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.
You gotta admit Life magazine made 1968 look great,
My father said it sucked, everybody died.
All the troops you couldn't save, no one knew how to be brave,
He said sometimes you were afraid to turn your radio on.
It was enough to make you quit that peacenik scene.
Well I heard about leaders, yeah I heard they're no longer around,
Cause peace was abandoned and bravery hanged in his town.
And they passed down a sentence for building on the beauty of some dream.
All my heroes are dead, I got them in my head
Saying never again, never a war, no more fighting.
So I'll stay true to them, and they'll come home again,
I'll carry the light, follow the dream, I'll remember.
The '68 convention was a singing the times they are a-changing,
Well I guess they a-changed back.
Oh I miss those peaceful folk, love and humor when they spoke,
Hey Phil Ochs you still sound great, should've stuck around to hear it.
They say that compact disc makes songs come true.
But Phil I never expected that I'd miss you like a friend,
Cause I never expected that we'd be marching again.
And the soldiers of peace would tumble from this life as in a war.
All my heroes are dead, and all the books I read,
Said "This is greed, this is wrong, fight your war at home".
So I'll stay true to them, and they'll come home again,
I'll carry the light, follow the dream, I'll remember.
So back to the present passion, romance, love, or simply
put a lack thereof.
Shall we go on?
I don't take it personally, it's our post-modern history,
You know since Nixon was impeached it's just been hard to commit,
So we cast our allegance left and right.
But I always believed that our souls would come through.
So I never expected that you'd take her home with you.
And I never detected, how hardened and not sorry you
could be. Don't you know?
All our heroes are dead, we got ourselves instead.
And oh my friend, all your lies, they won't do you.
You gotta stay true to them, and they'll come home again,
I miss them too, I miss them too, you know I miss them
more than I love you.
My father said it sucked, everybody died.
All the troops you couldn't save, no one knew how to be brave,
He said sometimes you were afraid to turn your radio on.
It was enough to make you quit that peacenik scene.
Well I heard about leaders, yeah I heard they're no longer around,
Cause peace was abandoned and bravery hanged in his town.
And they passed down a sentence for building on the beauty of some dream.
All my heroes are dead, I got them in my head
Saying never again, never a war, no more fighting.
So I'll stay true to them, and they'll come home again,
I'll carry the light, follow the dream, I'll remember.
The '68 convention was a singing the times they are a-changing,
Well I guess they a-changed back.
Oh I miss those peaceful folk, love and humor when they spoke,
Hey Phil Ochs you still sound great, should've stuck around to hear it.
They say that compact disc makes songs come true.
But Phil I never expected that I'd miss you like a friend,
Cause I never expected that we'd be marching again.
And the soldiers of peace would tumble from this life as in a war.
All my heroes are dead, and all the books I read,
Said "This is greed, this is wrong, fight your war at home".
So I'll stay true to them, and they'll come home again,
I'll carry the light, follow the dream, I'll remember.
So back to the present passion, romance, love, or simply
put a lack thereof.
Shall we go on?
I don't take it personally, it's our post-modern history,
You know since Nixon was impeached it's just been hard to commit,
So we cast our allegance left and right.
But I always believed that our souls would come through.
So I never expected that you'd take her home with you.
And I never detected, how hardened and not sorry you
could be. Don't you know?
All our heroes are dead, we got ourselves instead.
And oh my friend, all your lies, they won't do you.
You gotta stay true to them, and they'll come home again,
I miss them too, I miss them too, you know I miss them
more than I love you.
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
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
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."
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.