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The Well Lyrics

I could not work
So I threw a bottle into the woods
And then I felt bad
For the doe paw
And the rabbit paw
So I went looking for the pieces
Of the bottle that I threw
Because I couldn’t work

I went deep
Further than i could throw
And i came upon an old abandoned well
All boarded over
With a drip hanging from the bucket still

Well I watched that drip but it would not drop
I watched that drip but it would not drop
I knew what I had to do
Had to pull those boards off the well

When I got the boards off
I stared into the black black black
And you know I had to yell
Just to get my voice back

I guess everybody has their own thing
That they yell into a well

I gave it a coupla hoots
A hello
And a fuck all y’all

I guess everybody has their own thing
That they yell into a well

And as I stood like that
Staring into the black black black
I felt a cool wet kiss
On the back of my neck

Dang

I knew if I stood up
The drip would roll down my back
Into no man’s land

So I stayed like that
Staring into the black black black

Well they say black is all colours at once
So I gave it my red rage my yellow streak
The greenest parts of me
And my blues I knew just what I had to do

I had to turn around and go back
And let that drip roll down my back
And I felt so bad about that

But wouldn’t you know
When I turned to go
Another drip was forming
On the bottom of the bucket
And I felt so good about that
4 Meanings

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Cover art for The Well lyrics by Smog

this song owns, what a story, what great language

Cover art for The Well lyrics by Smog

having nothing to do, give to men the opportunity to do stupid things

(I could not work So I threw a bottle into the woods And then I felt bad For the doe paw And the rabbit paw So I went looking for the pieces Of the bottle that I threw Because I couldn’t work)

but also to repair the damage and explore and go to less travelled places

(I went deep Further than i could throw And i came upon an old abandoned well)

and stare in the great depth of the mistery of life and consciousness.

(I stared into the black black black)

The drop is the simbol of life, that needs liberty to rejoin the water in the well aka the origin of life.

(I knew what I had to do Had to pull those boards off the well)

Like the well, that gives back your voice, the meaning of these things is what you put into it.

(And you know I had to yell Just to get my voice back I guess everybody has their own thing That they yell into a well)

Confronted with the great depth of the mistery of life and consciousness a human being can get rid of all his worst parts and even if not everything will work out well

(I had to turn around and go back And let that drip roll down my back And I felt so bad about that)

there is still hope for the future

(Another drip was forming On the bottom of the bucket And I felt so good about that)

this song is a travel in one's consciousness

My Interpretation
Cover art for The Well lyrics by Smog

I love this song, but I must admit that I have trouble interpreting the metaphor.

Cover art for The Well lyrics by Smog

Man has consciousness, and by that token he has responsibility for Nature, even though he sometimes finds himself at odds with it (see: hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, draughts, etc.). In spite of this, Man destroys Nature in his carelessness, indifference, and impulse to destroy. Callahan becomes aware of this in his adventure, and feels even more guilty when he presumably disrupts a beautiful moment in Nature with his demand for action. He is relieved, however, when he finds that his rashness was insignificant. Callahan's repetition of the line, "I knew what I had to do," suggests that his impulsiveness, his curiosity, and his impatience are all innate, and as natural as a drip of water following from a bucket at an old abandoned well.

Song Meaning
 
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