I've never been able to quite figure out what this is supposed to mean. I was hoping some of the brighter minds here at USMB could help me out.

Cold Wind to Valhalla
by Ian Anderson

And ride with us young bonny lass ---
with the angels of the night.
Crack wind clatter --- flesh rein bite on an out-size
unicorn.
Rough-shod winging sky blue flight on a cold wind
to Valhalla.
And join with us please --- Valkyrie maidens cry
above the cold wind to Valhalla.
Break fast with the gods. Night angels serve
with ice-bound majesty.
Frozen flaking fish raw nerve ---
in a cup of silver liquid fire.
Moon jet brave beam split ceiling swerve and light
the old Valhalla.
Come join with us please --- Valkyrie maidens cry
above the cold wind to Valhalla.
The heroes rest upon the sighs of Thor's trusty
hand maidens.
Midnight lonely whisper cries,
``We're getting a bit short on heroes lately.''
Sword snap fright white pale goodbyes in the
desolation of Valhalla.
And join with us please --- Valkyrie maidens ride
empty-handed on the cold wind to Valhalla.

Oh well...

Why don't you tell us?

I can almost never figure out their lyrics.

I don't know, that's why I'm soliciting opinions.

I would've expected some of our most brilliant contributors like Shogun and Dogger to have this thing fully annotated by now.

I think it has something to do with the warriors screwing things up so badly they've extinctified themselves.

Hey, baby, what's up?

That's right, over-sized horn right here. Like a horse.

You know you wanna take this rough-shod flight; you'll be cryin' to the heavens.

There'll be a sweet breakfast in it for ya.

Woah, that shit's startin' to kick in...

Oh, yeah.

later...

Ahhh... that was awesome.

Yeah, look, baby; I gotta get goin'.

See ya.

__________________
The pedigree of honey
Does not concern the bee;
A clover, any time, to him
Is aristocracy. ~Emily Dickinson

Damn, I forgot rule number one with respect to Ian's lyrics: Assume it's about sex first and you'll be right over half the time!

I always associate Valhalla withe Led Zeppelin's 'the Immigrant Song"......'We'll drive our ships to new lands, to fight the horde, singing and crying - Valhalla, I am coming!'

Here's what Wikipedia says:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valhalla

__________________
"What could I say to you that would be of value, except that perhaps you seek too much, that as a result of your seeking you cannot find." - Hermann Hesse:

Yup It is a Norse realm of the slain heros. The women are the ones that go out and escort the warriors home when slain, they are mighty warriors themselves.

Not sure that Norse cared if day or night, I suspect the night stuff has to do with our more modern beliefs and how the dead are handled at night.

Or it is just a cool word that he researched a little and made shit up that sort of went with it.

Guess it depends if you think he is a poet or not.

My opinion is he knew exactly what the place and the women were and wrote with that specifically in mind. Also warriors would have loved to mate with those women.

__________________
The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd. Indeed in view of the silliness of the majority of mankind, a widespread belief is more likely to be foolish than sensible.

-Bertrand Russell

Facts are stubborn things, but statistics are more pliable

-Laurence J. Peters

I never said that you had no right to have an opinion. I just said that it was, in fact, worth nothing.

-Maineman ( on 12 June 2007)

Mate?

__________________
"What could I say to you that would be of value, except that perhaps you seek too much, that as a result of your seeking you cannot find." - Hermann Hesse:

Would you prefer fucked?

__________________
The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd. Indeed in view of the silliness of the majority of mankind, a widespread belief is more likely to be foolish than sensible.

-Bertrand Russell

Facts are stubborn things, but statistics are more pliable

-Laurence J. Peters

I never said that you had no right to have an opinion. I just said that it was, in fact, worth nothing.

-Maineman ( on 12 June 2007)

are those the only two options?

__________________
"What could I say to you that would be of value, except that perhaps you seek too much, that as a result of your seeking you cannot find." - Hermann Hesse:

Mated is the appropriate word. It implies just what I mean. One of the Valkyries would make a perfect mate for a warrior hero. An equal partner in all things, war and peace. Someone to drink with, fight with, live with. Someone that could provide everything a man, a warrior, would ever need in a woman. His best buddy and sex partner.

__________________
The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd. Indeed in view of the silliness of the majority of mankind, a widespread belief is more likely to be foolish than sensible.

-Bertrand Russell

Facts are stubborn things, but statistics are more pliable

-Laurence J. Peters

I never said that you had no right to have an opinion. I just said that it was, in fact, worth nothing.

-Maineman ( on 12 June 2007)

Seems to have something to do with the Viking belief that the brave warriors would go to Valhalla, where they would fight by day and party all night with good looking chicks. Guess they feel there's a shortage of heros so the maidens have to go to Valhalla alone.

__________________
The greatest happiness is to vanquish your enemies, to chase them before you, to rob them of their wealth, to see those dear to them bathed in tears, to clasp to your bosom their wives and daughters.

Genghis Khan

Leroy Green: The truth will be revealed only to eyes unclouded by desire.
Sho'nuff: It's mumbo jumbo like that and skinny little lizards like you thinkin' they the Last Dragon that gives kung-fu a bad name.