Easy/Lucky/Free Lyrics
They got refrigerators full of blood
Another century spent pointing guns
At anything that moves
Sometimes I worry that I've lost the plot
My twitching muscles tease my flippant thoughts
I never really dreamed of heaven much
Until we put him in the ground
But it's all I'm doing now
Listening for patterns in the sound
Of an endless static sea
But once the satellite's deceased
It blows like garbage through the streets
Of the night sky to infinity
(Don't you weep for them)
Don't you weep
(Don't you weep)
There is nothing as lucky
Honey, don't you weep
(Don't you weep for them)
Don't you weep
(Don't you weep)
There is nothing as lucky
As easy
Or free
You'd better shop and eat and procreate
You've got vacation days, then you might escape
To a condo on the coast
I set my watch to the atomic clock
I hear the crowd count down until the bomb gets dropped
I always figured there'd be time enough
I never let it get me down
But I can't help it now
Looking for faces in the clouds
I've got some friends I barely see
But we're all planning to meet
We'll lay in bags as dead as leaves
All together for eternity
(Don't you weep for us)
Don't you weep
(Don't you weep)
There is no one as lucky
Honey, don't you weep
(Don't you weep for us)
Don't you weep
(Don't you weep)
There is nothing as lucky
As easy
Or free
Or free
Or free
There's nothing
There's nothing

If you read interviews with Conor Oberst He says that it is his optimistic outlook on death. That is what the song is about. And it is beautiful in how chaotic it is and how the songs beauty kills its self in the end.
This is exactly the feeling I get from this song. The song's serene confrontation of death blurs into the noise.
This is exactly the feeling I get from this song. The song's serene confrontation of death blurs into the noise.

This song is deep. Conor really took a philosophical approach to this record. It came out quite good.
Does the simple line "Don't you weep..." really hit hard to anyone else?

it sounds like he's talking about the world getting nuked and everyone knows about it, but instead of being worried they are just celebrating it like they would a new year.
"I set my watch to the atomic clock. I hear the crowd count down till the bomb gets dropped."
Does anyone else think so?
I thought of it more as like...he's comparing time and the new year to a bomb. we're all slowly dying everyday and each year we just get closer to death, in a positive way though. the ball gets dropped on new year's eve but it's really just a moment closer to everyone, everywhere dying. this is worded weird but it made sense as i was thinking it.
I thought of it more as like...he's comparing time and the new year to a bomb. we're all slowly dying everyday and each year we just get closer to death, in a positive way though. the ball gets dropped on new year's eve but it's really just a moment closer to everyone, everywhere dying. this is worded weird but it made sense as i was thinking it.

i think its a political statement against the people who wage war in america, and the unconcerned public.
i sense a deep sarcasm in the whole thing

I'm going through this now. Beautiful lyrics
Can Conor do no wrong??????????ALL his lyrics are sooooooooo wonderful;I use to write;I don't since I started listening to him because he says everything I was trying to say!!!!!!!!!
Can Conor do no wrong??????????ALL his lyrics are sooooooooo wonderful;I use to write;I don't since I started listening to him because he says everything I was trying to say!!!!!!!!!

I am currently obsessed with this song.

It does sound like he's kind of saying that when the world ends. But i think it might just be about how the world is always at war. And that we shant cry for those who die, because they're in a much better place, atleast thats what we all want to believe...

I believe that Conor has shown a shift in his beliefs with this new alubm (Digital Ash...). On previous albums he's definitely been a cynic about the existence of an after-life, faith, ect. But with this album and this song in particular he's saying that some people close to him have passed away and he's done some thinking. "...But it's all I'm doing now, looking for patterns in the sound". Especially if you check out "Arc of Time" earlier on the album, it's undeniable. This whole album is a positive message, and actually talks about believing in something bigger than we are...which is a nice change for Bright Eyes.

I know there are political references and pessimistic comments, but that's a given with Conor and I don't think that's what he's getting at here. He's talking about the time people waste working, and not focusing on the important things in life such as time with friends. I definitely agree with the person above who said so delicately Conor's just talking about "not having to put up with life's shit anymore." I love the line "You might escape to a condo on the cost" it shows how consumed people become with work, and how really we're lucky if we get away for a while. So clever. Anyways i'm rambling. Beautiful song, definitely nothing depressing about it...Although some of the messages are negative really he's just trying to make you think. I think that's all Conor really wants to do. Just lookin out for people. What a guy.
singingbug01 is spot on. love those lines.
singingbug01 is spot on. love those lines.
also dont think its political but could be wrong think its more moral or social comments.
also dont think its political but could be wrong think its more moral or social comments.

"my twitching muscles tease my flippin' thoughts"
and
"we'll lay in bags as dead as leaves"
Did it all get real? I guess it's real enough - Song starts as a conversation with a close friend or possibly he is subconciously talking to himself, Did it all get real? - referencing when something hits home and makes a subject more real to you, the subject for this conversation being life/death/existance. I guess it's real enough - real enough speaks to the nature of existance being relative, or possibly the sureal feeling you get when you hear about someone close dying for the first time, or both.
Did it all get real? I guess it's real enough - Song starts as a conversation with a close friend or possibly he is subconciously talking to himself, Did it all get real? - referencing when something hits home and makes a subject more real to you, the subject for this conversation being life/death/existance. I guess it's real enough - real enough speaks to the nature of existance being relative, or possibly the sureal feeling you get when you hear about someone close dying for the first time, or both.
They got refrigerators full of blood, another century...
They got refrigerators full of blood, another century spent pointing guns at anything that moves - Although we have developed the abilty to cure most ailments and causes of death, humanity is the same as always consumed by hatered and violence.
Sometimes I worry that I've lost the plot - He feels lost and confused about everything, but only sometimes "sometimes" reflects that most of the time he feels confident
My twitching muscles tease my flippant thoughts - he's nervous and eratic and neurotic
I never really dreamed of heaven much until we put him in the ground - he never had any real feelings one way or another about death until their (his) close friend died
But it's all I'm doing now - he is consumed by thoughts about life/death/existance and the nature of reality
listening for patterns in the sound of an endless static sea - satelites are always "listening" for transmissions ("patterns in the sound") the "endless static sea" represents the non stop, 24/7/365, always on, always moving nature of a satelites job. this may have multiple implications either simply as simple as the satelite being alive (rather than dead), to him more personally searching for solace in his art (music), or him searching for messages (transmissions) in life and as he seems to feel that existance is relative "life" would be his subconcious, thoughts, etc. (endless static sea) static like radio static not as in "stationary" and not moving. this line could be so many different things. but its something like ive theorized above.
But once the satellite's deceased, It blows like garbage through the streets of the night sky to infinity - when a satelite loses power ("deceased") the transmissions stop and it will fall out of orbit and float aimlessly through space which to us is represented by the "night sky" (b/c at night the stars become visable) and will just continue on floating "lifelessly" forever and ever into the always expanding multiverse. "blows like garbage through the streets" whimsically blowing around on the wind, makes even "garbage" (death) beatiful in its own way.
dont you weep, there is nothing as easy, as lucky as free - don't be sad "weep" death is "easy" b/c its just nothingness (not a material place like heaven or hell) he considers people who die "lucky" b/c life sucks and the real hell is dealing with terible emotions "as free" the only thing you are gauranteed in life is death it is the only real right anyone has, the right to "not be" anymore.
Don't be a criminal in this police state. You'd better shop and eat and procreate. You've got vacation days, then you might escape to a condo on the coast
life is depressing and boring we are supposed to work ourselves into the ground for what? a shitty and short vacation near the ocean?
I set my watch to the atomic clock - this line has at least double meaning if not more. the atomic clock is considered the most acurate form of time keeping, this is him wanting to know exactly what is going on at any given time. and that he believes the world will destroy itself through war, most likely sooner than later and he feels there is little time left (life is short) and attempts to be laid back and enjoy life instead of running around in a panic. I hear the crowd count down until the bomb gets dropped - Society "the crowd" is actively bringing an apocalypse on oursleves as if cheering for its arival.
I always figured there'd be time enough, I never let it get me down - he always believed that he would live a full life and be content
But I can't help it now - his constant thoughts about death are making him doubt his own feelings that everthing will be ok
Looking for faces in the clouds - he is remorseful and has searching feeling for loved ones who have died, or some sort of message from them or meaning of it all, ver simalar to "listening for patterns in the sound" like he is searching for a message from them in his subconcious "endless static sea"
I've got some friends I barely see, but we're all planning to meet. We'll lay in bags as dead as leaves, All together for eternity. - they will meet in the afterlife, or its about a suicide pact of some sort.
chorus again
ends with "there is nothing" repeated again and again and again, representing the infinite nothingness that is death.
this took me forever and is nowhere near finished, the song is very deep
day to day life, routine, social norms and expectations.... there's to be more no?
day to day life, routine, social norms and expectations.... there's to be more no?