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So now I am older than my mother and father
When they had their daughter
Now what does that say about me
Oh how could I dream of such a selfless and true love
Could I wash my hands of
Just looking out for me
Oh man what I used to be
Oh man oh my oh me
Oh man what I used to be
Oh man oh my oh me
In dearth or in excess
Both the slave and the empress
Will return to the dirt I guess, naked as when they came
I wonder if I'll see any faces above me
Or just cracks in the ceiling
Nobody else to blame
Oh man what I used to be
Oh man oh my oh me
Oh man that I used to be
Oh man oh my oh me
Gold teeth and gold jewelry
Every piece of your dowry
Throw them into the tomb with me
Bury them with my name
Unless I have someday
Ran my wandering mind away
Oh man what I used to be
Montezuma to Tripoli
Oh man oh my oh me
When they had their daughter
Now what does that say about me
Oh how could I dream of such a selfless and true love
Could I wash my hands of
Just looking out for me
Oh man what I used to be
Oh man oh my oh me
Oh man what I used to be
Oh man oh my oh me
In dearth or in excess
Both the slave and the empress
Will return to the dirt I guess, naked as when they came
I wonder if I'll see any faces above me
Or just cracks in the ceiling
Nobody else to blame
Oh man what I used to be
Oh man oh my oh me
Oh man that I used to be
Oh man oh my oh me
Gold teeth and gold jewelry
Every piece of your dowry
Throw them into the tomb with me
Bury them with my name
Unless I have someday
Ran my wandering mind away
Oh man what I used to be
Montezuma to Tripoli
Oh man oh my oh me
Lyrics submitted by rockisgroovy, edited by Rannoch
Track duration: 03:37
"Montezuma" as written by Ralf Stemmann, Michael Holm
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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p.s. I spent 10 minutes jumping through hoops just to post this.
"So now I am older than my mother and father when they had their daughter, now what does that say about me. Oh how could I dream of such a selfless and true love? could I wash my hands of just looking out for me?" - Reflecting on how his parents had children at his age, and wondering if he will ever have someone else to look for.
The second half of the song is about dying alone: "i wonder if I'll see any faces above me, or just cracks in the ceiling, nobody else to blame?"
We leave this world the same way we come in ("naked as when they came"), and hoarding posessions is futile. "Gold teeth and gold jewelry, every piece of your dowry, throw them into the tomb with me, bury them with my name". In his case, all his posessions may as well be buried with him, because there is nobody to pass them along to.
He doesn't want her to waste her time. He may never be ready.
"Oh man what I used to be, Montezuma to Tripoli, oh man oh my oh me."
Montezuma and Tripoli are both references to historically significant battles for the Marine Corps. The Marines' Hymn even starts:
"From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli, we fight our country's battles in the air on land and sea..."
"The shores of Tripoli" is a reference to when the Marines first fought a war against the Barbary Pirates in 1805. "The halls of Montezuma" is a reference to when the Marines stormed Chapultepec Castle in the Mexican-American War.
I wonder if the character in this song is supposed to be a former Marine? Maybe the Fleet Foxes simply liked the rhyme of the words?
My only modification to the interpretation would be to re-think what is going on in the 6th verse
Gold teeth and gold jewelry
every piece of your dowry
throw them into the tomb with me
bury them with my name
I think in this verse he is pleading with the rest of the world, with all of society, to throw away its selfish habits with him when he passes. Asking that he would be the last to have to suffer with these lonely realizations.
Really sets the mood for the rest of the album, no?
The lines about the slave and the empress, which are my favorite, remind the speaker and the listener that individual success is fleeting and relatively insignificant in the greater context, as both the weak and the powerful are equalized by their biological nature and inevitable demise.
Elegant lyrics with incredible melodies and harmony to support them. Like Maiten, this is my first post here because I just had to comment on this song.
when they had their daughter / now what does that say about me
Oh how could I dream of such a selfless and true love / could I wash my hands of
just looking out for me?
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This is a seriously beautiful song.
As a 24 year old, the first lines really resonate with me on a deep level I haven't heard from lyrics in several years at least. So much focus on personal accomplishments, careers, dumping people because they are holding you back and don't fit our unrealistic expectations. So much power in this song. Gorgeous.
This song is about death. He's saying he's older than his mother and father when they loved each other and had a child, an obvious declaration that he's still alone. The next verse simply says that he's selfish in the way that he looks out for himself, and doesn't need a girl to over complicate his life, or for him to fall hard for a girl and get his heart broken. The next verse is saying we all die, rich or poor, and he wonders if he'll see his loved ones looking over him when he dies or if he'll be alone simply staring at the ceiling. The next verse he states he wants to be buried with his wealth, unless "he has someday ran my wandering away" meaning he settles down and finally has a significant other or children to pass those belongings to.
Dont over complicate it with retarded comparisons so some random movie you watched when you were ten, or some book that you just finished reading and want to brag about, bringing the illusion you're well read. You dont understand music if you do.