Act I: The Lake South, The River North

Act I: The Lake South, The River North | The Dear Hunter | Concept Explain

The Dear Hunter | Act I: The Lake South, The River North | Story Explained

This is my explanation of the story behind The Dear Hunter’s debut 2006 album Act I: The Lake South, The River North.  

** What follows is my personal interpretation of the story based on the lyrics along with the my research on the accompanying graphic novel (though I was unable to read the actual graphic novel, I read a summarny posted by a fan).

This album serves as a prologue and to the Acts storyline. Give a background and introduction to the protagonist “The Dear Hunter.”

Track 1) “Battesimo del Fuoco”

  • Translates to “Baptism by Fire”
  • Introduces the protagonist and alludes to the dark circumstances of his birth. Sets up for the themes explored such as how far a mother with go to sacrifice for her child.
  • “The flame is gone the fire remains” shows how mother and child have temporarily escaped destruction however they will not remain safe for long. Their demons will catch up to them. This ominous tone sets our expectations for a ticking time bomb.
    • “The Flame” I believe represents the priest in this album, but I’ll get to that later.
    • In the graphic novel, Ms. Terri–the mother figure—sets fire to The Dime. (More on that in a sec)

Track 2) “The Lake South”

  • Instrumental track serves as a thematic interlude. Not that the child has been introduced with a sword hanging over his head. Our interest is piqued with this quick little flashforward of track one. Now this track musically seems to say, “Now let’s go back in time” and from here on we get an explanation of how things came to be and why these characters are so doomed.

Track 3) “City Escape”

  • We open to a scene of a woman escaping in the night. We learn her name is Ms. Terri. She is fleeing the city and her life as a prostitute.
  • We learn she is running away because she is pregnant. And we get a glimpse of the act in which the child was conceived with lyrics like “…they tear at her skin…clawing at her throat with a smell of desperate and a lack of regret” it makes me think of a brutal assault in which she was abused by multiple men at once.
    • “Free, pardoned by the flame” I believe means these men may have acted outside the rules of the whorehouse Ms. Terri works at, however, the pimp (the Priest/ “The flame”) lets them get away with it as long as they pay.
    • Now, this is not the kind of place where the call girls would be able to have children. If the man in charge allows the girls to be abused, of course he’s the kind of guy to implement forced abortions.
  • In the graphic novel, she sets fire to her room before she leaves and is chased through the streets before jumping into the river to make her escape.
  • At the end of this track, we learn she has successfully escaped the city to the quiet, remote lake where she is able to birth her child in peace.

Track 4) “The Inquiry of Ms. Terri”

  • Here we see the mother, Ms. Terri, returning to her old stomping grounds and approaching her old pimp to return working as a prostitute under his roof.
    • Now, you might be wondering what would drive her to return to this house of horrors where she was abused and mistreated at every turn? Well, her son is a young boy now (no longer a baby) and if you want my opinion, I think she returns because it is the only way she knows how to provide for him. She was probably able to scrape by for a while at the lake (maybe she left with a sizable savings) but now her options are limited.  Assuming she has no other skills, and maybe she even has a criminal record that keeps her from getting a regular job, of course she’s going to return to the world’s oldest profession. And why the Dime? Well, sometimes the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t.
    • Also, let’s not rule out the possibility the Priest tracked her down and threatened her son’s life unless she returned to her work.
  • We learn the whorehouse she is from is called “The Dime.” Not mentioned in this track but from my research I learned it’s a church that secretly doubles as a brothel. Run by a corrupt priest I mentioned earlier who doubles as a pimp.
  • As time passes, her son begins to grow and despite her attempts to shelter him from her work, he is beginning to learn just how ugly the world is.
    • And here I imagine Ms. Terri before having returned to the Dime, she would bring clients home. She tries her best to keep her deeds secret from her son but one day she is with a violent client. She is being abused, and the boy hears her screams and busts in to protect his mother. But she doesn’t want her son to get involved so she has to play it off, pretending she’s not hurt and is a willing participant in whatever depraved thing the client is doing to her.

Track 5) “1878”

  • Perhaps after the scene described in the last track, Ms. Terri keeps the boy at the lake for his safety while she goes into the city to work. This means she is away from him for long periods of time, but it is yet another sacrifice she is willing to make for her son’s wellbeing.
    • Now I’ve heard the song title “1878” refers to the year the church (now brothel) was built. I’ve also heard it’s in reference to the time signature of the song. However, if you want my creative opinion, I think it could also refer to the number of minutes (or maybe even hours) until Ms. Terri gets to return to her son at the lake.
  • This track depicts a parallel in the boy’s life at the lake and the mother’s life at the Dime. The boy’s life is one of ignorance as he battles with the wilderness around him while Ms. Terri’s life is filled with sin in which she battles against brutal men. Both are fighting for survival.
  • In the graphic novel: When Ms. Terri leaves for the city, she tells the boy not to go anywhere beyond the tree that borders the lake. One day he is out hunting and accidentally falls into a hole (his bear trap he had set up) and is unable to get out. He thinks he might die there as no one is coming for him.

Track 6) “The Pimp and the Priest”

  • Here we get a good look at the Priest/Pimp who runs the Dime.
  • The imagery of the lyrics evokes this impression of the Priest/Pimp as a predator who not only takes advantage of those already under his roof but actively hunts down people who are vulnerable and manipulates them into pawns for his own gain.
    • Just imagine: You’re confessing your sins to the priest, perhaps admitting to thoughts of lust or infidelity. And instead of the priest telling you to say five hail Mary’s, he leads you to the back where you can indulge in your base desires—all the while he absolves you of your sins!
    • No wonder he has such great business. What he’s offering is not only sex but SIN FREE!
    • So the priest preys on the pious for clients and preys on the vulnerable women whom I imagine he takes under his wing and slowly starts grooming them into prostitutes.
  • We have a reoccurring theme of water in this track in the form of “river” and “lake.” I think this is a play on the waters used for baptism.
    • “Sing softly, sing ’em to the lake
      Sing softly, bring ’em to the lake”
      • Evokes the idea of a choir singing and ushering clients into the brothel from the chapel. The word “lake” here is represented as peace and tranquility in the form 1) the Lake south where Ms. Terri’s son is. And is juxtaposed by 2) the Lake or water of corrupt baptism as mentioned earlier in reference to the “river” (i.e. the lake is where you find your peace. For Ms. Terri it’s the Lake South. For her clients it’s the release that comes after sex.)

Track 7) “His Hands Matched his Tongue”

  • Here the boy is feeling lost—the growing pains that come with maturity and discovering the world is an unforgivable place. He knows his mother loves him, but he misses her while she’s away. He has been very sheltered at the cabin on the Lake and doesn’t know much outside of it, yet he understands his mother isn’t telling him the full truth. There are secrets he needs to uncover through he’s somewhat afraid to know the answers. An instinctual part of him knows once he learns the truth there will be no going back to his carefree days of blissful ignorance.
  • This is foreshadowing the inevitable discovery of his mother’s profession. As of yet, he doesn’t know what she does (maybe she’s made up a lie). He also is curious about his father, feeling that he can’t quite know himself until he knows who sired him. Yet, he is still unsure if he’s ready to know everything.
  • At the same time life in the wilderness is tough. He’s starting to think maybe he should leave the Lake. He knows his mother will not be around forever (maybe he even has a sixth sense about her impending demise) and he’s at the age where he’s wanting to gain independence.
    • The title “His hands matched his tongue” I believe is in reference to the boy not being able to ask his mother for the truth as well as not being able to take the leap in leaving the comfort and familiarity of the Lake. Both his hands hand his tongue are stalled in indecision.
      • And again, this also has a parallel to the work his mother does. The title has both an innocent meaning (the Boy) and a sexual one (Ms. Terri).
    • Now, in the graphic novel: The boy is lying in a hole thinking he’s going to die there when a mysterious man shows up with blood on his hands. He helps the boy out tells him one day his mother will be gone and to tell her she is beautiful. He then vanishes into the woods.

Track 8) “The River North”

Instrumental track that leads into the next album. The song title implies a journey north toward the city—perhaps symbolizing the Boy’s plan to travel north to find the answers he seeks.