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How It Ends Lyrics
Hold your grandmother's bible to your breast
Gonna put it to the test
You wanted to be blessed
And in your heart you know it to be true
You know what you gotta do
They all depend on you
And you already know
Yeah, you already know how this will end
There is no escape from the slave catcher's songs
For all of the loved ones gone
Forever's not so long
And in your soul they poked a million holes
But you never let em show
Come on, it's time to go
And you already know
Yeah, you already know how this will end
Now you've seen his face
And you know that there's a place in the sun
For all that you've done
For you and your children
No longer shall you need
You always wanted to believe
Just ask and you'll receive
Beyond your wildest dreams
And you already know
Yeah, you already know how this will end.
Gonna put it to the test
You wanted to be blessed
You know what you gotta do
They all depend on you
Yeah, you already know how this will end
For all of the loved ones gone
Forever's not so long
But you never let em show
Come on, it's time to go
Yeah, you already know how this will end
And you know that there's a place in the sun
For all that you've done
For you and your children
You always wanted to believe
Just ask and you'll receive
Beyond your wildest dreams
Yeah, you already know how this will end.
Song Info
Producer
Craig Schumacher, Nick Luca
Release date
Oct 05, 2004
Sentiment
Positive
Submitted by
aahang On Aug 19, 2005
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
I was introduced to DeVotchka at a Halloween concert in Boston back in 2005. When they performed this song, I started crying. When they came back to Boston in May, I cried again.
What I (personally) get from this is that in the back of our minds, we often always know how our labors will end, good or bad, success or failure. But it shouldn't matter if we know that all our efforts end in some fiery explosion; we have to try. We have to hope. To give up hope is to give up our humanity. It's about being strong and resilient and vulnerable and fragile, all at the same time. It's about the beauty and comfort and loneliness of hope, and so, belief in human life.
At least for me. :)
@Nightbefore beautiful answer
@Nightbefore beautiful answer
This is one of the most beautiful songs I've heard.
There's such a sense of hopefullness yet inevitable failure written into this song. I think that's what I love about it the most.
well in my opinion it could be talking about someone who knows they are going to hell for what they've done... it kindof makes sense if you sit and ponder lyrics for a while... the possibilty of war isnt out of the question either...
well in my opinion it could be talking about someone who knows they are going to hell for what they've done... it kindof makes sense if you sit and ponder lyrics for a while... the possibilty of war isnt out of the question either...
but i think its kindof metaphorically talking about how everything that rises must fall... what goes up always comes down
but i think its kindof metaphorically talking about how everything that rises must fall... what goes up always comes down
death certainly fits. everyone's life will end in death, there is no way to escape it. i love devotchka so much.
I agree that the song is about death. In my mind, when I hear the song I think of a lone Iraqi Insurgent who "Already knows how it will end", and is preparing to die for Allah, either by suicide belt, or as a defender of Fallujah.
you think of someone who is about to murder someone else, in the false belief that their god wants them to do that?? insurgent??..no..murderer of innocents i would agree with...and to associate this meaningfull song with something like that ..in my opinion..is just wrong. This song should never be thought of in the same lifetime with something like that. Sorry for ranting, just my opinion
you think of someone who is about to murder someone else, in the false belief that their god wants them to do that?? insurgent??..no..murderer of innocents i would agree with...and to associate this meaningfull song with something like that ..in my opinion..is just wrong. This song should never be thought of in the same lifetime with something like that. Sorry for ranting, just my opinion
No iraqi insurgent is dying for god. they are committing suicide, and murder in a most cowardly fashion which NO god embraces. you are a pathetic and ignorant human being, i truly hope you arent an American citizen, although we have allowances in free speech for such terrible statements. Go keep 'em company, and catch a couple 5.56mm NATO rounds.
No iraqi insurgent is dying for god. they are committing suicide, and murder in a most cowardly fashion which NO god embraces. you are a pathetic and ignorant human being, i truly hope you arent an American citizen, although we have allowances in free speech for such terrible statements. Go keep 'em company, and catch a couple 5.56mm NATO rounds.
Wow, you guys need to chill the heck out.
Wow, you guys need to chill the heck out.
Muslims do believe they are dying for the greater good of their country/people/god, and regardless of what you say or think, it's their belief.
Muslims do believe they are dying for the greater good of their country/people/god, and regardless of what you say or think, it's their belief.
I am from America, and I am antireligious, but I still UNDERSTAND when someone has religious BELIEFS, albeit martyrdom.
I am from America, and I am antireligious, but I still UNDERSTAND when someone has religious BELIEFS, albeit martyrdom.
thank you Nerolt... if you hadn't of said it... I would have.
thank you Nerolt... if you hadn't of said it... I would have.
"Muslims do believe they are dying for the greater good of their country/people/god, and regardless of what you say or think, it's their belief" - don't assume all Muslims believe these suicide bombers are dying for any good cause. Ask any educated moderate muslim what he thinks of a suicide bomber and I'm sure he'll tell you it is a corruption of their faith. There is NO justification or glory in a suicide bomber's or any terrorist's path - only twisted anger and hatred for those they simplistically blame for all their problems. I don't believe such a person capable of...
"Muslims do believe they are dying for the greater good of their country/people/god, and regardless of what you say or think, it's their belief" - don't assume all Muslims believe these suicide bombers are dying for any good cause. Ask any educated moderate muslim what he thinks of a suicide bomber and I'm sure he'll tell you it is a corruption of their faith. There is NO justification or glory in a suicide bomber's or any terrorist's path - only twisted anger and hatred for those they simplistically blame for all their problems. I don't believe such a person capable of such beautiful sentiments expressed in this song, only hatred of those they are about to kill.
This song, i believe is about someone searching for faith as imminent death approaches. The death will probably be a sacrifice to protect the innocent, not kill the innocent. I'm thinking more along the lines of Gary Cooper in High Noon - facing impossible odds for what you believe to be right. The protagonist in this song would stand between a suicide bomber and his intended victims even though he knew he would be killed.
When I read that I had to sign up and respond. Your comparison is so wrong, SO very wrong. First of all...since allah has no body and has no face, a devout muslim can never imagine seeing the face of God. That is purely a Christian concept. They have whole discussion boards about it.
When I read that I had to sign up and respond. Your comparison is so wrong, SO very wrong. First of all...since allah has no body and has no face, a devout muslim can never imagine seeing the face of God. That is purely a Christian concept. They have whole discussion boards about it.
Second...this is a song about bravery...and there is a certain cowardice to blowing yourself up, especially suicide bombers who are killing innocent children, or use innocent children.
Second...this is a song about bravery...and there is a certain cowardice to blowing yourself up, especially suicide bombers who are killing innocent children, or use innocent children.
Third, the song mentions being in need. Muslims in muslim countries do not experience the need...
Third, the song mentions being in need. Muslims in muslim countries do not experience the need that nonmuslims do since muslims dhimmify all nonmuslims. To live in dhimmitude is to be forced into poverty. My nephew spent time in Iraq and other muslim countries and he observed that no matter the circumstance, some muslims always seemed to find time to harass and bully the local Christians. This is most stark among Palestinians. Palestinian muslims are very very cruel to Palestinian Christians. When Israel pulled out of Bethlehem in 1993 Christians made up 80% of the population; By 2000 it was 40%; 2008- 20%.
http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=3363 http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/023936.php http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=39354 to name a few links regarding this issue.
That is just a fact of life for Christians in muslims countries where sharia is the rule. It's a FACT that Christians are leaving the middle east at an unprecedented rate. There are less then 100,000 Christians left in Iraq.
I can not believe the ignorance of people about islam.
fourth..the battle of Fallujah ...WOah! My nephew was in that battle...he lost many friends in that battle fighting an enemy who had absolutely NO honor, no scruples in using women and children as shields.
When I hear this song, I think of someone who is facing persecution like the people of good faith, Christians yes since they are a majority of the worlds religions, but also those of minority religions like Buddhists and Jews in muslim or communist countries who face terrible consequences for just worshiping in the way they believe God is leading them to worship, yet do so anyway.
I've read about many religions and yes, I am a christian, but that doesn't mean I can't see the value of other belief systems and respect them. I make it my business to understand why the buddhist down the street does what he/she does, or the wiccan does what he/she does, or the jew...I read about each. None of these groups are blowing anyone up, yet they all face persecution in a sharia world right along side the Christian.
I have read the koran, I have read many of the hadiths, I have visited forums for muslims and 'listened' to their discussions...and after 7 years of study, I still find nothing redeeming about islam. NOTHING. In fact them more I know, the more I am convinced of it's demonic origins. Islam is a religion made up by an insane,demonic intelligence that mixed up several Christian and Jewish heresies of the time, put a cherry on top and called it new. It is the ultimate plausible lie.
Because of islam, as a Christian, I have taken to teaching my children to say the Catholic Angelous 3 times a day..it is a prayer that memorializes the moment that the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce that she will be the Holy Mother of God who will save the world. This is to help them remember that Gabriel appeared to Mary, never mohammad. Who ever appeared to him was a fallen angel filled with lies.
But I digress... This song is about someone 'putting the bible to the test'...redemptive suffering is a very Christian notion, and this song is all about redemptive suffering.
dina
To each his own. I think what's best about this song is that it can mean something totally different for each person. And the imagery evoked from the song is...I hope...will not be the same for everyone.
To each his own. I think what's best about this song is that it can mean something totally different for each person. And the imagery evoked from the song is...I hope...will not be the same for everyone.
You can probably rule that out as soon as he mentions the person is holding a Bible.
You can probably rule that out as soon as he mentions the person is holding a Bible.
@Burke888 praise allah his worship!!!
@Burke888 praise allah his worship!!!
I think this song has a religious side to it. I think he has died but now he know where he is headed. "now you've seen His face" (God's) "and you know there's a place in the sun for all that you've done" (Judgement day) In the bible it says that you will be put before God and judged on what you have done on earth. He is standing before God and knows that he is in Heaven. Also...just ask and you receive....is very similar to a verse in the Bible. Matthew 7:7 " Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."....anyways, I think maybe he is what burke888 said but with a religious side to it.
i think your trying to make it into what you want it to be
i think your trying to make it into what you want it to be
I completely agree with youu! with everything you said. It makes complete sense
I completely agree with youu! with everything you said. It makes complete sense
@caveman006 no.
@caveman006 no.
Of course the beautiful thing is that the same set of words can apply to so many things. I had a chance to ask the amazing tuba girl about the lyrics and she said Nick never has atually written them out for the world, because he wants everyone to garner from it what they will, and that sometimes what people determine the lyrics to mean or even be are better (for each individual) than what the artist may have intended. I think that's so true and this song can apply to relationsships, the inevitability of death, whatever it may be. But it certainly has an emotional wistfulness about it -a howling at the moon quality which i feel Nick Urata shares with Thom Yorke. No matter what the song may mean to you, there's no doubt it evokes an emotional response.
She plays a sousaphone not a tuba, and Thom Yorke is awful. I love "How It Ends"
She plays a sousaphone not a tuba, and Thom Yorke is awful. I love "How It Ends"
how you would give the world to someone, but in the back of their mind....they already planned your demise. I wrote about it in a poem once. Line:
how you would give the world to someone, but in the back of their mind....they already planned your demise. I wrote about it in a poem once. Line:
What if enough is given? What if every faculty of another human being burns with desire where they would pluck the moon from the sky, yet still, the other is
What if enough is given? What if every faculty of another human being burns with desire where they would pluck the moon from the sky, yet still, the other is
unquenched?
unquenched?
Thom Yorke is great. Anyway...I agree, there is some sort of wistfulness that Urata and Yorke share. It's the thin part of the music - and I don't mean that in a bad way, just that the thin part is when you hear the most of them. How it ends sends shivers down my spine.
Thom Yorke is great. Anyway...I agree, there is some sort of wistfulness that Urata and Yorke share. It's the thin part of the music - and I don't mean that in a bad way, just that the thin part is when you hear the most of them. How it ends sends shivers down my spine.
i may have to agree with Deus on this one.. its about hoping there is a heaven and a god, but probably not ever getting to see it.
This song is amazing. It's so beautiful in its lonliness and hopefullness. They wrap so many emotions around every instrument, and the voice is perfect. AMAZING SONG.
This song has a very special meaning to me.
I had been secretly struggling with alcoholism, hiding it from my wife, friends and family. My family has a history of alcohol abuse problems but everyone believed I was successful and strong for not following in their footsteps.
One night, I was up late drinking alone while my wife believed I was watching our newborn daughter. This song came on the radio and it somehow struck a chord with me.
I "knew how this would end" as I had seen my family members destroy their lives with substance abuse. My wife and new daughter were depending on me but I was trying to fill the holes in my heart with alcohol.
The line "Now you've seen his face and you know that there's a place in the sun" was my infant daughter sleeping next to me showing me that "no longer shall you need, just ask and you'll receive beyond your wildest dreams"
I suddenly "knew it to be true" that I was an alcoholic and that "You know what you gotta do; they all depend on you and you already know how this will end" if I didn't stop drinking.
I got up, poured the vodka down the sink and told my wife about how much I drank and that I needed her help to stop. It's been 42 weeks since I've had a drink and this song was the spark that helped me start. I put the instrumental version on my daughter's lullaby playlist and when my resolve wavers I pick her up, turn on this song and sing it to her.
"For all that you've done For you and your children No longer shall you need You always wanted to believe Just ask and you'll receive Beyond your wildest dreams"
god damn it you beautiful son of a bitch, you've gone and made me tear up.
god damn it you beautiful son of a bitch, you've gone and made me tear up.
I also love this song and when I read your comment your story moved me greatly. I have never posted anything online before. But I wanted to say how much I admire your courage and wish for you all that will heal your heart and make it joyful.
I also love this song and when I read your comment your story moved me greatly. I have never posted anything online before. But I wanted to say how much I admire your courage and wish for you all that will heal your heart and make it joyful.
I signed up at this site just to thank you. Thank you very much.
I signed up at this site just to thank you. Thank you very much.
Okay, I'll admit that I haven't read all 90 interpretations, but from what I've read, I think y'all are missing the mark. I think this is a song about faith and hope (with, yes, religious overtones), and I >think< it's meant to have a twist ending. It's maybe a bit too subtle, though.
From the start, the song introduces a third character, the "you" who he is addressing. In the first verse, that person is clearly facing a difficult and important challenge. "They all depend on you." And you already know how this will end. And we're thinking, oh yeah, we know, this is going to end badly. Right?
The second verse tells me this person has been through a lot! "All the loved ones gone," and "in your soul they poked a million holes." And then they're off. And again, we're thinking, yes, we know how this will end.
But in the third verse, everything turns up roses! "Just ask and you'll receive beyond your wildest dreams." And "you," this mysterious "you," already knows how this will end. And this is where I think it's meant to be a twist. You see, right from the start, "you" knew how it would end, that is, that it would turn out fine. We discover that we're the cynical ones, being negative from the start.
Now, if this interpretation is correct, I think it could've been made clearer. As simple as making the last line "And you already KNEW how this would end," maybe. But perhaps Nick prefers to be a bit enigmatic.