Okkervil River – Missing Children

"Missing Children" as written by and Adam Teddy Thompson Rufus Wainwright....
Kids get lost
Lands out wandering
Bigger, blacker, things go following
Then into a patch of forest
Somebody once planted for this
Songs not over, phone's still ringing
Eyes still rolling, eyes still clinging
Something in the air starts singing

Radio's switched on and buzzing
Something in the wind starts humming
Something in the field starts haunting
Kids grow up and kids get numb and
Kids it's coming, kid's it's going to come


Lyrics submitted by Way_AE, edited by undergrumpcast

"Missing Children" as written by Rufus Wainwright Adam Teddy Thompson

Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC

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Missing Children song meanings
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2 Comments

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  • +1
    General CommentI think this song isn't about child abduction so much as it is about growing up and losing your innocence. The childhood innocence has gone missing, it's been lost forever.
    The "bigger, blacker things" are the things that cause us to lose our innocence.

    "kids grow up and kids get numb"
    When we're little we feel so much about every little thing. Everything matters to us, even the dumbest little, most ridiculous thing. As we grow up we grow numb to things, we begin not to care about the things we used to care about, we lose our passion the more we lose our innocence.

    It's just a theory though.
    rossakon September 10, 2008   Link
  • +1
    General CommentI think this song is about a nuclear war. It's a concept album. The theme works all the way through. The radio picked up the reception of the coming bomb before it actually reached him here. His own ghost tries to warn him later on in the past but he breaks the mirror and can't escape the radio.

    An important line in this song is "Kids grow up and kids get numb and". It is the apathy that allowed the next line to exist causally. It's for sure the most meaningful album I have com across.

    I think I'm right about this all.
    Ramalamaon February 06, 2009   Link

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