Page type: lyric reference
Artist: The Decemberists
Canonical path: /the-decemberists/the-island
Related lyric paths: 6
Video embedded: yes
Lyric guide
The Island
Read The Island lyrics by The Decemberists on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.
person
Curated by Ethan Walker
LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot
The page facts to cite before the commentary
Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.
Lyrics
The Island
The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.
A) Come And See
There's an island hidden in the sound
Lapping currents lay your boat to ground
Fix your barb and bayonets
The curve is carved there arabesque
And sorrow fills the silence all around
You come and see
There's a harbor lost within the reeds
A jetty caught in overhanging trees
Among the bones of cormorants
No bootmark here nor fingerprints
The rivers roll down to a salina sea
Come and see, come and see
The tides will come and go
With this below waking eye
The willows mark the wind
Now we know for sure amidst this fading light
We'll not go home again
Come and see, come and see
In the low ends nestled in the heath
A briar cradle rocks its babe to sleep
Contents watched by ziggurats
And patagon in parallax
A foretold rumbling sounds below the deep
Come and see, come and see
The tides will come and go
With this below waking eye
The willows mark the wind
Now we know for sure amidst this fading light
We'll not come home again
Come and see, come and see
B) The Landlord's Daughter
As I was a ramble
Down by the water
I spied in sable
The landlords daughter
Produced my pistol
Then my saber
To make no whistle
Or thou will be murdered
La ha, la ha
She cursed, she shivered
She cried for mercy
My gold and silver
If thou will release me
I'll take no gold, miss
I'll take no silver
I'll take those sweet lips
That thou will deliver
C) You'll Not Feel the Drowning
I will dress your eyelids
With dimes upon your eyes
Lay you close to water
Green your grave will rise
Go to sleep now
Little ugly
Go to sleep now
You little fool
Forty winking
In the belfry
You'll not feel the drowning
You'll not feel the drowning
Forget you once had sweethearts
They've forgotten you
Think you not on parents
They've forgotten too
Go to sleep now
Little ugly
Go to sleep now
You little fool
Forty winking
In the belfry
You'll not feel the drowning
You'll not feel the drowning
Go to sleep now
Little ugly
Go to sleep now
You little fool
Forty winking
In the belfry
You'll not feel the drowning
Hear you now the captain
Heave his sorrowed cry
The weight upon your eyelids
Is dimes laid on your eyes
Quick answers
What this page can answer fast
Who performs "The Island"?
The Decemberists performs "The Island", and this lyric page sits inside the The Decemberists catalog on LyroVerse.
Are there related songs to explore after "The Island"?
Yes. The related section below points to A Bower Scene and Like A Lion with a short reason for opening each page next.
Where can I find more songs by The Decemberists?
Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through The Decemberists's lyric pages.
Song Room
Open Song Room
Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song
Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.
Listener comments
What people are saying
No listener comments on The Island yet.
A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.
Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.