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.
Down the street you can hear her scream "you're a disgrace"
As she slams the door in his drunken face
And now he stands outside
And all the neighbours start to gossip and drool
He cries "Oh, girl you must be mad,
What happened to the sweet love you and me had?"
Against the door he leans and starts a scene,
And his tears fall and burn the garden green
And so castles made of sand fall in the sea, eventually
A little indian brave who before he was ten,
Played wargames in the woods with his indian friends
And he built up a dream that when he grew up
He would be a fearless warrior indian cheif
Many moons past and more the dream grew strong until
Tomorrow he would sing his first warsong and fight his first battle
But something went wrong, surprise attack killed him in his sleep that night
And so castles made of sand melts into the sea, eventually
There was a young girl, whos heart was a frown
'Cause she was crippled for life,
and she couldn't speak a sound
And she wished and prayed she could stop living,
So she decided to die
She drew her wheelchair to the edge of the shore
And to her legs she smiled "you won't hurt me no more"
But then a sight she'd never seen made her jump and say
"look a golden winged ship is passing my way"
And it really didn't have to stop, it just kept on going...
And so castles made of sand slips into the sea, eventually
As she slams the door in his drunken face
And now he stands outside
And all the neighbours start to gossip and drool
He cries "Oh, girl you must be mad,
What happened to the sweet love you and me had?"
Against the door he leans and starts a scene,
And his tears fall and burn the garden green
And so castles made of sand fall in the sea, eventually
A little indian brave who before he was ten,
Played wargames in the woods with his indian friends
And he built up a dream that when he grew up
He would be a fearless warrior indian cheif
Many moons past and more the dream grew strong until
Tomorrow he would sing his first warsong and fight his first battle
But something went wrong, surprise attack killed him in his sleep that night
And so castles made of sand melts into the sea, eventually
There was a young girl, whos heart was a frown
'Cause she was crippled for life,
and she couldn't speak a sound
And she wished and prayed she could stop living,
So she decided to die
She drew her wheelchair to the edge of the shore
And to her legs she smiled "you won't hurt me no more"
But then a sight she'd never seen made her jump and say
"look a golden winged ship is passing my way"
And it really didn't have to stop, it just kept on going...
And so castles made of sand slips into the sea, eventually
Lyrics submitted by , edited by SEA206MUSIC
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
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Little Feat
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”
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."
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
IMPERMANANCE. The first verse is about a changing relationship. Love and acceptance is lost. The second is about plans for the future that go wrong. You build your life on a dream and live for that future but along the way it is snatched away. The third verse is about fate, the hand of god, and miracles that don't happen. Even when they should. Sooo- The universe is uncaring. Nothing is permanant and change is the only sure thing. The tone is dispassionate too. The last verse is especially potent: Hope, even for a brief instant is useless. Abandon hope. I think its beyond good and bad things that happen - things just happen. I agree about building on false truths (a break-up song?). But I think it goes beyond that and says there is no TRUTH in things or situations. All will change. Its very deep, compassioate but not sentimental. I think its very advanced philosphy.
@Whatstheword My wife who had a severe stroke fits instance 3. I keep mentally replaying those lyrics looking for some meaning. Gonna keep believing in that "golden winged ship".
This song ACTUALLY is a song for and about his family. The first verse is about his mother and father arguing all the time, as they apparently did according to his father before his death. The second verse is a verse about his little brother, who did actually play war games in the woods with his native american friends. The death of the warrior indian chief represents his brother growing up and turning to drugs. It's the loss of naivety that occured suddenly and 'killed' the person his brother used to want to be. he last verse is about his mother, whom Hendrix didnt know well, as she died whe he was just a child. As others have said she sent him to live with relatives because she didnt want to have to cope, and abused alcohol. I think, obviously Jimi glorified her after she died, as he didnt know much about her, and so he made her into this beautifully perfect person who didnt want to handle life. The castles made of sand falling into the sea represent how no matter how strong your relationships are, if theyre built on something false, they will fall and crumble, and I think we can all relate to that. Shortly after recording the album, Jimi went to his childhood home to see his brother and made him sit down and listen to the song. He then said 'This song is our family song. Its for all of you'. This is by far my most favourite Hendrix track, and Axis: Bold as love is one of the best albums ever made. Janie Hendrix, on the other hand, is a bloody fool who deserves none of the Hendrix estate, what with her barely having a relationship with Jimi, and convincing her father, whilst he was in a state of senility, to sign a will written to her demands.
Build your castles out of stone, you won't be able to perfectly mold the walls, but they will be sturdier.
I agree with most of the people above...
He is talking about dreams that you put all your hopes and dreams into but they get destroyed, demonstrated when he sings:
"And he built up a dream that when he grew up He would be a fearless warrior indian cheif Many moons past and more the dream grew strong until Tomorrow he would sing his first warsong and fight his first battle But something went wrong, surprise attack killed him in his sleep that night "
This also can mean that the things they had hoped for didn't turn out the way they wanted to...which is demonstrated above.
I agree with Temujin on the chorus, Jimi does a great job with the lyrics in this song.
I think I kind of agree with everybody. It is about broken dreams and the part about things changing applies too. The lines "What happened to sweet love you and me have?" and "He would be a fearless warrior Indian cheif" reinforces the part about things changing; Their sweet love is gone and he's not going to be an Indian cheif anymore. But at the same time these lines imply broken dreams!
The song just seems to show the frailty of human life, how we base or life on things that we think are strong ('castles') when in reality they are weak and will break easily. It shows that nothing lasts forever.
The song just seems to show the frailty of human life, how we base or life on things that we think are strong ('castles') when in reality they are weak and will break easily. It shows that nothing lasts forever.
The song just seems to show the frailty of human life, how we base or life on things that we think are strong ('castles') when in reality they are weak and will break easily. It shows that nothing lasts forever.
don't don't don't post post post three three three times times times! ! ! ;)
"And he built up a dream that when he grew up He would be a fearless warrior indian cheif Many moons past and more the dream grew strong until Tomorrow he would sing his first warsong and fight his first battle But something went wrong, surprise attack killed him in his sleep that night "
Jimi Hendrix was part native american, and fought in Vietnam...I think he may have started out imagining he could be a "fierce Indian warrior chief"..."but something went wrong" "suprise attack [of some change of heart] killed him [the fierce Indian warrior chief] that night..."
I wonder if this is about some kind of experience or first experience of something, possibly before his first experience of combat, or before he got to Nam.