Stay Away

Written by S. Nicks

Tonight my love will stay here with trust
Because I am his nightbird
Sleeping tonight in his golden circle
Because I am the nightbird

Sleeping now the moment is gone
And I stand between him and the world
While I watch no one can touch
While I guard that golden circle
My eyes warn them in all the flashing fierceness of wisdom
Do not enter inside the circle
This man is sleeping, he's peaceful
Stay away

Sleeping now the moment is gone
I stand between him and his world
And while I watch him, no one can touch him
While I'm guarding the golden circle
And my eyes warn them in flashing fierceness of wisdom
Do not enter inside this circle
This man is sleeping
Stay away
Stay away
Stay away

In the seven books of Rhiannon
Another of the treasures were the three birds
That the birds of Rhiannon can sing away the pain
Take away the darkness
And sing you golden rainbows

Well, just this minute the three birds are flying
In perfect formation
The emerald, the golden, the snow white
Because they have lived forever

Down the glorious pathway came the birds
Singing their songs again
He who rode the sunshine and the skies full of gold
The music filled the air and everything was fine
Whatever happens to each one of us
We're all wishing to be an island
So you are and everything is fine

If you listen carefully
You just might hear the song of Rhiannon
The birds are singing for us
I can just hear them now
"I love you
I loved you before I loved your song
I loved you before I loved your song"

---

WEBMISTRESS speculates:

What is this song about? It's just weird! Apparently, she starts out in some mystical protective mode, guarding her love so that he doesn't have to deal with the world (and perhaps doesn't have to work at, say, the local Bob's Big Boy). Then we get into all the Three Birds of Rhiannon jazz, which is just totally bizarre. I hear she's got a truckload of these Rhiannon songs but I say one is enough. Now don't get me wrong, Rhiannon is a great song, but there is such a thing as overkill!

 

RUISRYAN speculates:

This song, like all of the Rhiannon songs and demos reflect the myth of the Goddess Rhiannon, and how Stevie personalizes it in the lyrics of these songs. This one, in particular has to do with the fact that the mythological Rhiannon was from a place other than our world, so that her love, living in this world would give her a strong feeling of being always between worlds. "I stand between him and his world" refers to the fact that Stevie had many love affairs that reflect the myth. The idea that she was a star, with a famous, not to say infamous romantic and professional past seperated her from many of her lovers, at least in her eyes. "The Golden Circle" is probably a reference to a magic circle, commonly associated in places like Stonehenge, that in Welsh myth represented a place between the worlds for religious and protective purposes. "Down the Glorious pathway came the birds..." is probably about the part in the myth where the Three Birds Of Rhiannon do not sing for a long while, because a dark sorcerer has cursed the land and vowed vengance upon Rhiannon. After the curse was lifted, the birds returned to her side and began to sing again.