Sun twinkling on the river this evening
The taste of chocolate on my tongue
Darkness climbing up the ladders to the sky
Rung by agonizing rung

Heard firecrackers popping next door
Wondered what it was I'd bargained for
And I laid quiet on the floor
And you were not here

Let me be a witness
Let me walk out on the edge
The sun refused to shine on my back yard today
Darkness climbing up the house
Coming through the window ledge

I heard the firecrackers bursting on the sidewalk
Heard you talking that baby talk
Saw the black lights again and I felt a shock
When you were knocking
When you were knocking


Lyrics submitted by my anaphora

Song for the Julian Calendar song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

1 Comment

sort form View by:
  • +2
    General Comment

    Jesus...this song is desperate and gorgeous. I am so in love with

    Let me be your witness Let me walk out on the edge

    As for the meaning...we switched from Julian to Gregorian calendars in 1582, but I know the Orthodox church still uses Julian. And...maybe this is a stretch, but the reason we didn't keep Julian as the civil calendar is that it required a good deal of refinement and days added and subtracted to keep it aligned with the tropical calendar. These days were typically decided by pontiffs, and when the Romans were caught up in civil wars they were sometimes forgotten, leading to drift and misalignment. I think this song typifies that drift. The lines "Darkness climbing up the ladders to the sky/Rung by agonizing rung" and "The sun refused to shine on my back yard today/Darkness climbing up the house" bring on the feeling of time being different from how it's supposed to be.

    Just...picture the surreality that comes when we switch times for daylight savings. Now stretch that feeling out so it encompasses the entire year being off-kilter, not being sure what day it really is, and then project that feeling on to your relationship. That's how I see this song.

    ABookOnAShelfon March 13, 2009   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
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.
Album art
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Album art
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988. "'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it." "There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Album art
When We Were Young
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Album art
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.