In regards to the meaning of this song:
Before a live performance on the EP Five Stories Falling, Geoff states “It’s about the last time I went to visit my grandmother in Columbus, and I saw that she was dying and it was the last time I was going to see her. It is about realizing how young you are, but how quickly you can go.”
That’s the thing about Geoff and his sublime poetry, you think it’s about one thing, but really it’s about something entirely different. But the lyrics are still universal and omnipresent, ubiquitous, even. So relatable. That’s one thing I love about this band. I also love their live performances, raw energy and Geoff’s beautiful, imperfectly perfect vocals. His voice soothes my aching soul.
How can I turn away
Brother/Sister go dancing
Through my head
Human as to human
The future is no place
To place your better days
Cry freedom cry
From a crowd 10,000 wide
Hope laid upon hope
That this crowd will not subside
Let this flag burn to dust
And a new a fair design be raised
While we wait head in hands
Hands in prayer
And fall into a dreamless sleep again
And we wave our hands
Hands and feet are all alike
But gold between divide us
Hands and feet are all alike
But fear between divide us
All slip away
There was a window and by it stood
A mirror in which
He could see himself
He thought of something
Something he had never had but hoped would come along
Cry freedom, cry
From deep inside
Where we are all confined
While we wave hands in fire
Wave our hands
Hands and feet are all alike
But gold between divide us
Hands and feet are all alike
But fear between divide us,
Slip away
In this room stood a little child
And in this room this little child
She would remain
Until someone might decide
To dance this little child
Across this hall
Into a cold, dark, space
Where she might never trace her way across this crooked mile
Across this crooked page
Cry freedom, cry
From deep inside where
We are all confined
Till we wave our hands
How can I turn away
Brother/Sister go dancing
Through my head
Human as to human
The future is no place
To place your better days
Hands and feet are all alike
But gold between divide us
Hands and feet are all alike
But fear between divide us
Hands and feet are all alike
Hear what I say
Hear what I say
Oh, so be it
How can I turn away
Brother/Sister go dancing
Through my head
Human as to human
The future is no place
To place your better days
Brother/Sister go dancing
Through my head
Human as to human
The future is no place
To place your better days
Cry freedom cry
From a crowd 10,000 wide
Hope laid upon hope
That this crowd will not subside
Let this flag burn to dust
And a new a fair design be raised
While we wait head in hands
Hands in prayer
And fall into a dreamless sleep again
And we wave our hands
Hands and feet are all alike
But gold between divide us
Hands and feet are all alike
But fear between divide us
All slip away
There was a window and by it stood
A mirror in which
He could see himself
He thought of something
Something he had never had but hoped would come along
Cry freedom, cry
From deep inside
Where we are all confined
While we wave hands in fire
Wave our hands
Hands and feet are all alike
But gold between divide us
Hands and feet are all alike
But fear between divide us,
Slip away
In this room stood a little child
And in this room this little child
She would remain
Until someone might decide
To dance this little child
Across this hall
Into a cold, dark, space
Where she might never trace her way across this crooked mile
Across this crooked page
Cry freedom, cry
From deep inside where
We are all confined
Till we wave our hands
How can I turn away
Brother/Sister go dancing
Through my head
Human as to human
The future is no place
To place your better days
Hands and feet are all alike
But gold between divide us
Hands and feet are all alike
But fear between divide us
Hands and feet are all alike
Hear what I say
Hear what I say
Oh, so be it
How can I turn away
Brother/Sister go dancing
Through my head
Human as to human
The future is no place
To place your better days
Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae
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Yes, this is a high quality song that is very relaxing. Good sh**. There is a good movie you all should see.. its called "Cry Freedom"... Got Denzel Washington in it. And read the book "Cry, the beloved country" by Alan Paton. It helps to understand this song.
"How can I turn away Brother/Sister go dancing Through my head Human as to human" We're all brothers and sisters and humans in this universe, so we might as well stop discrimination, racism.. and hate.
"The future is no place To place your better days " That verse means forget the damn future, do something about it NOW. Good thing apartheid is gone, but people still hate each other in the world. :(
...and thats all I have to say about that.
@SongMeanings Well said. Very underappreciated song. The version from 9/3/16 at the Gorge is incredibly moving. I was at the concert and told my friend that I have to have a recording of that version.<br /> youtube.com/watch
This song is awesome
This one is about the apartheid that went on in Dave's birth country of South Africa.
The song is about the greed of america splitting us apart, that we believe in freedom but it should be a united freedom...the songs intention is to bring us together, hes trying to say that we are all brothers and sisters, not only as a country but as a human race, that we are one in the same and that we should rejoice in eachother rather than in ourselves
"The future is no place to place your better days" - You can't put it any better than that! A late friend of mine used this quote all the time. I didn't realize how true this is until after he died. Don't let your life pass you by!
i don't really like dave matthews band, but i respect them. this is the only song i like its really soothing
Live in the present, live for the day and don't worry about what tomorrow brings. In response to lolita02569 it does sound real familiar to Pig, never thought about that.
I think this songs sayin were all alike regardless of race wealth or whatever it might be and that we must look past those things and see whats inside a person. Also when daves sings "Let this flag burn to dust and a new a fair design be raised" i think hes sayin that this counrty talks so much about freedom and equality but yet its still so far from it and i think hes sayin we should learn to look past the outside apperence of a person and look at the inside of a person. But yea and also this is one of my all time fav dave songs
I think this songs sayin were all alike regardless of race wealth or whatever it might be and that we must look past those things and see whats inside a person. Also when daves sings "Let this flag burn to dust and a new a fair design be raised" i think hes sayin that this counrty talks so much about freedom and equality but yet its still so far from it and i think hes sayin we should learn to look past the outside apperence of a person and look at the inside of a person. But yea and also this is one of my all time fav dave songs
The beauty of this song is that it was origionally intended to be about the aparthied in South Africa, but it can also apply to everything. Especially in these times when our differences are so small yet pointed out so severely. The other message that this song, along with many other of DMB's songs, conveys is that now is the time to make everything right and do everything you can because the future one might plan to do something in may not exist. We coild go at any minute, and our lives will be a waste of discrimination and separation based on all the wrong things.