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A Song For The Deaf Lyrics
Nobody's coming down the hall
Nobody echoes in my head
Broken reflection had a look
Nobody ever needed her
I got what was
I want to take what's left
Ready now
Beautiful senses are gone
Canary in a gilded cage
Singin'
Sweet, soft, and low
I will poison you all
Come closer, racing to your turn
I got what was
I want to take what's left
No talk will cure
What's lost, or save what's left
For the deaf
I can go get fucked
Lie beside the ditch
Halo round my neck
Strung out every stitch
Who are you hiding
Is it safe for the deaf
Beautiful cancer
Infiltrate and forget
And I saw you coming
And I heard not a thing
A mistake not to listen
When I knew where you'd been
And I got what was
I want to take what's left
No talk will cure
What's lost, or save what's left
For the deaf
Nobody echoes in my head
Broken reflection had a look
Nobody ever needed her
I want to take what's left
Ready now
Canary in a gilded cage
Singin'
I will poison you all
Come closer, racing to your turn
I want to take what's left
No talk will cure
What's lost, or save what's left
For the deaf
Lie beside the ditch
Halo round my neck
Strung out every stitch
Is it safe for the deaf
Beautiful cancer
Infiltrate and forget
And I saw you coming
And I heard not a thing
A mistake not to listen
When I knew where you'd been
I want to take what's left
No talk will cure
What's lost, or save what's left
For the deaf
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I have very little idea what this song is about, but I'll take a stab at it anyway.
I think Homme is trying to say that you have to sometimes let stubborn people be stubborn. You can't waste your time constantly preaching to someone or trying to make them see things your way. In the end, it's like talking to the deaf. I especially sense this message in the chorus. He's speaking as someone who understands himself and the world, and doesn't care about other people's perceptions ("Broken reflection...nobody ever needed it").
I also believe that he's comparing deafness to blindness in the "blind can go get fucked" verse, with the latter being a metaphor for ignorance. It's one thing to acknowledge a circumstance, and not allow it to change your views or ideals. It's another thing to be in denial. Stubborness and ignorance are not one and the same, in his eyes.
This is how I always took the song, as well. Clearly he sees music as an art-form and a complex way musicians have been voicing that art for centuries. It isn't his fault some can't understand the message. They are stubborn, and you can't fix that. Best to just let them be stubborn and none-the-wiser.
This is how I always took the song, as well. Clearly he sees music as an art-form and a complex way musicians have been voicing that art for centuries. It isn't his fault some can't understand the message. They are stubborn, and you can't fix that. Best to just let them be stubborn and none-the-wiser.
Clearly stubborn and ignorant are two different things. Ignorance does not necessarily lead to stubbornness, but stubbornness generally always leads to ignorance.
Clearly stubborn and ignorant are two different things. Ignorance does not necessarily lead to stubbornness, but stubbornness generally always leads to ignorance.
Hi! this is like my first post here, but I think I've found a connection with this song to a previous. If you look at the first verse, it completely contradicts their earlier song "In The Fade" as it goes 'cracks in the ceiling, crooked pictures in the hall, come and breath in, im leaving here tommorow'. This one seems almost like the same guy has gone crazy with the girl not showing up- he's taken everything that was here-including the crooked pictures as a 'broken reflection' (if we take the pictures to be mirrors or himself) are gone too. Breathing in, too is lost forever, as he wants it all for himself (perhaps a majiuana reference). Remember the previous song being "in the fade"? Well both the blind (which "can go get fucked") and the deaf could definitely be interpreted as being "in the fade", but he isn't sharing whatever was there anymore. The halo round his neck may of represented his previous connections and obligations (that were good)with them (ie In The Fade) but now its a collar around his neck, and has hurt him, so hence the blind and deaf who he helped can 'get fucked'. He knew this before, as "In the Fade" He says 'they dont know ill never do you any good, laughing is easy i would if i could'. Finally, He became 'faded' himself (prob. drug ref.) as he didnt detect who ever he was singing to,probably the same girl(if im right about all this) who was beautiful but a cancer, which obviously killed his previous love that was "In the fade". 'WHen I knew where you'd been' could suggest that he knew she was cheating on him or something. Again, finally, 'what's lost, ill save what's left for the deaf' could reinforce that he is 'faded' as well from the fact he wants to take everything. The canary could be him, in that cage when all those loving senses go from "in the fade", or her, or him before he went on this crazy spree not liking the other faded/blind/deaf and poisoning them.
Or, I could be reading into this waaaaaay too much!
I like this idea. It seems that In the Fade and Song for the Deaf both fit well together. Maybe there are songs from later albums that continue the story. Just an idea.
I like this idea. It seems that In the Fade and Song for the Deaf both fit well together. Maybe there are songs from later albums that continue the story. Just an idea.
@freeze43 superb assessment , I am no expert by any means whatsoever. But I rate your breakdown. The only note I will make is, have tried ahuasca, or similar? Cos they really do alter your perception of reality. And, should we be judging the weirdness of lyrics having not been through the experiences of others??
@freeze43 superb assessment , I am no expert by any means whatsoever. But I rate your breakdown. The only note I will make is, have tried ahuasca, or similar? Cos they really do alter your perception of reality. And, should we be judging the weirdness of lyrics having not been through the experiences of others??
This song is clearly about deaf people.... think about it. How much can it SUCK not being able to hear? Not being able to hear music. If Joshua Hommes were to go deaf that would absolutely destroy him. So he feels most sympathy for the deaf above all.
in the context of the album, Josh has come to an area where only you can hear religious radios who are constantly referring god and religion as unquestionable. josh is now realizing how difficult it can be to confront issues of this matter with people who are blind believers as is the case with most of the population of joshua tree and surrounding area.
@unholy platypus man these guys have lived seriously sheltered lives. The song is about drug addiction and overcoming it - redemption even. The whole album is filled with little cues, if read any of the press stuff from homme at the time, His battles and falling out with Olivieri. Man when those guys where young they were serious coke heads and Olivieri had a bad meth/speed anything he could get his hands on addiction. They have a ton of songs about drug abuse. Mark Lanegan is always a co writer on the songs and he himself is an original seattle...
@unholy platypus man these guys have lived seriously sheltered lives. The song is about drug addiction and overcoming it - redemption even. The whole album is filled with little cues, if read any of the press stuff from homme at the time, His battles and falling out with Olivieri. Man when those guys where young they were serious coke heads and Olivieri had a bad meth/speed anything he could get his hands on addiction. They have a ton of songs about drug abuse. Mark Lanegan is always a co writer on the songs and he himself is an original seattle grunge era singer from the screaming trees. He is a hardcore Junk head. Watch him live he always wears a beanie and dark sunnies. When Kurt Cobain died apparently everyone initially thought it was Lanegan or Layne Staley who had died... the other two are now dead and Lanegan would be the longest surviving reccurring addict still living from that original seattle sound era. Listen to "the fade" "monsters in the parasol" "sky is fallin" "leg of lamb" - to a lesser extent "Auto pilot" ( that whole song is about shooting coke with a new friend then not liking seeing that friend doing it )... the list goes on and on and on they have so many references to drug addiction it aint funny. As far as song for the deaf though.. there are a few clues. a canary in a gilded cage is refferring to being trapped inside addiction - the drugs are great but its a prison - albeit a beautiful prison or gilded cage. Nobody's comin down the hall - is a reference to paranoia just like in ode to clariisa ("you know why they call and just let it ring" - also from ode to clarissa "tastes so good - lo and i knew it would" is a pretty blunt reference to the taste you get in the back of your throat when you shoot hard drugs in your arm) "broken reflection have a look" is refferring to the state he is in. "nobody ever needed it" is stating the obvious that even though addicts say they NEED it - nobody really does. "beautiful senses are gone" is the trade off for drug dependancy - as you experience the heightened feelings of drug use you lose the basic feelings of happiness, surprise and a bunch of other simple and beautiful emotions. the chorus is him realising what he has lost " I got what was" and wanting to move forward and save what is left. Even the name songs for the deaf refers to those who cant see the obvious or wont hear the truth about drugs and their problems with them. "Sweet soft and low I would poison you all - come closer racing to your turn" is the drugs talking to him calling him telling him its about to have its way with him for a time. The whole song is supposed to sound like a gnarly lullaby with beautiful melodies and guitar parts with tortured screams and howling in the background which is the illusion of drugs in itself fun on the surface and agony underneath. "who are you hiding is it safe for the deaf? beautiful cancer infiltrate and forget" is refferring to drugs eroding someone like cancer people hiding their addictions until its far too late. " I saw you coming and I heard not a thing" is reffering to his own blindness with his problems till they are out of control. "My mistake not to listen when i knew where you'd been" is not listening to perhaps the counsel of someone who is a reformed addict warning ofd the dangers who had been there already. the interlude "halo round my neck has torn out every stitch" is meaning that trying to stay sober and the battle for sobriety and continually relapsing is an open wound and the halo rpresents the battle and the stitches are the attempts to get clean, tearing the stitches is falling into old behaviours. " no talk will cure whats lost or save whats left for the deaf" is his own experience as a reformed addict warning someone else who like himself does not heed the council (possibly nick olivieri - which is why homme tossed him out shortly after this - he was quoted as saying that Olivieri's destructive behaviour was fun when they were young but had gotten old recently - what exactly is that destructive behaviour? you don't have to be a genius to figure it out)
Just suggesting a lyric change. Are you sure the line is:
"So low round my neck Strung out every stitch"
I always thought it was
"This halo 'round my neck Has torn out every stitch"
I think it's interesting how this leads into Mosquito Song. It's like this is the big 'finale' of the album, while Mosquito Song is the epilogue. He's come so far across the nation and the radio stations he's listened to for entertainment have become nightmarish and disturbing. This song is the culmination of that. He turns off the radio, gets drunk/high on nicotine/valium/vicodine/marijuana/ecstasy/alcohol, drives off laughing... and then comes the hellish final track.
I'd add this to my previous comment, but I can't edit, so:
I don't know exactly what this song's about, but it creates some very vivid images... I always thought of it as being about a serial killer (represented by Lanegan's vocals) breaking into the house of a deaf man (the narrator). That doesn't really match up with the lyrics, now that I think of it, but that's just what I picked up from it.
Song is about heavy drug abuse, and how every time the main character stops, the drugs "beg him" to come back. "I got what was / I want to take what's left," the main character wants to take all of the drugs he has at once, so he takes a lot The main character is hypnotized by taking so much drugs, his "beautiful senses are gone," and the drugs keep calling him back, "Canary in a gilded cage / Singin' / Sweet, soft and low / I will poison you all / Come closer, racin' to your tongue," the main character listened to the drugs, and took even more, but he doesn't realize he is overdosing. "No talk will cure / What's lost, or save what's left," the main character won't listen to anyone, and wants to take more. "Who are you hiding? Is it safe for the deaf? / Beautiful cancer, infiltrate then forget," The main character realized he screwed up, he's going to overdose. "Yeah, I saw you coming and I heard not a thing / A mistake not to listen / When I knew where you'd been," the main character was told what would happen if he took everything, but was too ignorant. Finally, the main character succumbs to his stupidity, and the song transitions to Mosquito Song, about his rotting corpse.
DArk song.
im at a loss for words too, cool song tho! i like the guitar screaming at the beggining, makes my hair stand up everytime