| Bill Callahan – Riding for the Feeling Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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It's never easy to say goodbye To the faces So rarely do we see another one So close and so long I like to think that this verse reads "It's never easy to say goodbye to the faces. So rarely do we see another one so close; and "so long"' As if he is saying that so rarely do we see another person so close (so intimately) before one has to leave again. At which point one must again say goodbye, or as my grandfather would have said "So long" hence the "...and so long" (ending the interaction with a goodbye, starting the whole cycle over again). Highly doubtful that this is how it was intended to be read, but I so rarely hear anyone say "so long" anymore and I find the possibility of it being used in this song so very familiar and touching. |
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| Bill Callahan – Riding for the Feeling Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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The instrumentation in this song makes me feel the sadness in saying good-byes, but also inevitability of them. Because good-byes happen all the time do they become less sad, less emotional, more routine? The lyrics of the song make me waver. The lyrics seem to examine the peculiarity of good-byes (and interpersonal interactions) for a musician (or anyone else who travels for a living). Some good-byes are still sad, while others are awkward or empty. The musician has this interaction with a crowd who doesn't want him to leave, but its as if he realizes that the music creates a false sense of intimacy between himself and the fans. Even figuratively, no one answers his questions, directs questions at him, or wants to know who he is as a person. The conclusion about good-byes at shows (as in life) seems to be that it is an immutable law-- one must move on to the next gig-- yet this realization doesn't necessarily make the good-byes easier, less akward or strained. |
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| Bill Callahan – Baby's Breath Lyrics | 13 years ago |
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My original interpretation of the lyrics was loss of love, the evolution of his understanding of the true nature of the relationship over time, and his change in perspective. The sacrifice could refer to independence, freedom, bachelorhood. "It was not an easy undertaking"-- "it" referring to the relationship itself, perhaps to the process of his getting to the poiunt of agreeing to take the relationship to the next level, or perhaps to the sacrifices he made to committ to the relationship. That's why the "roots" of the love, symbolized by the "weed," "flower," and "baby's breath" "gripped" him and were like a "living grave." The cutting of a "clearing in the land" conjured images of homesteading. Then the bed, perhaps a domestic nest, for her to "cry comfortable" in. This is a contradiction, and perhaps the first signs that the relationship is doomed-- he made a homestead and a comfortable bed/nest/home with good intentions not realizing how his absence (physically or emotionally) is causing her pain and sadness. He looks "out across the lawn"-- his kingdom, his homestead, and regonizes that something is gone or missing from the picture but doesn't know what. Until he realizes that he is the missing piece. His running (either avoidance of emotional intimacy or physical running by touring) resulted in loss. And he finally realizes this and accepts it by agreeing that it was he who pulled out the baby's breath/flower. "I am on my knees gardening; It was not a weed it was a flower." The identification of himself as a gardener could be an extension of the flower metaphor-- a gardener should know the difference between a weed and a flower, and should be caring for and nurturing the flowers. The act of gardening could also refer to the process he is now engaging in: of reflecting back on the relationship, or examining his own emotional state or capabilities and realizing that it was he who was either lacking, or responsible for the demise of the relationship, the misidentification of the flower as a weed. "Now you must reap what you sow, or sing." Perhaps instead of wallowing in despair or perhaps not wanting to take responsibility, he chooses instead to sing, to avoid the sadness or simply to move past it. Of course, I am partial to this interpretation because it speaks to my past-- ending a relationship that seemed like a weed and then realizing it was actually a flower. The interpretation of the song being about abortion is interesting and could also work. My only hang-up with this is that I feel like the use of "baby's breath" is a bit too obvious-- but that's my own personal opinion. |
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