For the unfamiliar, it's an ancient story with a couple of variations; one is a story of a poor man who finds a wounded crane outside his home during a storm. He brings it in, nurses it back to health, and sets it free, continuing on in his poverty. Shortly thereafter, a beautiful woman enters his life and they marry. His wife says she can solve their poverty by making beautiful woven tapestries to sell, but he cannot watch her work. They grow rich, but the poor man, grown greedy, peeks in one night to find his wife--transformed back into the crane--plucking her own feathers to weave into silk. Her secret discovered, the crane flies away and leaves the man remorseful.
I've never liked it because (like most Japanese folklore stories) it's crazy depressing and weird. What's the point of the story--when your spouse wants a part time job, don't ask what it is? I remember a show about that... If not that moral, then what? Obviously, what the story tries to convey is you shouldn't be greedy, but seriously, there's better ways to deliver that adage.
HOWEVER
I recently was introduced to Spotify, and despite loving the Decemberists for a decade now, I still haven't heard all their music. I'm exploring a bit more each year, making new discoveries last. This week I ran across Crane Wife 3, the introductory song of their 2006 album "The Crane Wife." I've ignored this story arc on the album in years past simply because I'm not a fan of the story, but Crane Wife 3 changed my views. Or maybe my life has opened my eyes to new messages. Either way, here's my thoughts...
Crane Wife 3 is told from perspective of the poor man, after his wife had flown the coop. He's sad, as he relays "I will hang my head, hang my head low." He remembers his wife in a romanticized view, highlighting her virtues and ignoring her faults (like ditching him for wondering what she does all night for oodles of cash!)
