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Kylie Quale

Professor Fields

Eng. Comp. 105

Song Analysis

10 February 2019

Analysis of A Song Through Mind and Meditation

Listening to music is a way to relieve the mind and express the soul: to communicate

thoughts, ideals, and dreams. Nahko and Medicine For The People present their song Budding

Trees to describe the beauty between nature and the body. The song uses storytelling to involve

listeners on a personal level. Budding Trees guides the listener to spiritualism by invoking

meditation in nature. Metaphors used in the song pose an important aspect to show strong

significance to what nature can teach and how it can be healing to the body, mind, and soul.

Storytelling, spiritualism, and use of metaphors effectively deliver the message to the audience

about the importance of healing using nature.

The mood for the narrative is created through an upbeat tone from the use of a guitar,

conga drums, and a xylophone. A female voice speaks up, “Okay, so I wanted to tell the story of

this song. It started off as a dream, or a walk we went into the woods.” A male voice sings about

a journey to spiritualism through nature and meditation, “I was gifted new eyes to see. All of the

shifting shape and ways you can be. Wake the dreams into realities.” By having the male voice

sing her story of enlightenment this gives a sense of euphoria and thus brings the story to life. As

the song ends the female storyteller explains how the story came to be, “And then I made this

song about it. So it was like it went from dream world. To drawing, to writing, to... life. To
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music, da-da-da-da.” The exchange from female to male voice back to female again is significant

as it gives emphasis to her story. Storytelling is about bringing messages to life in a powerful

way so that they are remembered and passed on.

Spiritualism is closely linked to Shamanism and this song shows it best in the lyrics, “The

language of no words is how we speak,” and later on, “Time to increase my frequency.

Hands of light and bodies talking...” This directly correlates to how energy and ones own energy

is used to communicate through nature and to heal. The main chorus, “So, tap me out and tap me

into you. Heal my brain and my body too. Balance my chemistry, hydrate these cells. Cause the

body talks and meditation helps,” describes the power of healing by meditation through

connecting the body to nature. Also, it tells the listeners to turn inwards and simply “tapping into

nature” itself can provide healing and balance to the body. The song conveys how Spiritualism is

an important aspect that needs to be included in everyday life.

Two male singers give harmonic repetition of O’s that lead into soul drumbeats that are

symbolic of a heartbeat; a similar and familiar sound of Native American drumming and singing.

Native American storytelling uses metaphors about animals and insects in the form of teachings

if one just listens, “A little spider weaves a wispy web. And stumbling through the woods, it

catches to my head. She crawls behind my ear and whispers secrets. Dragonfly wiz by and sings

"now teach it".” These metaphors tell the listeners to pay attention to nature, listen to it, and learn

from it. The lesson is to see the balance in everything thus becoming the balance in oneself and

then to pass it on. The following lyrics show how listeners have become unbalanced, “You, the

pillar, steadfast light of bravery. And I, the dimly burning candle still shaking. Riddled fear,

quiver my bones so easy. Well, you're the guru now so visualize healing. Yeah, you're the guru

now so visualize leaving.” “You, the pillar,” is nature telling people to trust themselves and tap
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into the “light of bravery.” One should use the “light of bravery” and “visualize healing” to build

the “fire” back up. Metaphors artistically draw the reader into the liminal space between being

wounded and healing where we can restore the sense of self through interaction with nature and

meditation.

Nahko and Medicine For The People perfectly executed the meaning to Budding Trees

through the lyrics, “Plate is full but appetite has dwindled. I feel a little sick so I keep the fire

kindled.” By using storytelling, spiritualism, and metaphors the listeners understand that from

the disconnection of earth people have lost their sense of hunger; a lost sense of purpose that

needs to be fed. Listeners walk away knowing that nature has lessons and teachings to offer

about healing if one only listens. The relief and solace acquired through going into nature is also

acquired just by listening to the song.