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.
And here I dreamt I was a soldier
And I marched the streets of Birkenau
And I recall in spring
The perfume that the air would bring
To the indolent town
Where the barkers call the moon down
The carnival was ringing loudly now
And just to lay with you
There's nothing that I wouldn't do
Save lay my rifle down
And try one, and try two
I guess it always comes down to
Alright, it's okay
Guess it's better to turn this way
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey
And I am nothing of a builder
But here I dreamt I was an architect
And I built this balustrade
To keep you home, to keep you safe
From the outside world
But the angles and the corners
Even though my work is unparalleled
They never seemed to meet
This structure fell about our feet
And we were free to go
And try one, and try two
Guess it always comes down to
Alright, okay
Guess it's better to turn this way
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey
And here in Spain I am a Spaniard
I will be buried with my marionettes
Countess and courtesan
Have fallen 'neath my tender hand
When their husbands were not around
But you, my soiled teenage girlfriend
Oh, while you furrow like the lioness
And we are vagabonds
We travel without seat belts on
To live this close to death
And try one, and try two
I guess it always comes down to
Alright, it's okay
Guess it's better to turn this
But I won, so you lose
Guess it always comes down to
Alright, it's okay
Guess it's better to turn this way
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey
And I marched the streets of Birkenau
And I recall in spring
The perfume that the air would bring
To the indolent town
Where the barkers call the moon down
The carnival was ringing loudly now
And just to lay with you
There's nothing that I wouldn't do
Save lay my rifle down
And try one, and try two
I guess it always comes down to
Alright, it's okay
Guess it's better to turn this way
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey
And I am nothing of a builder
But here I dreamt I was an architect
And I built this balustrade
To keep you home, to keep you safe
From the outside world
But the angles and the corners
Even though my work is unparalleled
They never seemed to meet
This structure fell about our feet
And we were free to go
And try one, and try two
Guess it always comes down to
Alright, okay
Guess it's better to turn this way
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey
And here in Spain I am a Spaniard
I will be buried with my marionettes
Countess and courtesan
Have fallen 'neath my tender hand
When their husbands were not around
But you, my soiled teenage girlfriend
Oh, while you furrow like the lioness
And we are vagabonds
We travel without seat belts on
To live this close to death
And try one, and try two
I guess it always comes down to
Alright, it's okay
Guess it's better to turn this
But I won, so you lose
Guess it always comes down to
Alright, it's okay
Guess it's better to turn this way
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Lyrics submitted by sarahsavedlatin
Here I Dreamt I Was An Architect Lyrics as written by Colin Meloy
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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Not about meaning, but just a little story to share about this song.
There was this boy that died in high school, and everybody was just so horribly saddened (we had a small student body and he was a really popular guy who was into community service.) He died at his own fault by driving drunk and without a seatbelt and answering his cell phone while on the highway and flew out his windshield. (I'd hate to be the girl that called him) Anyway, we all just came back from his funeral (which was held during the school day, we all field tripped to the chruch and back) and we were in art class, where I was the one who usually brought the music for the day. I love Decemberists so I decided to put them on because they were pretty mellow and quiet, and I put on Castaways and Cutouts and just let it run. I didn't really think twice about the content, because when this song came on and the lyrics went:
"And we are vagabonds We travel without seatbelts on We live this close to death "
everyone froze and we were all just kinda looking around like I can't believe we just played this song. Ugh. I can't listen to this song without feeling bad about that now. sigh