Hayden Anhedönia, known as Ethel Cain on social media, released her hit album “Preacher’s Daughter” on May 12th, 2022. Hayden has been working on the Ethel Cain project for years, wanting to show people some of the horrors she had experienced growing up in the south, revolving around family ties, religious trauma, abuse, and more. Soon, Hayden will be releasing a new album to continue the storyline she had created with “Preacher’s Daughter.” To understand her next album, it’s important to fully understand the intentions and lore of “Preacher’s Daughter.”

Family Tree (Intro)

“Family Tree (Intro)” begins with a reverbed excerpt of a southern sounding preacher preaching. The first verse says “These crosses all over my body / Remind me of who I used to be.” This shows how although Ethel eventually gets away from her family, she will always be tied to them. This theme is reverberated in the second and third verses, where she says in verse two “He’ll scream and try to wash it off of his fingers / But he’ll never escape what he’s made up of,” as well as in verse three where she says that she’s “Swinging by [her] neck from the family tree.”

This haunting introduction to the album gives listeners an idea of how dark this album is going to get. The whole premise of the album is Ethel trying to get away from her religious trauma that she had growing up, but eventually, it’ll come back to get her. 

American Teenager

American Teenager begins with an upbeat, pop-sounding track, which greatly contrasts the slow intro. The story is set in Shady Grove, Alabama, in 1991. The first set of lyrics talk about how patriotism takes lives at the hand of war. Seeing people, such as her “..neighbor’s brother [come] home in a box” shows Ethel Cain the false hope of the American dream at a very young age, causing her to doubt her surroundings. 

The second verse of American Teenager is arguably even more dark. It begins with “Sunday morning / Hands over my knees in a room full of faces / I’m sorry if I seemed off, but I was probably wasted.” Ethel tells the story about how after her preacher father’s death, she took it upon herself to continue his legacy in her church. However, she was still dealing with her own grief, and obviously not in the most healthy ways, considering she says she was “wasted” when preaching. The lyrics continue with “A life full of whiskey but I always deliver / Jesus if You’re listening, let me handle my liquor / And Jesus, if You’re there / Why do I feel alone in this room with You?” After seeing all of these traumatic experiences around her, ranging from her neighbor’s death to her own father’s death, she begins to question her religion, feeling as if she was truly alone in these trying times. 

“American Teenager” is the most upbeat song on “Preacher’s Daughter,” which tells you a lot about this album. The song gives readers a true perspective of Ethel’s life and her character. You can see how Ethel is trying her best to live her life and continue her family’s legacy, but she still is a struggling teenager who doesn’t have any hope. 

A House In Nebraska

In “A House In Nebraska,” Ethel reminisces on her ex-boyfriend, Willoughby in a smooth, synthy, and sad song. Willougby was her first taste of love and security in a relationship. The song is set in an abandoned house in which Ethel and Willoughby spent time in, until “..the day came / And [he was] up and gone.” The reason why Willoughby left isn’t really explained, but Ethel says that she’s “..the reason / [He] won’t come home.”

As the song continues, Ethel goes as far to say that she’d “..kill [herself] / To hold [him] one more time,” which shows how devoted she was to this man. 

Finally, we get to the third verse, where she says that she “..[cries] every day, and the bottles make it worse / Cause [he was] the only one [she] was never scared to tell [she] hurt.” Ethel is still struggling with her addiction, as she did not only lose her father, but also her one support system that she wasn’t afraid to talk to about her grief. 

The outro concludes with Ethel repeating “And I feel so alone out here,” showing her desparate hope that Willoughby will come back to her. “A House In Nebraska” shows Ethel’s longing for someone to be there for her, and how lonely she feels without it. But alas, she is alone. 

Western Nights

Ethel’s loneliness causes her to enter a new relationship with a man named Logan Tucker, who isn’t much like Willoughby. In fact, he’s completely different. Ethel and Logan have a toxic relationship, where he “…show[s his] love through shades of black and blue.” Ethel is being domestically abused by Logan, but she doesn’t realize the abuse because she’s just happy that she has a companion. 

Logan is a criminal. There is no doubt about it. Ethel mentions several cases in “Western Times” in which he breaks the law, such as “Breaking in to the ATMs,” and how they’d have to be on the run where he’d “Hold [her] across every state line.”

This ambient song shows the beginning of the end for Ethel Cain. Ethel is flawed; she becomes hopelessly infatuated with her lovers and excuses their faults all because she doesn’t want to be alone. Listeners wonder how this story could get worse. This poor girl went through addiction, her father dying, her boyfriend leaving her, and domestic abuse from a criminal. But trust me. It gets worse.

Family Tree

The first verse of “Family Tree (Intro)” is immediately referenced within seconds of “Family Tree.” Ethel sounds defeated as she says “These crosses all over my body / Remind me of who I used to be.” As the song continues, Ethel sings “So take me down to the river and bathe me clean / Put me on the back of your white horse to ride / All the way to the chapel..” which depicts her wanting her boyfriend, Logan, to be a savior to her on a “white horse” and bring her back to a life where she committed no sin. 

The song continues and gets to the bridge, where she asks God to forgive her “And the bones [she’s] about to leave” in her past. Then, the powerful chorus comes crashing down, repeating “So take me down to the river and bathe me clean / Put me on the back of your white horse to ride / All the way to the chapel, let you wash all over me.”

This song is Ethel running from the cops after a bank robbery she and Logan committed. Logan was killed, so she crosses state lines. She wants an escape and forgiveness for her past, begging for it throughout the entire song, but realizes that she can’t escape it. 

Hard Times

“Hard Times” begins with a lullaby sounding instrumental and soft vocals. Ethel is admitting a secret that she had endured in this song. She says she was “Nine going on eighteen,” in a disappointed tone. Ethel admits here that she was sexually assaulted by her father, which forced her to grow up really quickly. Her childhood was really messed up and she says that “[She] was too young to notice / That some types of love could be bad.” This line indicates why she could have such a hard time leaving people who are bad for her; the very first man that should have taken care of Ethel abused her too. 

In the outro, Ethel states “[She’s] tired of [her father], still tied to [her].” This correlates to both of the “Family Tree” songs, saying that she wants away from her father and from her past life. 

Thoroughfare

This nine minute long song starts with the strum of a guitar, as Ethel tells the story of how she met a man named Isaiah “..on the side of the road in some torn up clothes..” He invites Ethel to ride with him to see the west, and Ethel accepts, only because “..[his] truck beats walking.”

As we get further into the song, we understand that the main reason Isaiah wanted to travel west is to find a lover, and Ethel says that she doesn’t believe in love, but she has nothing better to do. The song illustrates how they make their way to California, developing a friendship during the days and nights they spent together.

When they reach California, Isaiah professes his love to Ethel, saying “[She] might not be his love.. But [he] doubt[s] it.” 

Ethel and Isaiah begin a relationship at the end of “Thoroughfare.” The end of this song makes listeners think that, hey, maybe Ethel will finally get a win in her life, maybe she finally found the one, but don’t keep too much hope. 

Gibson Girl

“Gibson Girl” also begins with the strum of a guitar, but this guitar gives the song a whole other vibe than “Thoroughfare”: the guitar gives a sort of mischievous sound. Ethel and Isaiah are now together, but Ethel’s story gets even worse throughout the course of this song.

The main lyric that matters in this song is “Obsession with the money, addicted to the drugs.” Ethel has already had her problems with alcohol in the past, but now, Isaiah has her addicted to drugs in the west, in a place that she doesn’t even know. Also in this song, listeners find out that Ethel is being used in a prostitution ring and isn’t concious to understand what is happening. 

“Gibson Girl” is truly a heartbreaking song but also discusses the bad things that can happen to vulnerable people with no one else to turn to. Ethel doesn’t know how to leave Isaiah. She is so caught up in the fact that she at least has someone that she doesn’t realize the harm he is doing to her. 

Ptolemaea

“Ptolemaea” starts with an eerie whisper from Isaiah, telling Ethel that he is following her. In this song, Isaiah goes through a psychotic episode, where he is trying to find Ethel and take her life. Flies are buzzing in the background, and an unsteady instrumental sets the scene of a dark, horrific chase between Ethel and Isaiah.

Ethel, in a weak voice, pants that Isaiah brings “..fear.. upon a woman [like her].” As she is running away, she begs him to “Stop, make it stop”, over and over again, until eventually the song reaches its climax and she screams “Stop”, sending chills down a listener’s spine.

By the end of this song, Isaiah kidnaps Ethel once and for all. This song is the most scary song on “Preacher’s Daughter.” For context, Ptolemaea is a circle in Dante’s Inferno, which is a theory that there are four rings of hell. Ptolemaea, named after Ptolemy, represents where traitors are sent due to their betrayal. Isaiah betrayed Ethel’s trust ever since they met, where his true intentions with her was to take her and sell her, and eventually hurt her. Isaiah represents the betrayal Ethel goes through. All of her life, she was being betrayed by the people she thought would be good for her, and finally, it reached a breaking point that would ultimately cause her to lose her life. 

August Underground

“August Underground” is a purely instrumental song, in which Isaiah takes Ethel’s life. Haunting pants to slow, deep piano and heavy distortion continue the horror of “Ptolemaea” into this track.

“August Underground” is also the name of a film that follows two serial killers, which fits this scary song perfectly. 

Televangelism

“Televangelism” is also an instrumental, but this one is more light and airy feeling. This song portrays Ethel’s ascension after her death, with a beautiful piano making listeners feel as though Ethel is finally reaching the peace she had been waiting for all of her life. 

Sun Bleached Flies

“Sun Bleached Flies” begins with an angelic piano intro, where Ethel begins to reflect on her life after death. The first lyric, “Sun bleached flies sitting in the windowsill / Waiting for the day they escape,” represents Ethel as she navigates through life, trying to escape her past trauma that she is stuck in. However, she realizes that she had to take care of herself as time went on.

In the chorus, Ethel references how she “..always knew that in the end, no one was coming to save [her],” despite the trauma that she endured. She had given up hope by the time she died, letting herself be taken away because she knew it would never get better. However, she says that she “..just prayed, and [she] keeps praying.” Here, Ethel is contradicting her lack of faith in God. It shows her mixed feelings towards how she grew up, praying for something she knew wouldn’t save her in the end.

The beautiful, choir sounding bridge sings “If it’s meant to be then it will be,” “I forgive it all as it comes back to me.” As she reflects, she realizes she couldn’t have saved herself anyway, and she also thinks about how the people who had hurt her had also had their own traumas and lives. So, she forgives them for the way they hurt her. 

In the outro, Ethel remembers the house in Nebraska, which she states that she “..can’t let go..” of. Ethel can’t let go of it because it is the only good thing that had ever happened to her. So finally, when she’s trying to make peace, that’s the only place she’s having trouble with.

“Sun Bleached Flies” is a beautiful song where Ethel finally comes to terms with what happened to her as a young adult. When you come to peace with your past, you can finally be at rest, and this song perfectly encapsulates Ethel’s need for peace.

Strangers

Did you think it was over? This is an Ethel Cain album, for goodness sake. The final track on “Preacher’s Daughter” begins with a scary, yet ironic verse. “Strangers” begins with the lyric “In your basement I grow cold.” Are you serious..? Ethel’s body is in Isaiah’s basement’s freezer. This theme continues, where Ethel states that she’s the “Freezer bride, [Isaiah’s] sweet divine” and that he “..devour[s] like smoked boven hide / How funny, [she] never considered [herself] tough.” 

Isaiah ate Ethel during his psychotic break.

Honestly, throughout the entire course of this album, we have been thinking “wow, how could it get worse..” well. It did…

The cannibalism elements continue as Ethel sings “If I’m turning in your stomach and I’m making you feel sick / Am I making you feel sick?” This lyric combined with the guitar solo that happens afterward is so powerful, almost as if Ethel is mocking Isaiah, saying that she’s rolling in her grave because of the things he did to her, and that he should be sick about it.

In the outro of “Strangers,” Ethel leaves a note to her mom, saying that she doesn’t blame her for the way things turned out and that she loved her. In the end, her mom had never hurt her, which she was thankful for.

“Strangers” finishes Ethel’s story in the most gruesome way possible that was honestly very fitting for this album, although it’s disgusting to think about. 

Review

“Preacher’s Daughter” is a wonderful yet terrifying story about Ethel Cain and the trauma that she had to face throughout the course of her life. The album is absolutely brutal, the songs are each special in their own way, and they all connect and form one big story. 

Although a lot of the stuff mentioned in “Preacher’s Daughter” hasn’t happened to a lot of us listening, it’s important to understand the stories of those who went through traumatic experiences growing up. It also emphasizes the feeling of hopelessness, which a lot of people can relate to on different levels.

Liked “Preacher’s Daughter?” Tap into other works made by Hayden under her Spotify, named ‘Ethel Cain’. Her next album, “Perverts,” is being released on January 8th, 2025.