Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: folk
Song Meaning of “The Lament of Eustace Scrubb” by The Oh Hellos
The Oh Hellos’ song “The Lament of Eustace Scrubb” is a woeful cry for understanding and empathy from one of C.S. Lewis’ characters, Eustace Scrubb, in the classic novel “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader”. Despite the fantastical and often whimsical nature of Lewis’ books, this song captures the internal struggle and emotional pain of Eustace that often goes unnoticed.
The lyrics paint a vivid picture of Eustace’s life as an outcast and his sense of unfairness in his treatment from those around him.The song starts out by depicting Eustace’s circumstances and how he’s been labeled by those around him: “Ah, but they never see me, they only see what I appear to be, oh the ignorance of their minds!” The lyrics evocatively lay the foundation for the following verses as they continue to explore the loneliness and rejection that Eustace faces throughout his life.
The chorus of the song drives home the point of the song: Eustace knows who he really is and hates to see what other people make him out to be. He bemoans the fact that he is judged on his physical appearance and never given the opportunity to have someone view him as a human being. This lack of understanding and appreciation of his true self causes Eustace to feel desperate and unloved.
The Oh Hellos’ “The Lament of Eustace Scrubb” uses the novella’s characters to make a poignant statement about feeling like an outsider and the importance of understanding, acceptance, and love. Through its sorrowful melody and heartbreaking lyrics, the song advocates the importance of seeing through the physical to the inner beauty in all of us, regardless of our flaws.