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.
I woke up with the power out
Not really something to shout about
Ice has covered up my parents hands
Don't have any dreams, don't have any plans
I went out into the night
I went out to find some light
Kids are swingin' from the power lines
Nobody's home, so nobody minds
I woke up on the darkest night
Neighbors all were shoutin' that they found the light
(We found the light)
Shadows jumpin' all over my walls
Some of them big, some of them small
I went out into the night
I went out to pick a fight with anyone
Light a candle for the kids
Jesus Christ don't keep it hid
Ice has covered up my parents hands
Don't have any dreams don't have any plans
Growin' up in some strange storm
Nobody's cold, nobody's warm
I went out into the night
I went out to find some light
Kids are dyin' out in the snow
Look at them go, look at them go
And the power's out in the heart of man
Take it from your heart, put in your hand
What's the plan?
Is it a dream? Is it a lie?
I think I'll let you decide
Just light a candle for the kids
Jesus Christ don't keep it hid
Cause nothin's hid, from us kids
You ain't foolin' nobody with the lights out
And the power's out in the heart of man
Take it from your heart put in your hand
And there's something wrong in the heart of man
Take it from your heart, put it in your hand
Where'd you go?
Not really something to shout about
Ice has covered up my parents hands
Don't have any dreams, don't have any plans
I went out into the night
I went out to find some light
Kids are swingin' from the power lines
Nobody's home, so nobody minds
I woke up on the darkest night
Neighbors all were shoutin' that they found the light
(We found the light)
Shadows jumpin' all over my walls
Some of them big, some of them small
I went out into the night
I went out to pick a fight with anyone
Light a candle for the kids
Jesus Christ don't keep it hid
Ice has covered up my parents hands
Don't have any dreams don't have any plans
Growin' up in some strange storm
Nobody's cold, nobody's warm
I went out into the night
I went out to find some light
Kids are dyin' out in the snow
Look at them go, look at them go
And the power's out in the heart of man
Take it from your heart, put in your hand
What's the plan?
Is it a dream? Is it a lie?
I think I'll let you decide
Just light a candle for the kids
Jesus Christ don't keep it hid
Cause nothin's hid, from us kids
You ain't foolin' nobody with the lights out
And the power's out in the heart of man
Take it from your heart put in your hand
And there's something wrong in the heart of man
Take it from your heart, put it in your hand
Where'd you go?
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I don't think this song is anything like Talking Heads' "Once in a Lifetime" because while both songs are about disenchatment with the suburban dream, the similarities end there.
"Once in a Lifetime" describes suburban lifestyle as the result of a river, implying that it's where you end up when you just let life take you and don't make any kind of effort to see or understand where your life is going. Or something like that.
I personally find "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)" much more poignant and relevent and dramatic with respect to the contemporary state of suburbia, in which it has become this horrible behemoth in western society, whose center is cold and dead.
In the early 90s we saw a large sweeping wave of apathy as a result of a generation raised in this now aged institution of society. Now, a decade later, we are seeing throes of anguish and confusion from a generation drowned by their own neighborhoods.
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The entire Funeral album speaks to me of the difficulty and disillusionment of being a 20-something in today's world. In that way, "Once in a Lifetime" covers the same ground, but for the members of a different generation. "Power Out" speaks to the yearning and frustration of our isolated state of being as members of a disconnected suburban dystopia.