Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: singer-songwriter
Song Meaning of “Cries of the Elephant Man Bones” by Nicole Dollanganger
Cries of the Elephant Man Bones is a deeply melancholic song from Nicole Dollanganger that speaks of feelings of isolation, longing, and despair. The narrator of the song is seemingly struggling with feelings of loneliness caused by a deteriorating relationship and lack of meaningful connection: “Cries of the Elephant Man Bones/Too lonely to go on, and too scared to go home”. The title of the song directly references empathy and understanding of Joseph Merrick (the Elephant Man) and his past loneliness, implying that the narrator is feeling a similar degree of loneliness and alienation.
The sorrowful melody further emphasises the narrator’s sadness and her feelings of being forgotten and unseen: “They said they were nowhere around/Just the sound of the plain white walls and fear”. The haunting lyrics in this song touch on the topics of loss, pain and a desperate search for someone to stay with; “Pretty please just stay with me, my love/Comes around my eyes like dark circles made of heavy stones”.
The song speaks to the depths of loneliness and the longing for the comfort of someone’s presence when it’s not possible to have it. As the song closes with the narrator wishing she could be “the Elephant Man’s bones”, one can only imagine her pained wish to be understand and seen in a world full of isolation and despair.