Willow Farm

“Willow Farm” by Ready is a whimsical and surreal exploration of a fantastical place filled with contradictions and transformations. The song opens with an invitation to visit Willow Farm, a place where butterflies, or rather 'flutterbyes' and 'gutterflies,' abound. This playful twist on words sets the tone for the rest of the song, which is filled with unexpected imagery and paradoxes. The mention of 'everyone lies' and the reference to 'the focks on the rocks' and 'the musical box' suggest a world where nothing is as it seems, and reality is constantly shifting.

The song continues with bizarre and humorous imagery, such as Winston Churchill dressed in drag and a series of transformations involving a frog, a prince, a brick, an egg, and a bird. These transformations highlight the theme of change and the fluidity of identity. The line 'they're going to change you into a human being' adds a layer of absurdity, suggesting that even the listeners are not immune to the whimsical transformations of Willow Farm. The chorus, with its references to being 'happy as fish and gorgeous as geese,' emphasizes a sense of contentment and acceptance of the bizarre reality of Willow Farm.

As the song progresses, it delves deeper into the theme of change, with lines like 'we're changing everyone' and 'all change!' The repeated transformations of 'mum to mud to mad to dad' and 'dad to dam to dum to mum' further emphasize the fluidity and impermanence of identity. The song concludes with a reflection on the listener's own experience, suggesting that they have been part of this surreal world all along, whether they realized it or not. The final lines, 'we'll end with a whistle and end with a bang,' bring the journey to a close, leaving the listener with a sense of wonder and curiosity about the strange and magical world of Willow Farm.