Randor's Song of the Week: 09.26.10

"Little Lion Man" by Mumford and Sons from the album Sigh No More. 2009.
    I must give credit to Professor Nonsense, the rarely seen third writer of WTF, for showing me this song, and by connection, this band. It's a little habit of late to pick a sort of theme song for myself and the current trend of luck/stress/etc that occurs in my life. While a time ago I once subscribed Johnny Cash's cover of "I Won't Back Down" to that role, I must admit recent events have made "Little Lion Man" more suitable. And while I certainly won't detail the personal connections here, I can still point out the merits of the song itself.
    I do wholly enjoy the style of the tune (almost an alternative-bluegrass), but the real kicker blossoms from the lyrical playground. It starts out without any graceful, gentle introduction to soften any offense; right off the bat, it tells you "weep for yourself, my man, you'll never be what is in your heart." Instead of an affronted insult though, I see it more as a sort of intervention: a friend, perhaps, stating the facts clearly and honestly to shake away fantasy and get to the heart of a problem. Proof in hand, the singer later exclaims more encouraging remarks such as "Rate yourself and rake yourself; take all the courage you have left" and "Now learn from your mother or else spend your days biting your own neck." Again, I interpret the lyrics as a buddy giving a sort of friendly ultimatum, a stern but supporting stance on some troubled quagmire. Of course, maybe that's a little optimistic of a reading. You may just see it as another Debbie-downer song. But a good one, I at least hope!
    One of the greatest eye-catches for me is the title. Little lion man. Lately I've been seeing things related to The Wizard of Oz everywhere. From a movie night featuring the reimagined interpretation Tin Man to a collector's treasure chest of memorabilia at a local fair, I've had more Oz input this past month than the rest of my life. As a kid, sure, I've watched the movie, but never had I seen Pez heads featuring Ms. Gale or flying monkeys in the style of Fisher Price Little People 'til now. So when it comes to "Little Lion Man", pardon me if I jump straight to the Cowardly Lion. A man whose internal struggles clash with his appearance. His apparent toughness and courage only gets realized through the trials and help his friends offer. I'm fairly certain the reference is correct. Even if not though, when one thinks of a lion, it's no little lion cub. Always a big, strong alpha-cat showing off his commanding mane. So being a little lion man seems counter-intuitive and all-in-all troublesome. It's a very thoughtful metaphor.
    Real quick, another recommendation I'll shoot off from Mumford and Sons: "The Cave". After that, I'll let you explore it on your own, or perhaps you can encourage the Professor to enlighten you a bit with some inquisitive e-mails or such.