Iron and Wine's "Evening on the Ground (Lilith's Song)" is not only interesting for the ear, it's also interesting for the mind because it encourages discussion of the story of Lilith. To understand how the song connects to Lilith, we should first look at her story. Here's a link to Lilith's tale as found in the Alphabet of ben Sira:
The text describes Lilith as a fiercely independent woman who refused to obey Adam. Lilith felt she and Adam were equals and that she had no obligation to submit to Adam's will. This version of the legend portrays Lilith in a negative light: she spawns demon children and disobeyed both Adam and God. Though Lilith is generally seen as evil and full of sin, some view Lilith more positively, as a passionate rebel and feminist. "Evening on the Ground" interprets Lilith's story in such a way. The song's lyrics are as follows:
Evening, evening on the ground
And there is no one else aroundSo you will blame me
Blame me for the rocks
And baby bones and broken lock
On the garden
Garden wall of eden
For the spider bites
And all your love as we were
We were born to fuck each other
One way or another
But Ill only lie
Down by the waterside at night
Hey man, tiny baby tears
I will collect a million years
And you can blame me
Blame me, I will wear it
In the empty, hollow part of my garden
Garden wall of eden
And the clamour as they raise the curtain
You will, you will never make me learn
To lay beneath the mountain
Cause I'll only lie
Down by the waterside at night
"Evening on the Ground" is found on the album Woman King. Each song on this album is dedicated to a female spiritual figure. Though Sam Beam, (whose stage name is Iron and Wine), is not religious, he finds spiritual figures intriguing and sparks discussion of these figures through his music. Beam interprets Lilith's story as that of a feminist who necessarily rebelled against Adam. He almost portrays Adam as the evil one in the story rather than condemning Lilith as sinful. Lilith is instead portrayed as a sort of victim who rebelled against Adam ("you will never make me learn...I'll only lie down by the waterside at night"). However, the lyrics also parallel the text. Notice how Lilith refused to "lay beneath" in both the song and in the legend. Furthermore, both the song and the text describe how Lilith fled to the sea after leaving Adam. The line "We were born to fuck each other one way or another" is also interesting and inspires further insight into the story of Lilith. In my interpretation, this line has a double meaning: it refers to Lilith's role as Adam's mate but also foretells their stormy relationship because Adam was unable to concieve of Lilith as his equal. In this way, Iron and Wine's "Evening on the Ground" leads to discussion of Lilith and challenges the traditional view of Lilith as a sinful and evil creature.
Sam Beam is not the only one who views Lilith as a powerful feminist; the artist Judy Chicago incorporated Lilith into her controversial artwork "The Dinner Party." In this piece, Chicago and her colleagues constructed a massive triangular dinner table with 39 place settings, each of which represents a notable female. The floor space inside the table (also known as the Heritage Floor) is inscribed with the names of 999 additional females of great worth. Lilith doesn't have a place setting, but her name is one of those inscribed on the Heritage Floor. "The Dinner Party" is a feminist masterpiece in that it pays homage to females who made valuable contributions to the world. I also like to think about the conversation that might have occured if 39 brilliant women sat down to dinner together. What ideas might have been born? By including Lilith in "The Dinner Party," Judy Chicago, like Sam Beam, saw her as a courageous feminist and not as an evil demon.
For more information about Judy Chicago's "The Dinner Party" visit:
The site also talks a bit about Lilith and her place in "The Dinner Party":
