Reception Radio: Persephone, by Allison Russell
It’s early spring in Vancouver: there are a few daffodils and crocuses in my garden, and the weather’s rainy, but steadily getting warmer. Persephone takes a while to fully return to the land of the living here, but she’s definitely on her way. Let’s celebrate her arrival here on Reception Radio!
Canadian singer-songwriter Allison Russell’s Persephone is a wonderfully queer and feminist celebration of this goddess. Her lyrics paint a portrait of Persephone as a defender of women, sheltering and comforting the singer after a violent encounter with a man. It’s implied this isn’t the first time the singer’s visited her, and she’ll inevitably come back.
Russell’s lyrics make a fitting evolution to Persephone’s existing mythology. To me, they read like Persephone’s taking the fierce protection and love her mother Demeter gave her, and passing it on to other women and girls in dangerous situations. She puts her own spin on this protection: Russell’s lyrics are full of sapphic elements. This version of Persephone is a lover to the women she protects, as opposed to a maternal figure.
Persephone was released in 2021: in hindsight, this song’s become somewhat prophetic. From November 2024-February 2025, Russell joined the Broadway cast of Hadestown (more on that musical in a future instalment of A Reception Collection). Her role? None other than the Queen of the Underworld herself!
As always, here are the lyrics to Persephone:
Blood on my shirt, two ripped buttons
Might've killed me that time, oh, if I'd let him
He's slow when he's drunk, and he lost his grip on me
Now I'm runnin' down la rue St. Paul
Tryna get out from the weight of it all
Can't flag a cop 'cause I know he won't stop
I'll go see Persephone
Tap, tap, tappin' on your window screen
Gotta let me in Persephone
Got nowhere to go, but I had to get away from him
My petals are bruised, but I'm still a flower
Come runnin' to you in the violet hour
Put your skinny arms around me, let me taste your skin
Mouth to mouth, mouth to flower
Salty sweet you give me power
I feel you shake under my lips
Your fingers tender find my secrets
Don't make a sound, don't cry out love
Your parents are sleepin' just above
I kiss you once, I kiss you twice
Fall asleep lookin' in each other's eyes
Tap, tap, tappin' on your window screen
Gotta let me in Persephone
Got nowhere to go but I had to get away from him
My petals are bruised, but I'm still a flower
Come runnin' to you in the violet hour
Put your skinny arms around me, let me taste your skin
Light on your shoulder, light on your cheek
Light tellin' me it's time to leave
The birds are callin' to the mornin'
Your parents' feet above us stirrin'
Kiss your belly before I go
Climb back outta your basement window
Back to the cold's bite, back to the hard life
Back to the harsh bright street
Tap, tap, tappin' on your window screen
Gotta let me in Persephone
Got nowhere to go, but I had to get away from him
My petals are bruised, but I'm still a flower
Come runnin' to you in the violet hour
Put your skinny arms around me, let me taste your skin
My petals are bruised, but I'm still a flower
Come runnin' to you in the violet hour
Put your skinny arms around me, let me taste your skin