| Bright Eyes – If the Brakeman Turns My Way Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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this post is most meant for ckad79, phich, girlinyellowdress, ovander, and alotlikepepsi, or anyone with the mentality of these dudes. the literal meaning of this song is so easy to understand, it is first about doing way too much of an upper. conor makes this very clear. the drug in question in this song is obviously cocaine hcl. if this was not the case, why would he use cocaine as an adjective ("a cocaine soul")? he could simply say a "confused soul," or a "tired soul," and still convey the figurative message of this song. "people snuffed-out" further clarifies this sentiment. brakeman is a song about beginning to have an epiphany. this song is for anyone who has been as nice/good as possible and gets fucked over. many of these people turn to drugs for a "cure" from the evils of society. lots of these individuals quickly become aware of their follies and see drugs for what they are; an easy, yet fruitless escape from reality. the "brakeman" in this song is about overcoming the easy way out and following one's real dreams, disregarding any harmful obstructions in this path. people will always screw each other over and bad things will always happen to good people. drugs are an easy way to overcome these circumstances. brakeman is a brilliantly hopeful song about overcoming bumps in the road and being the person you've dreamed to be. it's about self-therapy; realizing drugs are NOT reality. this song also makes references to buddhism and the circle of being, perhaps the "religion" conor has become comfortable with. once again, this song is about an epiphany, something most of us will experience in some form. -peace, johnny |
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| Bright Eyes – If the Brakeman Turns My Way Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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This is certainly my favorite Bright Eyes song, possibly the best written song I've ever heard (because it is so ambiguous). The points ya'll have made make sense, but I don't think they're totally right. The hobo thing thing is entirely possible, but for me this song is clearly about wanting to overcome a bad stimulant (coke, crack, meth, whatever) addiction and finally start living the life you dreamed of. If anyone has ever nearly overdosed on any of those drugs, didn't die, came down, and then realized how fucking stupid you were, the first two paragraphs of this song would give you chills. To give my little thesis some validity... when you do way too much of an upper (even something tame sounding, like adderall) your heart starts beating totally out of tune, or the wild paranoia make you think it does, at least...you honestly feel like you are going to die, and it is terrifying. When this happens, sedatives (downers) are the only thing that can help calm you. I guess I'll quit rambling now, but read the whole song and think about it. "Leveling Out" means coming down and staying down, for good. A real brakeman is the guy who switches the path of train tracks. This "brakeman" is a new, drug free path of life. With all the obvious referances to uppers (coke/crack) on Digital Ash (Gold Mine Gutted, Down in a Rabbit Hole), perhaps Conor has realized his need to "level out." by the way, the Paris of the South is a nickname given to Beunos Aires, Argentina...perhaps him saying he wants to go somewhere new, get away from his drug dealers and old life or whatnot. If you think I'm nuts, it's fine...but that is what this song will always mean to me. (: |
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