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 had traveled till each road had met the end of the earth
With nowhere else to go, I looked back in amazement
When I finally realized how far that I had actually gone
I was still standing in the same place that I started
Till I fell down and I cried out
There was silence
A deafening silence
More brilliant than anything
And there was a bird with feathers
Bright and red as blood
At least that's what you saw
I saw an angel on the whitest November's morning
And I heard her sing the sweetest cry
As if she wanted to reach down
And tell me it would be alright
And I knew it would be alright
I walked on and stared into that golden sun
I was blinded but enamored by its beauty
Till I fell down and I cried out
There was silence
A deafening silence
More brilliant than anything
And there was a bird with feathers
Bright and red as blood
At least that's what you saw
I saw an angel on the whitest November's morning
And I heard her sing the sweetest cry
As if she wanted to reach down
And tell me it would be alright
And I knew it would be alright
Foreign train tracks serenade you
But their sound is never permanent
These landscapes ever changing
Like arrival times on runway billboards
You close your eyes and they are gone
And there was a bird with feathers
Bright and red as blood
At least that's what you saw
I saw an angel on the whitest November's morning
And I heard her sing the sweetest cry
That you wanted to reach down
And tell me it would be alright
And I knew it would be alright
With nowhere else to go, I looked back in amazement
When I finally realized how far that I had actually gone
I was still standing in the same place that I started
Till I fell down and I cried out
There was silence
A deafening silence
More brilliant than anything
And there was a bird with feathers
Bright and red as blood
At least that's what you saw
I saw an angel on the whitest November's morning
And I heard her sing the sweetest cry
As if she wanted to reach down
And tell me it would be alright
And I knew it would be alright
I walked on and stared into that golden sun
I was blinded but enamored by its beauty
Till I fell down and I cried out
There was silence
A deafening silence
More brilliant than anything
And there was a bird with feathers
Bright and red as blood
At least that's what you saw
I saw an angel on the whitest November's morning
And I heard her sing the sweetest cry
As if she wanted to reach down
And tell me it would be alright
And I knew it would be alright
Foreign train tracks serenade you
But their sound is never permanent
These landscapes ever changing
Like arrival times on runway billboards
You close your eyes and they are gone
And there was a bird with feathers
Bright and red as blood
At least that's what you saw
I saw an angel on the whitest November's morning
And I heard her sing the sweetest cry
That you wanted to reach down
And tell me it would be alright
And I knew it would be alright
Lyrics submitted by eltroyo11
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
Standing On The Edge Of Summer
Thursday
Thursday
Mental Istid
Ebba Grön
Ebba Grön
This is one of my favorite songs. https://fnfgo.io
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
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."
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
American Town
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran shares a short story of reconnecting with an old flame on “American Town.” The track is about a holiday Ed Sheeran spends with his countrywoman who resides in America. The two are back together after a long period apart, and get around to enjoying a bunch of fun activities while rekindling the flames of their romance.
No, its billboards. The lyrics in the case of the cd say so. But anyway, if anyone is interested, this song (as stated in an interview by Kris) is about a time where he was living in a hotel room and had nowhere else to live. He was basically at rock bottom. He woke up hung over probably from drugs as well as alcohol (although don't quote me on it). He felt utterly defeated and hopelss, but when he looked outside he saw a brilliantly bright red bird. To him the bird was a symbol telling him that everything would get better, and it helped give him hope. Thus the lyrics "And there was a bird with feathers bright and red as blood At least that's what you saw I saw an angel On the whitest November's morning And I heard her sing the sweetest cry As if she wanted to reach down And tell me it would be alright And I knew it would be alright" To most people, it would have just been a bird, but to kris, it was an angel sent to help him through his hardest times. This song is a perfect example of how beautifully deep this man can write his lyrics