Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve.
The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future.
Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere"
The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
While stumbling where our hearts beat regular time
Where the landscapes dump on rivers flowing by
We’re just drifting all night long, hands to the sky
And our captain, oh, he is never denied
I hear them sinking out from shore, hands at their sides
So we find a rock to hold the head to tear at the sky
We’re just drifting all night long, here with the flies
And our captain, oh, he is never denied
As if you didn't know that it would sting
Kissing the beehive
Pissing down the mountainside while nude in the rain
As if you didn't know that it would sting
Kissing the beehive
And fucking up your finger from pushing on the ring
Well, we lie on frigid shores of light
We knew nothing of this bitter hand of war
Something strange in the coals tonight
Still we knew nothing of these bitter hands of war
I wish I could believe in you
Crashing all the weddings wearing white
But we all hate the landlord, baby, it’s alright, it’s alright
I wish I could believe in who you are
You held your cap in the air and you called it a guitar
You put your face on the glass and you call it good cinema
As if you didn't know that it would sting
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Jonathan, Jonathan, waterfalls are running thin
You know here's a holy grail for you to hold and
Fire in the hole, fire in the hole, fire in the hole
I'm not a wild party, I'm just an evening at the show
Put the ring back on, and take your husband home and
Fire in the hole, fire in the hole, fire in the hole, oh, oh, oh
Radio, radio, why did you leave Virginia’s side
It's an alibi, we all know how the music died
Fire in the hole, fire in the hole, fire in the hole, fire in the hole!
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Jonathan, Jonathan, waterfalls are running thin
You know here's a finger made for me, for you to hold and
Fire in the hole, fire in the hole, fire in the hole
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Estranged from the captain’s light
And his bitter hand
Oh, oh, oh, oh…
Where the landscapes dump on rivers flowing by
We’re just drifting all night long, hands to the sky
And our captain, oh, he is never denied
I hear them sinking out from shore, hands at their sides
So we find a rock to hold the head to tear at the sky
We’re just drifting all night long, here with the flies
And our captain, oh, he is never denied
As if you didn't know that it would sting
Kissing the beehive
Pissing down the mountainside while nude in the rain
As if you didn't know that it would sting
Kissing the beehive
And fucking up your finger from pushing on the ring
Well, we lie on frigid shores of light
We knew nothing of this bitter hand of war
Something strange in the coals tonight
Still we knew nothing of these bitter hands of war
I wish I could believe in you
Crashing all the weddings wearing white
But we all hate the landlord, baby, it’s alright, it’s alright
I wish I could believe in who you are
You held your cap in the air and you called it a guitar
You put your face on the glass and you call it good cinema
As if you didn't know that it would sting
Oh, oh, oh, oh
Jonathan, Jonathan, waterfalls are running thin
You know here's a holy grail for you to hold and
Fire in the hole, fire in the hole, fire in the hole
I'm not a wild party, I'm just an evening at the show
Put the ring back on, and take your husband home and
Fire in the hole, fire in the hole, fire in the hole, oh, oh, oh
Radio, radio, why did you leave Virginia’s side
It's an alibi, we all know how the music died
Fire in the hole, fire in the hole, fire in the hole, fire in the hole!
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Jonathan, Jonathan, waterfalls are running thin
You know here's a finger made for me, for you to hold and
Fire in the hole, fire in the hole, fire in the hole
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Estranged from the captain’s light
And his bitter hand
Oh, oh, oh, oh…
Lyrics submitted by omegadaxer, edited by legislacerator
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I like the stanza that reads,
"Jonathan, Jonathan Waterfalls are running thin, you know Here's a Holy Grail for you to hold..."
The name Jonathan literally translates to "gift of God" from Hebrew. I think the "waterfalls are running thin" bit is a reference to how the advancement of human knowledge has closed the gap between what was previously considered miraculous and/or proof of God, and what is now easily explainable. A waterfall to a man thousands of years ago must have been an amazing sight, and they surely figured that something that massive and beautiful was set there for them by God himself.
The Holy Grail bit has to do with the way many people, in lieu of all the evidence to the contrary still cling to their faith. The Holy Grail is the most sought after Christian relic. To find it would insure that there actually was a God. When Spencer says, "Here's a holy grail for you to hold," he's saying, "Here's something that science hasn't explained away yet. Use it to justify your faith."
The way it's presented it seems to be spoken from God to his creation, or, Jonathan. But given the nature of the song I think it's more likely that this dialogue represents an internal conversation that one has with himself and misinterpreting it to be a message from God.
Honestly though, what a great song.