Faith, Betrayal, and Love: Analyzing the Tracks of Ethel Cain’s 'Preacher’s Daughter'
Track 1: Family Tree (intro)
The opening lyric to the first song on the album perfectly sets up the religious themes spread throughout the rest of the record, “These crosses all over my body, remind me of who I used to be.” The lines in this song evoke a bitter feeling of being suffocated, in this case , the character of Ethel Cain is drowning in a family that puts religion, specifically Christianity, above everything else, including their relationships. It has a theme of being tightly bound to your family. No matter how much time has passed or where you travel to, you can never escape that blood connection to your family.
Track 2: American Teenager
This dreamy pop tune touches on Cain’s young, naive rebellion that reflects on her straying from the family and religious values that she was blindly raised on. A new concept is introduced within this piece, which is how the unrealistic ideal of the commercialized “American Dream” is impossible to achieve and can be the cause of great torment. The lyrics, “The neighbor’s brother came home in a box, but he wanted to go so maybe it was his fault. Another red heart taken by the American Dream,” is coated with the dreary realities of the disenfranchised youth, misplaced beliefs, and hard living in general.
Track 3: A House in Nebraska
The song, “A House In Nebraska”, mentions the first lover of Cain with this line, “You were my man and I your girl.” There is an aching and longing aura that surrounds this track, which is conveyed through Cain’s soft, dragging voice. Cain is reminiscing on her memories with this lover, because her memories are all she has left of him. There is such a powerful attachment and dependence that she has for this person. This deep connection is expressed in these words, “Where you told me even if we died tonight, that I’d die yours.” This track is essentially about her lover leaving town, and the emotion that comes with this abandonment is so intense that it feels as though the person has died. In this case, for Cain, it is better to believe her lover has died than to accept the reality of him running away. The house in Nebraska is meant to symbolize an escapist place that Cain goes back to because it has formed into this area of peace. Cain’s voice in this song is full of hurt and suffering, especially when singing, “But it’s worse to know that I’m the reason you won’t come home.” The crippling pain behind her shaky voice really makes an impact on the listener. Cain feels so empty and isolated that she not only results to drinking to numb the pain, but she also resorts to praying, which contradicts her previous rejection of that Christian tradition.
Track 4: Western Nights
After mourning the loss of her first relationship, Cain now moves on to a toxic rebound, with the second lover being introduced. This new man only knows how to communicate through actions, whether its violent abuse or sex, “Show me how much I mean to you while I’m lying in these sheets undressed.” After her previous relationship, Cain is trying to find love and companionship anywhere, even if it is to her detriment. The idea of love is now completely foggy in her head. Cain bypasses every single wrong doing her lover has done, and he is slowly becoming more and more unstable. However, Cain acknowledges her desperate tie to this man, but still refuses to leave, “Trouble’s always gonna find you baby, but so will I.” The instrumentals and message within this track coincide and flow beautifully together. There is no real build up or de-escalation, just like their relationship. It’s the same old routine, and the same sonic background, he abuses her and she stays because she fears being alone. This relates back to her first love abandoning her.
Track 5: Family Tree
As a continuation of the opening song, “Family Tree (Intro)”, this track begins with a repetition of the first lyric from the first song, “These crosses all over my body remind me of who I used to be.” Cain unveils a violent and deadly effect her inner self can have, while also revealing her complex family web that is covered in aggression. There is a need to reform and purify herself as she sings, “So take me down to the river and bathe me clean.” At minute five of the track, there is a hard hitting and harsh beat drop. It feels as though Cain finally unleashes all of her pent up emotion. These emotions have a wide range, there is a desperation to be washed clean of this sin around her, there is an acceptance of the reality of her family line’s existence, all in all, it is a completely raw moment for the listeners to go through alongside Cain.
Track 6: Hard Times
Coming from the last song, “Hard Times” expands on this complicated family life. Throughout the track, Cain conveys an admittance that she fears how much she craves the ability to imitate the fatherly powers in her life. This is despite the fact that these fatherly powers have only ever brought her despair. There is a sense of complete isolation and pure defeat, but there is also some realization within the lyrics that connect to her past abuse, “I was too young to notice that some types of love could be bad.” This vulnerable song sheds some much needed light on Cain’s childhood trauma, it hints to her father sexually abusing her. The slow beat of the kick drum, along with the repetitive hits of the high hat, express the melancholy that comes with this track. It truly feels as if the listener is inside Cain’s head, her thoughts extremely exposed and stuck replaying the past.
Track 7: Thoroughfare
“Thoroughfare” brings a new aura of hope when it comes to romance and trust. This switch in theme is also apparent within the musicality in the song. Instead of the heavy electric guitars that were used in the previous track, they are replaced with echoing drums, acoustic guitars, and the twangy additions of a harmonica and tambourine. Some time has passed from Cain’s prior toxic relationship, and she has now met a new man who is in search of his love. There is a recurring theme and metaphor in this song, going out west is repeatedly mentioned. ”Going out west”, in this case, symbolizes meeting new love. In the midst of running away from her suffocating hometown, Cain encounters a man in Texas on the thoroughfare. For some background, a thoroughfare is a road or path connecting two destinations. The use of this word is purposeful because it enforces the notion that the two of them fatefully intersected at a pivotal point in both of their journeys. The new lover’s goal in life is to discover his one true love, and is willing to travel great lengths to find it. There are several connections to exploring the west. For example, the Manifest Destiny was the idealism of the west that America needed to spread from coast to coast. In the song, the lyric, “Do you wanna see the west with me,” is the one that fully represents the idea that exploring the west together is full of opportunity for them to also explore their love for one another. The listener then realizes what “finding the west” really means to both of them individually. For Cain, it is about finding out that she can love again, because up until now, she has insisted that, “Love’s never meant that much to me.” For the man, it means finding and keeping his soulmate.
Track 8: Gibson Girl
We now take a dark turn, into a sultry, yet haunting atmosphere that this track creates. Cain has now been traveling with this new partner, who was introduced in the previous song, however, he begins to take advantage of her and begins to pimp her out behind a strip club. Cain is losing her sense of reality because of all the harmful drugs this lover had been feeding her. The term “Gibson Girl” was created in the beginning of the Edwardian era, and it was viewed as the ideal of youthful femininity. This meaning symbolizes how men have constantly used Cain her entire life, because they view her as this young, naive object. Now, with her new lover, the pattern continues. There is an overall tone of possession and also the fetishization of women. Towards the end of the song, Cain becomes so disoriented from her life, that she can no longer differentiate sex and love, they are now blurring together.
Track 9: Ptolemaea
The heaviest track on the album, “Ptolemaea”, begins with a deep, demonic voice, along with the buzzing of flies in the background. The word “Ptolemaea” means to betray a guest that has been invited into your home. This becomes clear as the demonic voice speaks, “I followed you in, I was with you there, I invited you in.” In the beginning, the listener can hear Cain’s lost and weary moans in the back. As Cain starts to sing, her vocal tone almost sounds drugged and dizzy, as she slowly realizes something is not right. As she feels a sense of danger and fear, Cain reflects on her family, begging and calling out for familiarity and help, “Daddy’s left and Mama won’t come home.” The sinister voice returns and eerily informs Cain that she is helpless and her deadly future is already upon her, “Sweet mourning lamb, there’s nothing you can do, it’s already been done.” As this line is siad, there is an abrupt drum beat, this has a similar effect as a cannon or gunshot that strikes uneasiness and worry within the listener. The slow, dragging drum beat creepily builds up as Cain comes back to reality, and is now aware of what exactly is happening to her as she asks, “Tell me, what have you done?” At minute four, Cain erupts into an absolutely agonizing and gut wrenching shriek as the terrifying realization fully hits her, that she is being killed. The man’s monologue at the end has a similar feel to a religious ritual of some sort, “Each and every one come to know their god through some senseless act of violence.”
Tracks 10/11: August Underground & Televangelism
These two interludes do not need lyrics to keep the story flowing. “August Underground” is a doom-ambient track that features captivating vocalizations, low-register guitars, and slight humming. “Televangelism” is a collection of vibrant, yet floaty piano melodies. This light, churchy tune can symbolize Cain’s ascension into heaven after being killed in her earlier song, “Ptolemaea”. However, as these instruments continue, they are cut off by the sound of a tape hissing. This hissing crescendos and takes over the song, forming a coat of artificiality that opposes the heavenly piano.
Track 12: Sun Bleached Flies
This next track represents the emotional aftermath of Cain being killed. The listener really feels her spirit singing as she reflects on the moments before her death, “But I always knew that in the end, no one was coming to save me, so I just prayed and I keep praying.” There is also a theme of acceptance and forgiveness throughout the song, “I forgive it all as it comes back to me, if it’s meant to be then it will be.” After all that has happened, Cain still has a deep craving for her first love and the security that came with it, “I’m still praying for that house in Nebraska.” This track represents Cain’s contemplation with how she will overcome the demons that have left an everlasting mark on her life, the demons that she now has left behind. In the end, Cain learns to make peace with her own death.
Track 13: Strangers
In the album’s final song, Cain’s higher pitch immediately grabs the listener’s attention. This excruciatingly sad piece of music includes Cain’s sorrowful goodbye to her mother, “When my mother sees me on the side of a milk carton in Winn-Dixie’s dairy aisle, she’ll cry and wait up for me.” As Cain delivers this heart wrenching line, the guitar riffs and moody cymbal crashes evoke a sense of discomfort within the listener. It is also now confirmed that the act of cannibalism has taken place in the devastating death of Ethel Cain, “Freezer burn, your sweet divine, you devour like smoked bovine hide.” Cain now has a new sense of enlightenment when thinking about love and family, “And that I never blamed you for loving me the way that you did.” Even after all the trauma that came with how she was raised in the church environment, Cain still cares deeply for her mother and never wants her to worry. This is the most lyrically straight forward song on the record, when in relation to the overall story.