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Dead Voices Lyrics
Long live our dying friend!
In the birth of his hand was the dirge of his end
Cold now in a warming world
Still cold as the moment we're hanging frozen in
Writer of words, channel of fear
lover of life, hater of living here
Come over the hills now, to your darling
Dead voices are near now, hear them calling
Vibrations reverberate
In waves from a point in time and a place
Tune in and you feel them sent
And all time is right now - what do we learn from him, then?
Go look to his words, dont look to his past
The story goes on, the players are recast
Come over the hills now, to your darling
Dead voices are near now, hear them calling
What part of a million could call him a friend?
But maybe one in a thousand finds something to comiserate in
And if that one is you, then what do you see?
What would you say to have saved him,
And ooh, won't you say it to save me?
The streets are deserted, the bars are the same
One voice of the living: the town crier is calling your name.
In the birth of his hand was the dirge of his end
Cold now in a warming world
Still cold as the moment we're hanging frozen in
Writer of words, channel of fear
lover of life, hater of living here
Come over the hills now, to your darling
Dead voices are near now, hear them calling
Vibrations reverberate
In waves from a point in time and a place
Tune in and you feel them sent
And all time is right now - what do we learn from him, then?
Go look to his words, dont look to his past
The story goes on, the players are recast
Come over the hills now, to your darling
Dead voices are near now, hear them calling
What part of a million could call him a friend?
But maybe one in a thousand finds something to comiserate in
And if that one is you, then what do you see?
What would you say to have saved him,
And ooh, won't you say it to save me?
The streets are deserted, the bars are the same
One voice of the living: the town crier is calling your name.
Song Info
Submitted by
knifefight On Apr 10, 2004
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well this is my first "decoding" of a song, but the impression i get is that it's about how a friend is dying but everyday life still goes on and has no cares if someone is dying (or hearing dead voices). "Cold now in a warming world" gives me that impression... so correct me if i'm wrong please. by the way great song.
It sounds like he says "On live my diaphragm" at the beginning.
I honestly believe he's saying "In the bathroom, his hand was the dirge of his end," which would mean his friend committed suicide, and that in turn lends a whole new context to the song...
"Hater of living here" is pretty self-explanatory...
"To your darling" and "dead voices" give off a vibe of someone actively desiring death.
Town criers, in old England, were known to lead funeral processions.
"What would you say to have saved him," makes more sense in the context of suicide, as well as "won't you say it to save me", as it shows the writer's grief, which would make sense if his friend committed suicide.
Although he does address the listener by saying "and if that one is you, then what do you see?", I think he switches it up at the end; I believe "your name" refers to him speaking about his friend, which would make sense if he were literally at a funeral for that friend. I think that would be a fitting ending to this song, especially with the deserted bars and town crier reference all in those last two lines.
In short, I think the song is him speaking of the suicide of his friend, and how that one act shouldn't be the focus of everyones recollection of him. It's also him speaking of how life continues on, but also grieving the loss.
to my crappy ears it sometimes sounds like hes singing "dead voices of Myanmar..." i know myanmar is a country of political and social strife with many rebellions and overhrows of the ruling party. knowing ted leo, and his political leanings, i can see how this song could relate to burma/myanmar, but i may be mishearing entirely so take with a grain of salt.
to my crappy ears it sometimes sounds like hes singing "dead voices of Myanmar..." i know myanmar is a country of political and social strife with many rebellions and overhrows of the ruling party. knowing ted leo, and his political leanings, i can see how this song could relate to burma/myanmar, but i may be mishearing entirely so take with a grain of salt.