What do these lyrics mean?

[dscross]

I've been listening to Fleet Foxes recently - I'd really like to hear your thoughts about what they meant by the lyrics in the song "White Winter Hymnal" because I can't work it out. It's either some really dark memories, a metaphor for something, or it's not meant to mean anything. Does anyone have any thoughts on what it could mean / the inspiration for the lyrics in this song? This is the entirety of the lyrics.

I was following the pack
All swallowed in their coats
With scarves of red tied 'round their throats
To keep their little heads
From fallin' in the snow
And I turned 'round and there you go
And, Michael, you would fall
And turn the white snow red as strawberries in the summertime

 

[dscross]

Spoiler: I was following the pack All swallowed in their coats With scarves of red tied 'round their throats To keep their little heads From fallin in the snow

Spoiler: And I turned 'round and there you go And, Michael, you would fall And turn the white snow red as strawberries in the summertime

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

There's a site that interprets song meanings line for line and I can't for the life of me remember the name.

 

[Imaynotbehere4long]

a site that interprets song meanings

By any chance, could it be http://songmeanings.com/songs/view/3530822107858711972/ ?

Apologies if you were being sarcastic and that was the joke.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

a site that interprets song meanings

By any chance, could it be http://songmeanings.com/songs/view/3530822107858711972/ ?

Apologies if you were being sarcastic and that was the joke.

I wasn't, but that's not it.
It was a site where either you glossed over or clicked on a line and an explanation/series of theories would show up to the right.

 

[09philj]

a site that interprets song meanings

By any chance, could it be http://songmeanings.com/songs/view/3530822107858711972/ ?

Apologies if you were being sarcastic and that was the joke.

I wasn't, but that's not it.
It was a site where either you glossed over or clicked on a line and an explanation/series of theories would show up to the right.

https://genius.com/

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

a site that interprets song meanings

By any chance, could it be http://songmeanings.com/songs/view/3530822107858711972/ ?

Apologies if you were being sarcastic and that was the joke.

I wasn't, but that's not it.
It was a site where either you glossed over or clicked on a line and an explanation/series of theories would show up to the right.

https://genius.com/

Thanks! That's it.

Here you go OP: https://genius.com/1135476

 

[Vanilla ISIS]

Seems like the pack he's following are some sort of revolutionaries, maybe soldiers (all wearing coats and red scarves, kind of like ANTIFA). I think the line "To keep their little heads From fallin' in the snow" implies that their group identity makes them stronger because they're weak as individuals.
The Michael character gets killed and his blood covers the snow so I imagine they're walking towards an enemy.

That's all I got from this fragment.

 

[dscross]

Seems like the pack he's following are some sort of revolutionaries, maybe soldiers (all wearing coats and red scarves, kind of like ANTIFA). I think the line "To keep their little heads From fallin' in the snow" implies that their group identity makes them stronger because they're weak as individuals.
The Michael character gets killed and his blood covers the snow so I imagine they're walking towards an enemy.

That's all I got from this fragment.

Thanks for the thoughts. This isn't a fragment - it's all the lyrics in the song.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

Seems like the pack he's following are some sort of revolutionaries

I agree with this part, but I think that the scarves are also over their faces to hide their identities, elsewise they'd be beheaded. As for "Michael", this might be a reference to the Archangel Michael, who in the Bible is said to have led Heaven's armies against Satan; maybe the viewpoint character feels this revolution is like a holy war, but then the other revolutionaries fled (and I turned 'round and there you go) and their leader (Michael) was killed.

 

[Squilookle]

Don't look at me-

It's been 23 years and I STILL don't know what a Wonderwall is

 

[Trunkage]

Due to the snow and white coats, I thought it was more to do with the October Revolution rather than a gang. I also thought the scarf was red from blood and someone had been garrotted.