50 Meanings
Add Yours
Follow
Share
Q&A
Light Pollution Lyrics
John A. Hobson was a good man
He used to loan me books and mic stands
He even got me a subscription
To the Socialist Review
Listening to records in his basement
Old folk songs about the government
It's love of money not the market
He said, "These fuckers push on you"
And freedom yells, it don't cry
Whatever sells will decide
But there's no hell when you die
So don't look so worried
He got a nightlife, lost his day job
Pushing papers, swinging pendulums
Anything to serve a function
Or to occupy some time
You've got to earn this living somehow
You're good as dead without a bank account
But it's funny how alive he felt
Down in that unemployment line
With all that trash at his feet
The pools of piss in the street
All of that filthy empathy
For the way we're feeling
The billboard's shade
The flags, they wave
The anthem was playing loud
The baseball game was letting out
And all at once he saw the dust
And heard every tiny sound
Got in his truck and turned around
Drove out through the crowd
And the cops
Drove out past that center mall
Drove out past that sickening sprawl
Out past that fenced in gold
And maybe he lost control
Fucking with the radio
But I bet the stars
Seemed so close
At the end
At the end
At the end
At the end
At the end
He used to loan me books and mic stands
He even got me a subscription
To the Socialist Review
Listening to records in his basement
Old folk songs about the government
It's love of money not the market
He said, "These fuckers push on you"
Whatever sells will decide
But there's no hell when you die
So don't look so worried
Pushing papers, swinging pendulums
Anything to serve a function
Or to occupy some time
You've got to earn this living somehow
You're good as dead without a bank account
But it's funny how alive he felt
Down in that unemployment line
The pools of piss in the street
All of that filthy empathy
For the way we're feeling
The flags, they wave
The anthem was playing loud
The baseball game was letting out
And all at once he saw the dust
And heard every tiny sound
Got in his truck and turned around
And the cops
Drove out past that center mall
Drove out past that sickening sprawl
Out past that fenced in gold
And maybe he lost control
Fucking with the radio
But I bet the stars
Seemed so close
At the end
At the end
At the end
At the end
At the end
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
In in extraordinary amount of press Conor has gotten lately, alot of the reviews of Digital Ash mention this song. They say this song is about the death of a friend in a car crash. I dont think think tragedy of a car crash is the topic of this song. It's more along the lines of his Desaparecidos work, with the metaphor of the car crash signifying the rising above the struggle of American capitalism and consumerism. The struggle hits its climax as the character is driving past the seemingly wretched classic american landscape of flags and baseball games, and disappears into somekind of restful peace.
Also, it may be a bit of a stretch but the line of "fucking with the radio" for some reason didnt strike me at first as a car radio, but like some kind of rabid lashing out against American capitalism in form of the god awful trash that gets played on the radio.
it's "johnny hopson" with an s.
and "the billboard shades the flags - they wave. the anthem was playing loud."
and "all at once you saw the dust and heard every __ sound" - but i don't know what word goes there
and "out past that fenced in gold" but the 'gold' wouldn't make much sense, but i can't come up with anything else.
and "seemed SO close"
asking for your assistance please. i don't see a plain old 'comment' button to click on to post a new comment. I only see "post reply" which I clicked on to write this. I do have a fever right now, so maybe I'm just missing something. do you know how to just post my own comment instead of having to reply to other's posts? thanks in advance.
asking for your assistance please. i don't see a plain old 'comment' button to click on to post a new comment. I only see "post reply" which I clicked on to write this. I do have a fever right now, so maybe I'm just missing something. do you know how to just post my own comment instead of having to reply to other's posts? thanks in advance.
You go all the way to the bottom of the page. And then there's a box to write it. Kind of stupid, I know.
You go all the way to the bottom of the page. And then there's a box to write it. Kind of stupid, I know.
all at once you saw the dust and heard every TINY sound
fixed, thankyou
i think this song is about a friend who was angry with the economy or something, and he didnt want to conform or do good, so he started partying all the time and never worked and what not, but then decided he wanted to change and quit being a low life, but he got in a car crash and died.... just my opinion... any other ideas?
This song has an 80's twinge to it..good song. I think it is about how our society determines what we do and how we live our life, and the guy he's singing about (ive noticed that conor often tells stories through characters,but it could just as easily be about him that literally about his friend John Hobson)realized that and began living his life diffrently.But at the end, he dies just like everyone else. But then again,what the fuck do I know?
It should be John A. Hobson...He is a 1800s physicist who had a very distinct socialist/communist ideology....I agree with the 80s statement...I have listened to this one about 10 times since getting the album a few days ago.
just to add, the "fenced in gold" conor refers to is the various fields of wheat, barley, etc. surrounding Omaha.
tiki_12: An 1800s physicist used to lend Conor Oberst books and mic stands?!
The lyrics are metaphorical. Not to be taken in a literal sense. Since when does Oberst ever write exactly how it is? Books could represent knowledge. That Hobson lent him knowledge. Mic stands could be a foundation for his voice.
The lyrics are metaphorical. Not to be taken in a literal sense. Since when does Oberst ever write exactly how it is? Books could represent knowledge. That Hobson lent him knowledge. Mic stands could be a foundation for his voice.
Sorry I'm 6 years late on the reply, but I couldn't resist myself.
Sorry I'm 6 years late on the reply, but I couldn't resist myself.
plasticflowers: of course not, but not all of conor's songs are about himself, and in the case of digital ash many of the songs are dream like references combining real and surreal life