Pink Moon is Gonna Get You...

Here is an extremely abbreviated biography of long lost singer-songwriter Nicholas Rodney Drake (for those who don't know him): He was the quiet child of a wealthy music family, wrote some uniquely beautiful songs, got signed to Island records, couldn't handle live shows because of his depression, disliking of social gatherings, and the difficult nature of playing songs in strange alternate tunings for a live audience, made three studio albums, and then died from an overdose of amitriptyline, a prescribed antidepressant. All of his fame and influence came posthumously. If you want to read more about him, here is his wikipedia page.

His first two albums used many studio artist arrangements (i.e. strings, saxophone, percussion, and other instruments that he was not playing). After both sold very poorly, Drake's depression and insomnia got worse. For his last album, Drake chose a simple route, using just his voice, acoustic guitar, and one simple piano overdub in the title track. He died shortly after the release, so Pink Moon is the album that everyone remembers him by. The album is filled with soft, caressing chord progressions that drown in the sadness of his faint voice. His lyrics are almost exclusively reflections of his depression and his love of nature.

I'm going to analyze the title track from his third and final album, Pink Moon. Below are the lyrics

Saw it written and I saw it say

Pink moon is on its way

None of you stand so tall

Pink moon gonna get ye all

and it's a pink moon

You're probably looking at the lyrics and wondering "why is this romantic? It's only five original lines." But there is a lot of content packed in this short song. "Pink Moon"'s main argument is that even if you have it all (broad sense), you don't stand a chance against the pink moon. What does he mean by pink moon? I've read it as an omen of nature created by Drake's depression and insomnia. For the listener, I think it represents the romantic thing that we all fall prey to--the one thing that gets us (to cry, to laugh, to cherish, etc)--every time. The song argues simple over complex and innocence over experience. Even though Drake's mental health was very complex, he clearly seeks simplicity and innocence in "Pink Moon". Consequently, we are argued into valuing the simple things in our lives. When we hear this song, we have no words, because we become so lost in deep thought--we begin to envision our pink moon--whatever that may be. Drake's tragic death at 26 years old further solidifies the power of the pink moon. If we lose sight of our pink moon, then we will inevitably lose sight of ourselves and die in a cluster of manmade structures and concepts.
I highly encourage reading up on Nick Drake and listening to Pink Moon (the album) in its entirety. It is the very essence of "romantic".