caught,” “tumble,” and “falling,” which imply that something is wrong. In her words, she’s “lost in powdered gold sky.” As long as it is in the form of bars, it may be exchanged for money or stored as an investment, but a sky filled with gold dust is worthless. She’s still “caught in clouds” of ropes and “showered by meaningless hopes,” even if the ropes are silver. And as soon as she breaks free, she starts to “crash down, plummeting quickly to the earth.” There is a lovely veneer over an awful reality, and she is going to face the anguish of breaking through it.

“I know I’ll wither, so peel away the bark,” begins the pre-chorus. Because it has lost its bark, the tree becomes more vulnerable. Nia is losing her emotional shield, which leaves her vulnerable to harm, and she is aware of how important it is for this to happen to her. There is a need to peel the bark since “nothing grows in the dark.” The bark protects her from others, yet she prefers to remain near to them.

If Nanna’s buddy has “crystal eyes,” they tend to perceive things more optimistically than they are. While looking through a crystal, one sees “a magnificent mosaic of dazzling, reflecting pictures,” but she (we’ll use “he”) wants to let go of these lovely but illusory sights and be alive, “to feel the tones that shiver down your spine,” as she puts it. “Let [his] colors spill and mix with mine.” Genius.com user advises readers that “letting your colors show” means to be yourself and not hide behind masks, as if Nanna wants her buddy to be who he truly is so that they may be together and very close.

Verse 2 describes “making waves in pitch black sand” and “feeling salt dance on my palms.” If making waves means doing something unique or significant, she feels they may still have a purpose together even though their environment is “pitch black sand.”

It’s also chilly on her “raw and charcoal-coloured things” and “paper-thin” on her flesh. As long as her thighs remain chilly, they’re exposed, reinforcing the idea that her “paper-thin” skin makes her vulnerable (of monster and men, 2015). For the sake of people getting to know her, she’s giving up her privacy. It’s possible that her thighs are “raw and charcoal-colored,” and that she’s taking a risk by revealing them. Despite this, she’s willing because she wants to be authentic.

Despite her longing for intimacy, she says, “But I’m alright in see-through skin”; she forgives “what’s within,” and, despite her difficulties, she’s moved on. Aside from being “in this house,” which she also refers to as a “home,” she’s just pleased to be “here.” Or maybe she’s singing to him from inside the house, telling him about where her “paper-thin” skin is sheltered from the elements and how much she enjoys it. In that case, the house may represent family and community.

But she has a condition for him to enter: the chorus, which she repeats. After covering his “crystal eyes” and embracing darkness, he must next “allow [his] colors spill and mix with [Nanna’s].” The moment he admits his weakness and accepts reality, he will find safety and community.

Theme: Acceptance

The song implies the theme of acceptance as the artist uses the line “Cover your crystal eyes and let your colors bleed and blend with mine” I firmly believe that the line brings out the theme of acceptance in the song “Crystals.” The artist is telling us to get our eyes covered and accept everyone irrespective of the personality and that we never judge anyone by their physical appearance or even on their beliefs; the song urges us always to be blind to religion, size, race, features and gender by letting our colours bleed and blend with that of others.

Repetition

As a result, the song’s repetition of “cover you’re your crystal eyes and feel the stones that shake down your spine” is indicated. This, in my opinion, aids the reader’s comprehension. Because of everything I’ve read so far, I’ve concluded that I should close my eyes and be cheerful. As much as it permits knowledge to escape from its context, it does not stop me from thinking. While listening, I think about the song’s broader subject, which helps me better understand the song’s message.

Rhyme

Throughout the song, rhyming is employed to create a sense of purity. A sense of unity and completion is created. Whenever I hear the phrase “I know I’ll wither therefore peel away bark, because nothing grows in the dark,” I pay more attention to the words that were uttered, and it sounds better to me. The music gets more enticing as a result of this. As a result of the purity it produces, I want to listen more, which makes it simpler for me to comprehend the topic than I would have otherwise done.

Metaphor

The novel “Of Monsters and Men” relied on metaphors to relate items to aid in the use of imagery. ‘Lost in heavens of powdered gold’ conjures up an image of the night sky for me. But when I compare it to powdered gold, I see gold and a more clear sky as a result. “Caught in a mist of silver strands” is made more evident by this.

Reference

Of monster and men. (2015, March 16). Crystals. Genius. https://genius.com/Of-monsters-and-men-crystals-lyrics