Song Details
- Album Release Date: 2012
- Genre: romance
Song Meaning of “The latter asked the old lyre player” by Tatiana and Sergey Nikitin
This haunting folk-inspired song by Tatiana and Sergey Nikitin tells of two unnamed characters – the latter and the old lyre player. The beloved lyre player sings of a lonesome yearning for the one they lost, accompanied by melancholic strings woven through the verses. The lyrics evoke feelings of wistful longing and rumination on love and loss, asking for solace from the “gold strings” of the lyre.
The lyrics’ imagery points to an unresolved, bittersweet sadness in the protagonist’s heart. Throughout the song we hear of how they repeatedly ask the old lyre player for help, either for understanding the reasons why love has been taken away or for a gentle distraction to pass the time. It’s possible that the song’s characters have both experienced a heartbreak that stings even after time, likely due to the unrequited love of the latter. The questions at the end of the song further intensify this sense of longing and show how even some of life’s most painful moments can’t be silenced by time or be forgotten.
In the end, it’s a song of strength and resilience in the face of heartache, and a reminder that we’re not alone in our struggles.