"This is the water, and this is the well..." poem (Spoilers)

[Jasper]

Poetry, even very straightforward poetry, is abstract by definition, and is often more about the feeling evoked by the words than the literal or even metaphorical content of the poem. In many cases trying to dissemble and analyze a poem in strict literal terms could be seen as missing the point. Regardless of any of that, I had some impressions from hearing the poem (or incantation, or…whatever) in part 8, and I thought I’d share them. I'm hoping others will share their impressions. I haven’t looked at any analysis anywhere else, so I may be way behind the curve in terms of what people are saying. These are my personal impressions. I’m not claiming that a single bit of this is the intent of Frost & Lynch.

This is the water
Scorched motor oil?
Oil = corruption and evil?

And this is the well
The oil pool in Glastonbury Grove?

Drink full
Become corrupted by evil?

And descend
Descend into the lodge or the most terrible parts of the unconscious, and be destroyed, or otherwise be overtaken by your wicked half?

The horse is the white of the eyes
The white horse from Sarah’s visions and the S3 lodge scene.
This horse appears as a portent of death (as in Revelations) and in Twin Peaks it appears when Sarah is being put to sleep, just like the mechanic, waitress, and girl are put to sleep by this poem in part 8.

And dark within
Evil and death. The dark center of the eyes, like the pupil, or like Cooper’s lifeless irises (apparently Kyle’s idea), which are themselves like oil pools (as opposed to limpid pools ).

[N. Needleman]

I think the water and well are our world. The Woodsman is invoking his brethren to descend and drink of our pain and suffering.

[Jasper]

I think the water and well are our world. The Woodsman is invoking his brethren to descend and drink of our pain and suffering.

Definitely possible. It had occurred to me while watching that the well could actually be 50s girl, in that particular instance. Sort of a guide to the big thing.

That said, whatever else they do, these words definitely function as some sort or sleep spell.

[gavriloP]

Just a note: when the woodsman starts his DJ hour and says the line "and this is the well" he looks at the head/brain of the victim so it would seem that the pain of mind (quite literally ) is the well. It is the source for pain, suffering and fear, or simply put garmonbozia.

[Metamorphia]

Another one for the references in other Lynch works thread: Dern facing the Phantom at the end of Inland Empire is setup by Mr K commenting something about "the horse was brought to the well".

[Mr. Reindeer]

Another one for the references in other Lynch works thread: Dern facing the Phantom at the end of Inland Empire is setup by Mr K commenting something about "the horse was brought to the well".

Already noted!

[Saturn's child]

Just a note: when the woodsman starts his DJ hour and says the line "and this is the well" he looks at the head/brain of the victim so it would seem that the pain of mind (quite literally ) is the well. It is the source for pain, suffering and fear, or simply put garmonbozia.

This is how I loosely took it as well; the human skull/mind being the repository (well) containing the 'water' (fear & suffering).

[Xavi]

My one penny poem interpretation.

This is the water. And this is the well.
Many call these shadow figures Woodsmen, whereas I would prefer to call them Radiation Men. To me they seem to form some sort of collective force, or maybe it’s better to say they represent an energy wave, spreading some hypnotic evil meme. That cigarette radiation man headed straight toward that radio broadcast station very determinedly. "Gotta light?" could be seen as the first sentence (smokers of course) people speak to make "contact."

The way these radiation men move, sometimes randomly jolted coincided with sound-disturbances as if they are vulnerable to interference with other waves and frequencies. They also seem to be able to “go” through objects similar to wave-particle phenomena.

Drink full and descend.
Listen carefully, resistance is futile.

The horse is the white of the eyes and dark within.
Close your eyes and let this force guide you.

[4815162342]

I think the water and well are our world. The Woodsman is invoking his brethren to descend and drink of our pain and suffering.

That would seem more right if it was "descend and drink full", but it's the other way around.

[IcedOver]

Just like many things Lynch does, he just meant this to evoke a mood and mystery, not be analyzed too much. The impression I get from the whole killer Woodsman scene is that it's a reaction to the ignition of the bomb. Whatever planet or dimension these beings come from, they are taking more notice of this planet. The poem might be a way of talking about drinking in knowledge, which in the classic sense is knowledge of good and evil, the ultimate evil being represented by the bomb.

[Ragnell]

"Drink full and descend" seems to indicate descending into unconsciousness, and also descending spiritually to the Black Lodge. The structure on the hilltop, the floating of ???????, Dougie-Coop's constant drawings of ladders and stairwells, Dougie-Coop regularly looking upwards all point towards a rising/ascension theme for the White Lodge. The Giant is very tall and usually seen on stage or close to the ceiling. He climbs stairs to reach the theater and then rises higher in response to seeing BOB. The golden energy goes ABOVE his head, and when the Lauraorb is formed, Senorita Dido sends it even further upwards through the trumpet-thingy before sending it to Earth via orbit.

By that logic, the Blazck Lodge may be associated with descending and falling.

The opening theme to Twin Peaks is called Falling.

Our perspective whenever BOB appears. He's played by a tall man but RARELY seen above chest level. He climbs over furniture, he climbs in through the window but down to the ground before crawling up on Laura's bed. He peers over the bed and climbs onto it in Josie's death scene. We don't really see him going UP the stairs in the Palmer household, or really many people. We see Leland and Sarah going DOWN the stairs at times. Sarah crawls on the floor when she's drugged.

The Woodsman descend from the Lodge. The Borb was seen in a trail spewed downward towards Earth.

Basically, the activities of the Black lodge, despite the owls, tend towards a downward theme. Sure, we see characters move upward from time to time, and White Lodge associated characters and items (the Lauraorb, Cooper's ring) float down or fall down and so on but OVERWHELMINGLY the imagery we spend the most time on is White Lodge moving up, Black Lodge moving down.

The way I saw it? The water was the hypnotic words of the Woodsman, the well was the knowledge and the magic behind those woods. "Drink full, and descend" was the Woodsman telling the town to take in his woods, and the magic behind it, and descend to unconsciousness and the spiritual level of the Black Lodge.

[N. Needleman]

I think the water and well are our world. The Woodsman is invoking his brethren to descend and drink of our pain and suffering.

That would seem more right if it was "descend and drink full", but it's the other way around.

It's 'drink full and descend', but I don't think the wording makes a difference. They would still be coming to Earth and feasting on our pain and suffering.

[4815162342]

I think the water and well are our world. The Woodsman is invoking his brethren to descend and drink of our pain and suffering.

That would seem more right if it was "descend and drink full", but it's the other way around.

It's 'drink full and descend', but I don't think the wording makes a difference. They would still be coming to Earth and feasting on our pain and suffering.

I think in normal English the order implies a time order or a dependence order (e.g. " park and ride"). In which case, in the actual version, the drinking happens first, then the descent. Which goes against your interpretation.

[N. Needleman]

I think they can easily drink of us and then fully descend.

[Mr. Reindeer]

I think they can easily drink of us and then fully descend.

Not a quote you're gonna find on many other message boards on the Internet.