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I Am a Cinematographer Lyrics
I am a cinematographer
I am a cinematographer
O, I am a cinematographer
O, I am a cinematographer
And I walked away from New York city
And I walked away from everything that's good
And I walked away from everything I leaned on
Only to find it's made of wood, made of wood
And I was a big ol' bear once
O, I was a big ol' bear once
O, I was a big ol' bear once
O, I was a big ol' bear once
And I walked away from California
And I walked away from everything that's shown
And I walked away from everything I lived for
Only to find everything had grown, everything had grown
Now, I am a cinematographer
O, I am a cinematographer
O, I am a cinematographer
O, I am a cinematographer
If you were alone
You could walk away from Louisville alon
I am a cinematographer
O, I am a cinematographer
O, I am a cinematographer
And I walked away from everything that's good
And I walked away from everything I leaned on
Only to find it's made of wood, made of wood
O, I was a big ol' bear once
O, I was a big ol' bear once
O, I was a big ol' bear once
And I walked away from everything that's shown
And I walked away from everything I lived for
Only to find everything had grown, everything had grown
O, I am a cinematographer
O, I am a cinematographer
O, I am a cinematographer
You could walk away from Louisville alon
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I have no idea what this song means...but it's very emotional and beautiful. I think it's one of those songs where you just have to focus on how it all makes you feel, rather than trying to interpret the words.
Cinematographer - A movie photographer, especially one who is in charge of shooting a movie.
Since we know Will is not a cinematographer, it's safe to assume that he's making a metaphor where the cinematographer in this song is the guy in charge of his own movie, i.e. moving the camera in his own life.
The song is a great tribute to the idea of finding yourself - walking away from and going to the places you need to, and finding yourself in a constantly changing world. My favorite line is "only to find it was made of wood" because that's Will's signature line open for total interpretation. Similar in ideology to Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill"
@sidneycarton See, I have the opposite interpretation. Great songs are like that. I think it is about this pretentious guy who fancies himself a cinematographer. He walks away from New York, California, and even Louisville because he is an utter failure. I think it is a self-parody in a way because Will Oldham himself has a "starving artist" image. But even though the guy in the song is a pretentious douche bag, it is still sad in a way.
@sidneycarton See, I have the opposite interpretation. Great songs are like that. I think it is about this pretentious guy who fancies himself a cinematographer. He walks away from New York, California, and even Louisville because he is an utter failure. I think it is a self-parody in a way because Will Oldham himself has a "starving artist" image. But even though the guy in the song is a pretentious douche bag, it is still sad in a way.