The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Jonathan Low" by the artist "Vampire Weekend"

The song "Jonathan Low" by Vampire Weekend tells the tragic story of the last of his kin, who, in striving for freedom, encounters betrayal and death.

"The last of the line, the first to be free" - this line sets the main conflict of the song. Jonathan Low may have been bound by traditions or obligations to his clan. Wanting to break free, he becomes an outcast, a stranger among his own.

"He lived in a house beneath a bowing tree,

He was a lover of the deep cold night".

This metaphor describes Jonathan as a man accustomed to solitude and harsh conditions. The "bowing tree" could symbolize the decline of his lineage, and the "deep cold night" - his isolation.

"But one day, words cut through the night so rough".

Something disrupts the usual order of things. Perhaps it is news of an attack, a call for help, or a threat that forces Jonathan to act.

"The blood of his people seeped through the snow,

He picked up his knife and he picked up his bow,

Jonathan Low, killer on the run".

Here we see the aftermath of tragedy. The blood on the snow indicates violence, which likely befell Jonathan's clan. He takes up arms to take revenge, but becomes the hunted himself - a "killer" in the eyes of others. Perhaps he was falsely accused, and is trying to prove his innocence.

"With hate in their hearts and a grudge in his own,

He crept through the fields to warn his kin at home,

They all turned away, knowing his name,

And if he went back, they'd do it the same."

Jonathan seeks help from relatives but faces betrayal. "Hate in their hearts" is the persecution, and the "grudge in his own" is the bitterness of betrayal. His name, once a symbol of belonging to the clan, is now a stigma, repelling people from him.

"The blood of his friends seeped through the snow,

He died for all I know,

Jonathan Low, killer on the run."

The ending of the song is tragic. Jonathan loses his friends as well, remaining completely alone. It is unclear whether he dies at the hands of his pursuers or takes his own life, seeing no other way out. The repetition of the phrase "Jonathan Low, killer on the run" emphasizes the injustice of his fate - he became a victim of circumstances and slander.