Upward Over the Mountain

I have this thing about interpreting songs. I do them line by line, as I feel this gives me a chance to full explain what I mean. That being said, here we go:

"Mother don't worry, I killed the last snake that lived in the creek bed"

I believe Sam Beam has a hidden tendency about his words. Any time he mentions "snake" or "creek", I fully believe he is referencing the male and female anatomy, respectively. Now, when he says "killed" in this line, I have a hard time interpreting it. Part of me thinks he's done trying to have kids. He's had 4 girls, and I think this song is about a silent impatience he has about not having a sun. A form of very...very hard to read irony. Either this, or his mother wishes for him to have a son, and this is him telling her it's not going to happen.

"Mother don't worry, I've got some money I saved for the weekend"

This is obviously him referencing his children, assuring his mother that he has enough to provide for them, and then some.

"Mother, remember being so stern with that girl who was with me?"

I don't believe this is him saying his mother disapproved of the woman he chose to be in his life. I believe this is him referencing his mother making (probably half-joking) demands of the woman. Give that this is entirely about "sons", I think it is very well possible that he might talking about a time in which his mother told his wife that she better produce a son. This is what I feel flows with the rest of the song.

"Mother, remember the blink of an eye, when I breathed through your body?"

I was happy to see that mostly everyone knew this was referencing when he was still inside the womb. How brief it was compared to raising him, seeing him grow, seeing him evolve. He's his own person now, and he is referencing how brief all memories are. They no longer exist beyond briefly remembering them, quicker than a blink of an eye.

"So may the sunrise bring hope, Where it once was forgotten Sons are like birds, Flying upward over the mountain"

Believe or not, the chorus is the easiest part of the song to interpret. This is one of my favorite things about Sam Beam. He focuses on content, rather than a catchy sound. The first line is entirely about looking forward to the future. Sunrise obviously meaning "tomorrow" (future). The second line is a reference to a person's desire to be independent. To build their own future.

"Mother, I made it up from the bruise of a floor of this prison"

I think this has a double meaning. "Floor of this prison" is a reference to not only life in general, but the poverty he was struck with earlier in life. He didn't have much when he was younger, but instead of pitying himself, he used his background to progress and learn. He made the best of what he had, basically.

"Mother, I lost it, all of the fear of the Lord I was given"

Him referencing his segregation from his former, religion-centered life. His mother encourage a god, and this is him explaining further his love and desire for being his own person. I believe this is also him saying that he no longer believes in a self-entitled authority over him, including herself.

"Mother forget me, Now that the creek drank the cradle you sang to"

This is what set it for me in believing that he is referencing the feminine side of reproduction when he says "creek". The cradle she sang is clearly a euphamism for himself, and the creek drinking him? Well. I would hate to be crude when talking about such a beautiful song, so I'll just say this is about him and his girlfriend reproducing. He's telling his mother to realize that he has his own family now, and she shouldn't express her "motherly" worry for him.

"Mother forgive me, I sold your car for the shoes that I gave you"

This is the part that has my brain thinking, as I'm not sure how to interpret it. If it's literal, I think he's saying "You gave me something, and I want you to finally forgive me for trading that in to return the favor." However, if it's not literal, the only thing I can possibly think it means is something immensely abstract. The car he's referencing his her raising him. Bringing him up to speed. Teaching him everything and shaping him into the person he is. The shoes he's referencing is his regret that he taught her next to nothing. He slowed her down. She did all this for him as a parent, and he had nothing to return in her favor except a slow walk while she watches him raise his own family.

"Mother, don't worry, I've got a coat and some friends on the corner"

This is the only line that I really can't understand. If I had to guess, I'd say he is saying "I have the necessities I need" and maybe trying to make a subtle pass that he can always ask the sketchy people he knows to help in case things turn out for the worse. That can't be right. I just don't know about this line.

"Mother, don't worry, She's got a garden we're planting together Mother, remember the night that the dog had her pups in the pantry? Blood on the floor and the fleas on their paws and you cried 'til the morning."

The reason I included all of these at the same time is because I believe it is all part of the same euphemism. The same story, I guess.

When he speaks about the garden they're planting together, this is also another reference to his children. Him and his wife have their own family. They're raising them, helping them grow, helping them learn, protecting them. Their own little garden. And he's...ahem...planting them.

And he is comparing this to a dog having her pups. They start off scrounging, down, in poverty. Blood on the floor, fleas in their paws, is a homage to the earlier lyrics "bruise of the floor". The blood became a bruise. It slowly got better.

And again, he made the best of the situation.